On Deploying Scan Chains for Data Storage in Test Compression Environment

In this study the authors show how the interface between automatic test equipment (ATE) and on-chip decompression logic can be improved by a smart reuse of the scan chains. Storing the parent patterns of a modular decompression scheme in groups of scan chains avoids multiple loads from the ATE and thus reduces the test time. The presented algorithm for scan chain selection allows a flexible bandwidth management while preserving encoding efficiency and fault coverage.