Simultaneous capture and shift power reduction test pattern generator for scan testing

An automatic test pattern generation (ATPG) technique, which simultaneously reduces capture and shift power during scan testing, is presented. This ATPG performs power reduction during dynamic test compaction so the test length overhead is very small. This low-power test generator implements several novel techniques, such as parity backtrace, confined propagation, dynamic controllability and post-fill test regeneration. The experimental data on ISCAS benchmark circuits show that the peak capture power and the peak shift power are reduced by 31% and 26%, respectively.