Efficient Constraint Extraction for Template-Based Processor Self-Test Generation

This paper presents efficient method to extract constraints from a test program template and synthesize a test program using constraint circuits. A test program template is an instruction sequence with unspecified operands, and represents paths for justification of test patterns and observation of test responses for a module under test (MUT). The constraint circuit represents a relation between operand values and inputs/output of the MUT, therefore it enables to obtain operand values using a standard automatic test pattern generator. Experimental results show that the proposed method generates accurate and compact constraint circuits, and we obtain high fault efficiency.