Creating Structural Patterns for At-Speed Testing: A Case Study

Speed binning (or testing for functional frequency) often requires at-speed testing with functional patterns. Using structural patterns instead is an interesting alternative with respect to cost and overall coverage of nodes. This study analyzes the efficiency of structural test patterns when testing for frequency. Experiments with both path delay and transition delay patterns are discussed for multiple devices. The author shows how the tests are designed and what elements are taken into account to determine the best type of structural patterns.