ADAPTING SCAN-BIST ARCHITECTURES FOR LOW POWER OPERATION

• US 20110161758A1
• Filed: 03/09/2011
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Whetsel, Lee D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,015,466 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/729
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/31721 Power aspects, e.g. power supplies for test circuits, power saving during test for scan test G01R31/318575
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/31723 Hardware for routing the test signal within the device under test to the circuits to be tested, e.g. multiplexer for multiple core testing, accessing internal nodes routing the test signal to or from the device under test G01R31/31926
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/31724 Test controller, e.g. BIST state machine for scan test G01R31/318555
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3177 Testing of logic operation, e.g. by logic analysers
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/318536 Scan chain arrangements, e.g. connections, test bus, analog signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/318575 Power distribution; Power saving

Abstract

A Scan-BIST architecture is adapted into a low power Scan-BIST architecture. A generator 102, compactor 106, and controller 110 remain the same as in the known art. The changes between the known art Scan-BIST architecture and the low power Scan-BIST architecture involve modification of the known scan path into scan path 502, to insert scan paths A 506, B 508 and C 510, and the insertion of an adaptor circuit 504 in the control path 114 between controller 110 and scan path 502.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit comprising:

A. logic circuitry including a primary input path, a primary output path, stimulus bus leads, and response bus leads;

B. scan path circuitry including;

i. a scan input lead;

ii. a scan output lead;

iii. a control leads that include a scan enable lead, and a scan clock lead;

iv. scan cells, each scan cell including;

a. multiplexer circuitry having a response input connected with one response bus lead, a scan in input, a scan enable input and an output;

b. flip-flop circuitry having an input connected with the output of the multiplexer circuitry, a scan clock input, and an output connected with one stimulus bus lead and a scan out lead;

c. the scan cells being serially connected with the scan out lead of one scan cell being connected with the scan in input of the multiplexer circuitry of another scan cell; and

d. the scan cells being organized into selectable separate scan paths with the scan in input of the first scan cell of each selectable separate scan path being connected with the scan input lead; and

v. output buffers, one for each selectable separate scan path, each output buffer having an input connected with the scan out lead of the last scan cell of that selectable separate scan path, a control input, and an output connected with the scan output lead;

C. adaptor circuitry having control input leads connected with the control leads and a separate set of control output leads connected with each selectable separate scan path and the output buffer connected with that selectable separate scan path, each separate set of control output leads including a scan enable lead, a scan clock lead, and a buffer enable lead;

D. test data generator circuitry connected to the scan input lead; and

E. test data compactor circuitry connected to the scan output lead.

2. The integrated circuit of claim 1 in which the scan clock leads of the separate sets of control output leads are selectively connected with the scan clock lead of the control input leads.

3. The integrated circuit of claim 1 in which the scan clock leads of the separate sets of control output leads are connected with the scan clock lead of the control input leads.

4. The integrated circuit of claim 1 in which the scan enable leads of the separate sets of control output leads are selectively connected with the scan enable lead of the control input leads.

5. The circuit of claim 1 in which both the scan enable lead and the scan clock lead of one set of control output leads are separate from the scan enable lead and the scan clock lead of another set of control output leads.