In-field test of safety-critical systems: is functional test a feasible solution?

The growing usage of electronic systems in safety- and mission-critical applications, together with the increased susceptibility of electronic devices to faults arising during the operational phase mandate for the availability of effective solutions able to face the effects of these faults. When the target system includes a processor, one possible solution is based on running suitable test programs able to detect the occurrence of faults. This solution provides several advantages (e.g., in terms of flexibility, IP protection, and defect coverage), although it is limited by the cost for developing the test programs. This paper overviews the state of the art in the area, and discusses the trends in the area.