ECL test access port with low power control

• US 5,379,302 A
• Filed: 04/02/1993
• Issued: 01/03/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation (Texas Instruments, Inc.)
• Inventors: Andrews, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Voeltz, Emanuel T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, ALAN
• Application Number:
  US08/042,127
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: 371/22.3, 371/22.1, 371/22.5, 371/22.6, 371/27, 371/15.1, 371/21.4, 324/73.1, 324/158 R, 307/272.2, 307/291, 307/465
• US Class Current: 714/727
• 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 31/318575 Power distribution; Power saving

Abstract

An integrated circuit device ECL test access port (TAP) is constructed for low static current requirements and low power consumption when the TAP is inactive. The ECL test access port may conform with IEEE Standard 1149.1 Test Access Port and Boundary Scan Architecture. An SCS logic circuit (50) is incorporated in the TAP controller coupled to the flip-flops (32,34,36,38) of the TAP controller n state finite machine for generating a current sink switch control signal (SCS) according to the state of the TAP controller. A current sink switch circuit (24) is coupled to respective current sinks of ECL gates incorporated in the boundary scan register (BSR/TDR1), design specific TAP data registers (DS/TDRs), TAP instruction register (TIR), and device identification register (DIR/TDR3). The current sink switch circuit (24) has an input coupled to the SCS logic circuit (50) to receive the current sink switch control signal (SCS). The current sink switch circuit is constructed to turn off the respective current sinks (Q4/R5, Q5/R6, Q6/R7) of the selected TAP registers in response to an SCS signal having a first logic value to reduce power dissipation when the TAP controller is in the inactive test logic reset (TLR) state. The current sink switch circuit turns on the respective current sinks of the selected TAP registers in response to an SCS signal having a second logic value when the test controller is in an active test mode state. The SCS logic circuit incorporates appropriate decoder or logic gates (40,52) and reset signal (RESET*) to filter out glitches and spikes and provide a clean SCS signal for holding on or off the respective current sinks of the ECL logic gates of the selected TAP registers.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit device ECL test access port (TAP) having a plurality of test data registers including a boundary scan register for performing boundary scan testing, a bypass register for providing a minimum path, and optional design specific test data registers and a TAP controller comprising an n state finite machine of a plurality of flip flops whose outputs determine the state of the TAP controller, said TAP controller having a test logic reset state in which the test access port is inactive and a plurality of test mode states when the test access port is active, said registers and TAP controller of the ECL test access port comprising ECL gates with respective ECL current sinks, the improvement comprising:

said TAP controller comprising a switch control signal (SCS) logic circuit incorporated in the TAP controller for generating a current sink switch control signal (SCS) according to the state of the TAP controller, said TAP controller being constructed so that the outputs of the flip flops comprising the TAP controller n state finite machine are at specified logic potential levels during the test logic reset state of the TAP controller, said SCS logic circuit for generating the current sink switch control signal SCS comprising a first logic gate having inputs coupled to the outputs of the TAP controller n state finite machine flip flops;

a current sink switch circuit coupled to respective current sinks of ECL gates incorporated in the boundary scan register and design specific TAP data registers, said current sink switch circuit having an input coupled to the SCS logic circuit to receive the current sink switch control signal SCS and being constructed to turn off said respective current sinks in response to a first SCS signal to reduce power dissipation when the TAP controller is in the inactive test logic reset state.

2. The IC device ECL TAP of claim 1 wherein said current sink switch circuit is constructed to turn on said current sinks in response to a second SCS signal when the TAP controller is active in a test mode state.

3. The IC device ECL TAP of claim 2 wherein the current sinks for the ECL gates of the selected registers of the test access port comprise a bipolar tail current transistor and tail resistor coupled to the emitter node of the tail current transistor, and wherein said current sink switch circuit comprises a bias network coupled to the base nodes of the respective tail current transistors for the boundary scan register and design specific TAP data registers, said bias network having an input transistor coupled to the SCS logic circuit for turning on the bias network to the conducting state and thereby turning on the respective current sinks in response to a second SCS signal at the bias network input transistor when the TAP controller is in an active test mode state and for turning off the bias network and thereby turning off the respective current sinks in response to a first SCS signal when the TAP controller is in the inactive test logic reset TLR state.

4. The IC device ECL TAP of claim 1 wherein the test access port further comprises an IC device identification register comprising ECL gates with respective ECL current sinks and wherein the current sink switch circuit is also coupled to the respective current sinks of the ECL gates incorporated in the device identification register.

5. The IC device ECL TAP of claim 1 wherein the TAP further comprises a TAP instruction register (TIR) for receiving instruction codes for the TAP controller, said TIR comprising ECL gates and corresponding current sinks, and wherein the current sink switch circuit is coupled to respective current sinks of the ECL gates incorporated in the TIR.

6. The IC device ECL TAP of claim 1 wherein the TAP controller is constructed to provide a reset output and a first logic gate output, said reset output and first logic gate output being coupled to inputs of a second logic gate providing the current sink switch control signal SCS at its output.

7. The IC device ECL TAP of claim 1 wherein the first logic gate is a NAND gate and the second logic gate is a NOT/NAND gate.

8. The IC device with ECL TAP of claim 1 wherein the SCS logic circuit comprises a decoder logic gate having inputs coupled to the outputs of the flip flops of the n state finite machine of the TAP controller and a decoder logic gate output, said TAP controller having a reset flip flop reset output and a second logic gate having inputs coupled to the decoder logic gate output and the reset output, the output of said second logic gate providing the SCS signal.

