Testing for Small-Delay Defects in Nanoscale CMOS Integrated Circuits

10

Conclusion

Continuous advancement in semiconductor process technology enables the creation of large and complex system chips. On one hand, the use of advanced process technology helps meet modern electronic industry needs regarding computing processing power, speed, die size, and form factor; on the other hand, it also brings forward several test challenges. Some of these test challenges are associated with the test data volume and test pattern size due to the sheer large size of the chip; other test challenges are new and not well understood. One such critical challenge is testing and diagnosis of small-delay defects. Small-delay defects can cause immediate failure of a circuit if introduced on critical paths, whereas they cause major ...