Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is an important component for modern digital systems. FPGA is a semi-custom integrated circuit for implementing arbitrary logic functions of users by using look-up tables. FPGA has two main resources. One is logic resource and the other is interconnect resource. The logic resources implement the logic functions of user circuits and the interconnect resources connect logic resources to each other. Logic resource includes look-up table, flip-flop and multiplexer, and a net is an example of interconnect resource. When you write the user circuit into FPGA, FPGA is said to be configured. It is possible to write circuits into FPGA several times, i.e., FPGA has reconfigurability.
FPGA test is a processing for finding out whether there is a fault in FPGA’s resources or not, while FPGA diagnosis is for finding out what fault is in which resource of FPGA. There are two methods for testing and diagnosing FPGAs. One is application-independent method and the other is application-dependent method. The application-independent method can test all resources of FPGA, and the application-dependent method can test only the resources used in the circuit mapped into FPGA.
Factories increase the manufacturing yield of FPGAs by performing application-dependent tests and diagnoses. Application-dependent tests and diagnoses of FPGAs are also important to users because there may be FPGAs that have not passed application-independent tests. In FPGAs, the interconnect resource occupies more chip area than other resources. Therefore, faults in FPGA are mostly interconnect faults.
Two methods have been mainly employed for application-dependent tests and diagnoses of interconnect faults of FPGA. These previous methods are all for testing and diagnosing interconnect of circuits with look-up tables and flip-flops when mapped into FPGA. The circuits mapped into FPGA often include multiplexers in addition to look-up tables and flip-flops. The previous methods are not enough for testing and diagnosing the interconnect of circuits that include multiplexers when mapped into FPGA because the function of multiplexers cannot be changed arbitrarily, unlike look-up tables.
Son Yong Jun, a researcher at the Faculty of Electronics, has proposed a new method for diagnosing interconnect faults of circuits with multiplexers when mapped into FPGA.
This method is an application-dependent method for diagnosing only interconnects of FPGA used in circuits. What is special about this method is to use the hierarchical structure of multiplexers and a single-term function.
The proposed method can be applied to diagnosing any single stuck-at fault and bridging fault in the net of circuits comprised of look-up tables and multiplexers.
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