Efficient design of CMOS TSC checkers

This paper considers the design of an efficient, robustly testable, CMOS Totally Self-Checking (TSC) Checker for k-out-of-2k codes. Most existing implementations use primitive gates and assume the single stuck-at fault model. The self-testing property has been found to fail for CMOS TSC checkers under the stuck-open fault model due to timing skews and arbitrary delays in the circuit. A new four level design using CMOS primitive gates (NAND, NOR, INVERTERS) is presented. This design retains its properties under the stuck-open fault model. Additionally, this method offers an impressive reduction (greater than 70 percent) in gate count, gate inputs, and test set size when compared to the existing method. This implementation is easily realizable and is based on Anderson's technique. A thorough comparative study has been made on the proposed implementation and Kundu's implementation and the results indicate that the proposed one is better than Kundu's in all respects for k-out-of-2k codes

Fault-tolerant sub-lithographic design with rollback recovery

Shrinking feature sizes and energy levels coupled with high clock rates and decreasing node capacitance lead us into a regime where transient errors in logic cannot be ignored. Consequently, several recent studies have focused on feed-forward spatial redundancy techniques to combat these high transient fault rates. To complement these studies, we analyze fine-grained rollback techniques and show that they can offer lower spatial redundancy factors with no significant impact on system performance for fault rates up to one fault per device per ten million cycles of operation (Pf = 10^-7) in systems with 10^12 susceptible devices. Further, we concretely demonstrate these claims on nanowire-based programmable logic arrays. Despite expensive rollback buffers and general-purpose, conservative analysis, we show the area overhead factor of our technique is roughly an order of magnitude lower than a gate level feed-forward redundancy scheme

Синтез самопроверяемых схем встроенного контроля на основе метода логического дополнения до равновесного кода «2 из 4»

The article explores the peculiarities of self-checking integrated control circuits synthesis by the Boolean complement method based on the "2-out-of-4'' constant-weight code. The article describes the features of integrated control circuits implementation by the Boolean complement method. It is noted that it is possible to synthesize the structures of discrete devices, which have less structural redundancy than in situation of the control circuit implementation by the method of duplication. The effect in structural redundancy reducing is achieved by minimizing the complexity of the control logic block technical implementation and using checkers that are simpler in their structures than the comparator in the system of duplication. The article proposes a method of the integrated control circuit organization based on determining the values of control functions taking into account the maintenance of testability of elements of addition by modulo two in the Boolean complement block and the checker of the "2-out-of-4" code.Исследуются особенности синтеза самопроверяемых схем встроенного контроля по методу логического дополнения на основе равновесного кода «2 из 4». Описываются особенности реализации схем встроенного контроля по методу логического дополнения. Отмечается возможность синтеза структур дискретных устройств, имеющих меньшую структурную избыточность, чем при реализации схемы контроля по методу дублирования. Эффект в снижении структурной избыточности достигается за счет минимизации сложности технической реализации блока контрольной логики и использования более простых по своим структурам тестеров, чем компаратор в системе дублирования. Предлагается способ организации схемы встроенного контроля, основанный на доопределении значений контрольных функций с учетом обеспечения тестируемости элементов сложения по модулю два в блоке логического дополнения и тестера кода «2 из 4»

Investigations into the feasibility of an on-line test methodology

This thesis aims to understand how information coding and the protocol that it supports can affect the characteristics of electronic circuits. More specifically, it investigates an on-line test methodology called IFIS (If it Fails It Stops) and its impact on the design, implementation and subsequent characteristics of circuits intended for application specific lC (ASIC) technology. The first study investigates the influences of information coding and protocol on the characteristics of IFIS systems. The second study investigates methods of circuit design applicable to IFIS cells and identifies the· technique possessing the characteristics most suitable for on-line testing. The third study investigates the characteristics of a 'real-life' commercial UART re-engineered using the techniques resulting from the previous two studies. The final study investigates the effects of the halting properties endowed by the protocol on failure diagnosis within IFIS systems. The outcome of this work is an identification and characterisation of the factors that influence behaviour, implementation costs and the ability to test and diagnose IFIS designs

