A low-power oscillation based LNA BIST scheme

Test stimuli generation and power consumption are two issues that jeopardize the design of built-in self test schemes. The LNA testing approach presented herein relies on converting the amplifier into an oscillator and on using a low-power correlator to obtain a signature from the cross-correlation between the dynamic power supply current and the LNA's output voltage. In test mode a high fault coverage is obtained together with a low power consumption, while avoiding an extra stimulus generator. No significant performance degradation results from the added test circuitry. Concerning the interface with the external tester, a digital signal is required to switch between normal and test modes, as well as a low frequency line to capture the correlator DC output voltage