Automatic insertion of BIST hardware using VHDL

Abstract

A system is presented which automatically inserts BIST (built-in self-testing) hardware to a circuit described in VHDL (VHSIC Hardware Description Language). An appropriate VHDL modeling style for automatic insertion of BIST hardware is investigated. The use of BILBO (built-in logic block observer) is primarily pursued in the system. Algorithmic and rule-based approaches are used in the insertion of BILBO. Test scheduling and control signal distribution are also performed by the system.<>