Test generation in circuits constructed by input decomposition

The logic synthesis tool FACTOR generates circuits by finding the best decomposition of the inputs to minimize the communication complexity. It tries to minimize the number of connections in the circuit, instead of the number of gates, for area optimization. In addition to the area optimization, FACTOR also has the feature of generating circuits for which test vectors can be easily generated. Because it tries to find an input partitioning which provides the minimal number of connections between subcircuits, the generated circuits are tree-type with restricted reconvergent fanouts. It is shown how improved testability can be achieved at the same time as area optimization by presenting an efficient test generation algorithm for the restricted tree-type circuits generated by FACTOR using a single stuck-type fault model