9. The IC device with ECL TAP of claim 1 wherein the SCS logic circuit comprises a decoder logic circuit having inputs coupled to the outputs of the flip flops of the n state finite machine of the TAP controller and a decoder logic circuit output, said TAP controller having a reset output, and an OR gate having inputs coupled to the decoder logic circuit output and the reset output, the output of said OR gate providing the SCS signal.

10. The IC device ECL TAP of claim 8 wherein the current sinks for the ECL gates of the selected registers of the test access port comprise a bipolar tail current transistor and tail resistor coupled to the emitter node of the tail current transistor, and wherein said current sink switch circuit comprises a bias network coupled to the base nodes of the respective tail current transistors for the boundary scan register and design specific TAP data registers, said bias network having an input transistor coupled to the SCS logic circuit for turning on the bias network to the conducting state and thereby turning on the respective current sinks in response to a second SCS signal at the bias network input transistor when the TAP controller is in an active test mode state and for turning off the bias network and thereby turning off the respective current sinks in response to a first SCS signal when the TAP controller is in the inactive test logic reset TLR state.

11. An integrated circuit device ECL test access port (TAP) having dedicated TAP access pins and associated pin electronics including a TAP data input (TDI) pin, a TAP data output (TDO) pin, a TAP mode select (TMS) pin, and a TAP clock (TCK) pin, said test access port having a plurality of TAP data registers (TDR'"'"'s) coupled to receive data signals at the TDI pin and to shift data signals to the TDO pin, said TDR'"'"'s including a boundary scan register for performing boundary scan testing, a bypass register for providing a minimum path between the TDI and TDO pins, and optional design specific test data registers, a TAP instruction register (TIR) coupled to receive instruction codes at the TDI pin and to direct use of selected TDR'"'"'s, and a TAP controller coupled to receive control signals at the TMS pin and clock signals at the TCK pin and to provide control and clock signals for controlling operation of the TIR and TDR'"'"'s, said TAP controller comprising a n state finite machine of a plurality of flip flops, said TAP controller having a test logic reset state in which the test access port is inactive and a plurality of test mode states when the test access port is active, said registers and TAP controller of the ECL test access port comprising ECL gates with respective ECL current sinks, the improvement comprising:

said TAP controller comprising a switch control signal (SCS) logic circuit coupled to the outputs of the flip flops of the n state finite machine of the TAP controller for generating a current sink switch control signal SCS having a first logic value when the TAP controller is in the inactive test logic reset state and a second logic value when the TAP controller is in an active test mode state;

a current sink switch circuit coupled to respective current sinks of ECL gates incorporated in selected registers of the TAP, namely the boundary scan register, design specific TAP data registers, and TAP instruction register (TIR) said current sink switch circuit having an input coupled to receive the current sink switch control signals SCS and being constructed to turn on and off said respective current sinks of the selected registers, turning off the current sinks in response to said SCS signal first logic value to reduce power dissipation during the test logic reset (TLR) inactive state of the TAP controller, and turning on the current sinks in response to said SCS signal second logic value for operation of the TAP during active test mode states of the TAP controller.

12. The IC device ECL TAP of claim 11 wherein the test access port further comprises an IC device identification register comprising ECL gates with respective ECL current sinks and wherein the current sink switch circuit is also coupled to the respective current sinks of the ECL gates incorporated in the device identification register.

13. The IC device ECL TAP of claim 11 wherein the TAP controller is constructed so that the outputs of the flip flops comprising the TAP controller n state finite machine are at specified logic potential levels during the test logic reset state of the TAP controller and wherein the SCS logic circuit for generating the current sink switch control signal SCS comprises a first logic gate coupled to the outputs of said flip flops of the n state finite machine.

14. The IC device ECL TAP of claim 13 wherein the TAP controller is constructed to provide a stable reset output and a first logic gate output, said first logic gate output having inputs coupled to the respective outputs of the flip flops of the TAP controller n state finite machine, said reset output and first logic gate output being coupled to inputs of a second logic gate providing the current sink switch control signal SCS at the output of the second logic gate.

15. The IC device ECL TAP of claim 11 wherein the current sinks for the ECL gates of the selected registers of the test access port comprise a bipolar tail current transistor and tail resistor coupled to the emitter node of the tail current transistor, and wherein the current sink switch circuit comprises a bias network coupled to the base nodes of the respective tail current transistors for the selected registers said bias network having an input transistor coupled to the SCS logic circuit for turning on the bias network to the conducting state and thereby turning on the respective current sinks in response to the SCS signal second logic value at the bias network input transistor when the TAP controller is in an active test mode state and for turning off the bias network and thereby turning off the respective current sinks in response to the SCS signal first logic value when the TAP controller is in the inactive test logic reset TLR state.

16. The IC device with ECL TAP of claim 15 wherein the SCS logic circuit comprises a NAND gate having inputs coupled to the outputs of the flip flops of the n state finite machine of the TAP controller, said TAP controller having a reset flip flop reset output, and a NOT/NAND gate having negated inputs coupled to the NAND gate output and the reset output, the output of said NOT/NAND gate providing the SCS signals.

17. The IC device with ECL TAP of claim 11 wherein the SCS logic circuit comprises a decoder having inputs coupled to the outputs of the flip flops of the n state finite machine of the TAP controller and a decoder output, said TAP controller having a reset output, and a logic gate having inputs coupled to the decoder output had the reset output, the output of said logic gate providing the SCS signals.

18. The IC device ECL TAP of claim 14 wherein the decoder is a NAND gate and the logic gate is a NOT/NAND gate.

19. The IC device ECL TAP of claim 14 wherein the decoder is a NAND gate and the logic gate is an OR gate.