Functional characterization of microprocessors
Axel Hunger, Axel Gaertner · International Test Conference · 1984
The function of a microprocessor (MP) is described by its instruction set. Using this set as circuit model for the device under test (DUT), self-testing progrdms (STPs) are constructed. Characterization is done by the repeated performance of the STP with variation of working parameters (e.g. supply voltage, clock frequency and temperature) offering an economic tool for testing in real-time. Functional characterization of the entire instruction set can be applied for the comparison of devices; information on different working regions of single instructions can be used to mark critical functions. The employed STP is derived from malfunctions of instructions used as fault model. It is shown that the underlying procedure for the generation of the STPs delivers complete functional tests with a detection power comparable to that of ATE-driven sets of test patterns.