Industry acceptance of boundary scan

Abstract

Boundary-scan has been a published standard since May 21, 1990. Since inception of the standard, several manufacturers have introduced boundary-scan methods and are actively building systems. In order to determine the success of boundary-scan in penetrating the marketplace, a survey was conducted which covered several key points. The survey was designed to determine the need for a test method like boundary-scan, to determine how well boundary-scan meets those needs, and to make projections on how well boundary-scan will develop in the future. Thirty three engineers were polled in the survey, with each representing a different company in the United States or Canada. All respondents were active in design work, component qualification, or system testing. While the sample size was small, trends were observed which indicated validity of the data. The results show that boundary-scan is entering segments of the testing arena, but acceptance is slow and not universal. The conditions examined include the following: 1) How important is system testing in the eyes of system manufacturers? Aspects of testing that were examined included success rates, cost of testing, and test methods used. 2) What are the testing needs of industry? How rapidly is the industry moving to fine pitch modules and components that are not easily tested with probing techniques? What are the failure mechanisms. 3) Does boundary-scan meet the testing needs? What are boundary scan shortcomings, cost issues, and testing effectiveness? 4) Is boundary-scan in the development plans of designers and test engineers?.<>