Effective pseudorandom testing of mixed-signal circuits

Abstract

This paper shows that the uncertainties in voltage levels in mixed-signal circuits can compromise test quality and cause operational circuits to be considered as failed. A test scheme is developed where a subset of the test vectors produced by a pseudorandom test pattern generator is constructed to eliminate patterns that may lead to test failure. The size of this subset is shown to be a function of the level of uncertainty. It is also proven that, although test quality increases, coverage may decrease.