Spring 2009 ELEN E6920 Topics in VLSI System Design -
Introduction to VLSI Testing

Testing has become an integral part of design, as a functionally correct circuit is useless unless it has an acceptable yield. Having ICs fail in the field because of defects escaping manufacturing test can result in a financial disaster. Design for Testability (DFT) and Built-In Self-Test (BIST) techniques have become essential components in the designers’ arsenal in dealing with VLSI complexity. This course provides an introduction to VLSI testing and will cover both theoretical and practical aspects of this increasingly important area.

Who: This class is for graduate students and seniors with advisor’s permission.

· Overview of electronic testing

· The testing process

· Test economics, yield, and product quality

· Fault modeling

· Logic and fault simulation

· Testability measures

· Test generation

· Functional testing

· Memory test

· Delay test

· Design for testability and scan design

· Built-in self-test

· Boundary scan

· Analog test bus

· System test and core test

Prerequisites:

• Basic knowledge of digital hardware - CSEE W4823 (Advanced Logic Design), or EECS E4340 (Computer Hardware Design), or ELEN 4321 (Digital VLSI Circuits), or permission from the instructor.

· Basic computer science knowledge of algorithms and data-structures.

Textbook: Digital Systems Testing and Testable Design by Abramovici, Breuer, and Friedman (IEEE Press)

Instructor: Miron Abramovici

When: Mondays 6:50-8:40pm