An on-chip clock generation scheme for faster-than-at-speed delay testing

Abstract

Faster-than-at-speed testing provides an effective way for detecting and debugging small delay defects in modern fabricated chips. However, the use of external automatic test equipment for faster-than-at-speed delay testing could be costly. In this paper, we present an on-chip clock generation scheme which facilitates faster-than-at-speed delay testing for both launch on capture and launch on shift test frameworks. The required test clock frequency with a high resolution can be obtained by specifying the information in the test patterns, which is then shifted into the delay control stages to configure the launch and capture clock generation circuit (LCCG) embedded on-chip. Similarly, the control information for selecting various test frameworks and clock signals can also be embedded in the test patterns. Experimental results are presented to validate the proposed scheme.