Report on iNEMI Boundary-Scan Adoption Project results and future plans

The increase in circuit densities and speeds are driving the reduction of electrical test point access for printed circuit assembly test. Boundary-scan technology (JTAG/IEEE 1149.x) will allow continued testability of printed circuit assemblies, but it requires that it is designed into semi-conductor devices. Currently not all semiconductor vendors support boundary-scan. Wider availability of complying devices is necessary to enable cost efficient and effective board test for future designs. A project analyzing boundary-scan adoption by the industry was undertaken by the International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI) in 2009. Its objective was to assess the present status and ultimately motivate wider adoption of boundary-scan throughout the industry. To this end, the project group surveyed users of boundary-scan devices and board test development tools to identify the current levels of boundary-scan implementation in the industry today and projected short term future use. This paper presents the summarized results of the project's industry survey including the implementation status and the gaps identified to adoption of this technology by the industry. It also discusses the iNEMI follow on project plans which will leverage learning from this project in the subsequent work which will result in broader and potentially more focused usage of boundary-scan test.