Comparative analysis of different implementations of multiple-input signature analyzers

Signature analysis is an accepted method of obtaining data compression for built-in testing applications. The author deals with a unified approach to the analysis of multiple-input signature analyzers by considering them as finite state switching circuits. This approach is used to investigate and compare different implementations, and it is shown that there is a large range of alternatives to achieve a given characteristic polynomial. Particular emphasis is placed on the two most common implementations. It is shown that both perform polynomial division, with each input of one circuit being equivalent to a combination of inputs of the other. The approach also gives a method of expressing aliasing patterns for both implementations, which leads to a study of the differences with regard to certain error detection capabilities