LSI/VLSI design for testability analysis and general approach

The incorporation of testability characteristics into large scale digital design is not only necessary for, but also pertinent to effective device testing and enhancement of device reliability. There are at least three major DFT techniques, namely, the self checking, the LSSD, and the partitioning techniques, each of which can be incorporated into a logic design to achieve a specific set of testability and reliability requirements. Detailed analysis of the design theory, implementation, fault coverage, hardware requirements, application limitations, etc., of each of these techniques are also presented

On Fault Tolerance Methods for Networks-on-Chip

Technology scaling has proceeded into dimensions in which the reliability of manufactured devices is becoming endangered. The reliability decrease is a consequence of physical limitations, relative increase of variations, and decreasing noise margins, among others. A promising solution for bringing the reliability of circuits back to a desired level is the use of design methods which introduce tolerance against possible faults in an integrated circuit. This thesis studies and presents fault tolerance methods for network-onchip (NoC) which is a design paradigm targeted for very large systems-onchip. In a NoC resources, such as processors and memories, are connected to a communication network; comparable to the Internet. Fault tolerance in such a system can be achieved at many abstraction levels. The thesis studies the origin of faults in modern technologies and explains the classification to transient, intermittent and permanent faults. A survey of fault tolerance methods is presented to demonstrate the diversity of available methods. Networks-on-chip are approached by exploring their main design choices: the selection of a topology, routing protocol, and flow control method. Fault tolerance methods for NoCs are studied at different layers of the OSI reference model. The data link layer provides a reliable communication link over a physical channel. Error control coding is an efficient fault tolerance method especially against transient faults at this abstraction level. Error control coding methods suitable for on-chip communication are studied and their implementations presented. Error control coding loses its effectiveness in the presence of intermittent and permanent faults. Therefore, other solutions against them are presented. The introduction of spare wires and split transmissions are shown to provide good tolerance against intermittent and permanent errors and their combination to error control coding is illustrated. At the network layer positioned above the data link layer, fault tolerance can be achieved with the design of fault tolerant network topologies and routing algorithms. Both of these approaches are presented in the thesis together with realizations in the both categories. The thesis concludes that an optimal fault tolerance solution contains carefully co-designed elements from different abstraction levelsSiirretty Doriast

NASA Space Engineering Research Center Symposium on VLSI Design

The NASA Space Engineering Research Center (SERC) is proud to offer, at its second symposium on VLSI design, presentations by an outstanding set of individuals from national laboratories and the electronics industry. These featured speakers share insights into next generation advances that will serve as a basis for future VLSI design. Questions of reliability in the space environment along with new directions in CAD and design are addressed by the featured speakers

Driving to Learn. The process of growing consciousness of tool use - a grounded theory of de-plateauing.

The Driving to Learn project explored possible achievements of training people with cognitive disabilities in a joystick-operated powered wheelchair utilizing the grounded theory approach. Theoretical sampling led the concomitant collection and analysis of data. During a period of 12 years, 45 participants with profound cognitive disabilities, aged 12 months to 52 years, were engaged in the project. Typically developed infants and participants with less degree of cognitive disabilities formed two reference groups. Data sources were video-recordings, field notes, interviews and information from medical records. Constant comparative analyses led the emergence of an eight-phase process of growing consciousness of tool-use, training strategies, a tool for assessment of joystick-use and identification of factors influencing the outcome of the training. The tool was tested for inter-rater reliability and used to evaluate the outcome of the 45 participants. Growing consciousness was by amplification conceptualised to a grounded theory of de-plateauing. Attainment of de-plateauing was reliant on the interdependent properties motivation, endurance, responsiveness, adaptability and access to resources with high predictability and usability. De-plateauing was defined as a positional change exceeding preconceived expectations. I argue that the grounded theory of de-plateauing might be useful in many more fields, where the phenomenon of plateauing attitudes is present either explicitly or implicitly