Fault models and tests specific for FIFO functionality

Abstract

First-in-first-out (FIFO) memories are becoming increasingly popular as buffer storage between subsystems operating at different data rates. One way to implement a FIFO is to use a single-port SRAM memory with arbitration logic to resolve conflicts due to simultaneous read and write requests. The well-know functional tests for SRAMs cannot be applied to FIFOs because of their built in access restrictions. Functional fault models and functional tests for FIFOs have been presented by van de Goor (1992). This paper presents functional fault models together with a set of tests and their correctness proofs for the logic implementing the FIFO functionality; e.g. embedded address registers, multiplexers, empty and full flags, etc.<>