Fault diagnosis for embedded read-only memories

Abstract

The paper presents a BIST-based scheme for fault diagnosis that can be used to identify permanent and address independent failures in embedded read-only memories. The proposed approach offers a simple test flow and does not require intensive interactions between a BIST controller and a tester. The scheme rests on partitioning of rows and columns of the memory array by employing low cost test logic. It is designed to meet requirements of at-speed test thus enabling detection of time-related faults.