Design Flows Using TestKompress

ABSTRACT

Different embedded compression products and technologies have been tried and discarded as the marketplace selects the solution that best meets all the requirements. Users have determined that a successful embedded compression tool is required to:

1. Maintain high test quality (i.e. support all fault types)
2. Achieve high test compression of both test time and test data (up to 100X)
3. Have little or no impact on the functional design
4. Add minimal area
5. Easily fit into the design flow

As evidenced by its widespread industry adoption, TestKompress has met or exceeded all of these requirements while requiring as few as a single scan channel and offering diagnostics directly from compressed patterns. While Design-For-Test (DFT) groups are typically most concerned with high test quality and Operations Test is focused on reducing test time and data, design teams are most concerned with how any tool or methodology will impact the design and how it will fit into their existing design flow. This paper will describe the various design flows that TestKompress supports for the generation, insertion and synthesis of its embedded compression logic. The advantages of each flow are discussed so that the designer can decide which best fits into his or her existing design flow.