Broadcast test pattern generation considering skew-insertion and partial-serial scan

Broadcast scan test patterns suffer low fault detection efficiency due to the broadcast induced test pattern constraints. This paper presents a test pattern generation technique for broadcast scan that's capable of skew insertion and partial-serial scan — the former alters while the latter partially removes the test pattern constraints due to the broadcast mechanism. The proposed test pattern generator integrates the skew insertion and partial-serial scan capability into its decision-making procedure; this tight hardware/software integration achieves high fault coverage and compression performance without modifying the circuit under test. Experimental results on ISCAS89 and ITC99 benchmark circuits are presented to validate its effectiveness.