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Software-Based Self-Test for Pipelined Processors: A Case Study
Monterey, California October 03-October 05
DOI Bookmark: http://doi.ieeecomputersociety.org/10.1109/DFTVS.2005.6320th IEEE International Symposium on ...
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M. Hatzimihail, University of Piraeus, Greece
M. Psarakis, University of Piraeus, Greece
G. Xenoulis, University of Piraeus, Greece
D. Gizopoulos, University of Piraeus, Greece
A. Paschalis, University of Athens, Greece

Software-Based Self-Test (SBST) for processors and processor-based systems recently captured the interest of test technology researchers and practitioners due to its several advantages over traditional hardware Built-In Self-Test (BIST). In this paper, we demonstrate for first time the full applicability of a recently proposed SBST methodology to a publicly available complex RISC processor implementation which includes a full pipelined architecture consisting of five pipeline stages, hazard detection, data forwarding and exceptions handling. We first show that the straightforward application of SBST routines developed for the non-pipelined version of the RISC processor can only reach a fault coverage less than 85% in the fully pipelined model. Then, we identify and classify areas with poor testability and provide solutions that extend the SBST methodology and achieve fault coverage more than 95% for this complex processor implementation.

Citation:
M. Hatzimihail, M. Psarakis, G. Xenoulis, D. Gizopoulos, A. Paschalis, "Software-Based Self-Test for Pipelined Processors: A Case Study," dft, pp.535-543, 20th IEEE International Symposium on Defect and Fault Tolerance in VLSI Systems (DFT'05), 2005
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