Introduction of DFT
Traditionally, design and test processes
were kept separate, with test considered only at the end of the
design cycle. But in contemporary
design flows, test merges with design much earlier in the process,
creating what is called a
design-for-test (DFT) process flow.
Testable circuitry is both controllable and observable. In a testable
design, setting specific
values on the primary inputs results in values on the primary outputs
that indicate whether or not
the internal circuitry works properly.
DFT Strategies
At the highest level, there are two main approaches to DFT: ad hoc and structured.
Structured DFT
Structured DFT provides a more systematic and automatic approach to enhancing design
testability.
Structured DFTs goal is to increase the controllability and observability of a circuit.
The most common is the scan design technique, which
modifies the internal sequential circuitry of the design. You can also use the Built-in Self-Test
(BIST) method, which inserts a devices testing function within the device itself. Another
Overview
Top-Down Design Flow with DFT
Tessent Scan and ATPG User's Manual, v2015.2 23
June 2015
method is boundary scan, which increases board testability by adding circuitry to a chip.
