On-line functionally untestable fault identification in embedded processor cores

Functional testing of embedded processors is a challenging task and additional constraints are imposed when a functional test procedure has to be executed online. In the latter case, a significant amount of the processor faults cannot be detected since related to the debug/test circuitry or because of memory configuration constraints. In this paper we identify several sources of on-line functional untestability and propose a set of techniques to exactly measure their impact on the fault coverage. Experimental results related to an industrial case study are reported, showing that the fault coverage loss due to the considered untestability sources may reach more than 13%.