Optimal single probe traversal algorithm for testing of MCM substrate

An algorithm for finding the optimal traversal route of a single probe to test MCM interconnects is presented. The goal of this work is to optimize the total distance traveled by a single test probe on an MCM substrate and thereby reduce the substrate testing time. It is assumed that only one terminal pad of each interconnection net is to be probed. Our algorithm is based on tour construction and improvement with arbitrary insertion for solving a complex variation of the traveling salesman problem. Improved insertion and shuffling techniques guarantee the step by step optimization of the total traversal cost. The validity of the algorithm has been confirmed with experiments and shows that up to 50% reduction in probe traversal time can be obtained with our technique.