Test pattern generation and signature analysis for burst errors

In testing certain systems, checking for burst errors is important. This is due to the fact that errors are confined to a certain number of bits. If signature analysis is used to test a circuit then the testing capabilities depend on the polynomial that defines the linear feedback shift register (LFSR) used in the test. In this paper we show that the LFSR that is suitable for checking for burst errors is not suitable for test pattern generation. We propose a method to modify the LFSR that performs signature analysis efficiently into a nonlinear feedback shift register (NLFSR) that is suitable for test pattern generation.