Efficient RT-level fault diagnosis

Increasing IC densities necessitate diagnosis methodologies with enhanced defect locating capabilities. Yet the computational effort expended in extracting diagnostic information and the stringent storage requirements constitute major concerns due to the tremendous number of faults in typical ICs. In this paper, we propose an RT-level diagnosis methodology capable of responding to these challenges. In the proposed scheme, diagnostic information is computed on a grouped fault effect basis, enhancing both the storage and the computational aspects. The fault effect grouping criteria are identified based on a module structure analysis, improving the propagation ability of the diagnostic information through RT modules. Experimental results show that the proposed methodology provides superior speed-ups and significant diagnostic information compression at no sacrifice in diagnostic resolution, compared to the existing gate-level diagnosis approaches.