Automated Test Creation for Mixed Signal IP using IJTAG
The creation of test patterns for mixed-signal IP has largely been a manual effort. The IEEE 1687 (IJTAG) standard improves the process used to test, access, and control embedded IP. IJTAG was defined by a broad coalition of IP vendors, IP users, major ATE companies, and all three major EDA vendors. It is expected to be rapidly and widely adopted by the semiconductor industry to develop test patterns for the whole design and for IPs on the IP level without having to know how the IP will be embedded within different designs. Siemens EDA and NXP Semiconductors (NXP) worked together to implement the IJTAG standard on mixed-signal IPs in a 65 nm automotive design. The results demonstrate the significant advantages of 1687 over the current IEEE 1149.1 (JTAG) test methodology, both in automating the test pattern development and in reducing test setup data volume by more than 50%.
