On path selection in combinational logic circuits

Abstract

In order to ascertain correct operation of digital logic circuits it is necessary to verify correct functional operation as well as correct operation at desired clock rates. To ascertain correct operation at desired clock rates, it is verified that signal propagation delays along a set of selected paths fall within allowed limits by applying appropriate stimuli. It has previously been suggested that an appropriate set of paths to test would be the one that includes at least one path, with maximum modeled delay, for each circuit lead or gate input. Here, algorithms to select such sets of paths with minimum cardinality are given.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>