Testing analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits using oscillation-test method

Abstract

A new low-cost test method for analog integrated circuits, called the oscillation test, is presented. During the test mode, the circuit under test (CUT) is converted to a circuit that oscillates. Faults in the CUT which deviate the oscillation frequency from its tolerance band can be detected. Using this test method, no test vector is required to be applied. Therefore, the test vector generation problem is eliminated, and the test time is very small because only a single output frequency is evaluated for each CUT. The oscillation frequency may be considered as a digital signal and therefore can be evaluated using pure digital circuitry. These characteristics imply that the oscillation-test strategy is very attractive for wafer-probe testing as well as final production testing. In this note, the validity of the proposed test method has been verified throughout various examples such as operational amplifiers, amplifiers, filters, and analog-todigital converters (ADC's). The simulations and practical implementation results affirm that the presented method assures a high fault coverage.

Oscillation-based test in a CCII-based bandpass filter

“…The basic idea is to switch the Circuit Under Test (CUT) into an oscillator configuration during the test phase, as has been extensively discussed for several circuits (operational amplifiers, filters, data converters) [1][2][3]. During the test, a feedback loop is created to the CUT to produce self-sustained oscillations.…”

(Some) Open Problems to Incorporate BIST in Complex Heterogeneous Integrated Systems

“…However, these techniques are not directly giving information of the specs and are much more useful for structural test. The most popular is the so-called Oscillation-based Test [21,22], relying in forcing oscillations either in a circuit or in a full system. Due to the fact that no generators are needed and that a purely-digital evaluation can be made [23,24], this technique worth interest mostly as a complement of other techniques.…”

On Measurement Uncertainty of ADC Nonlinearities in Oscillation-Based Test

“…It requires minimal reconfiguration of the circuit-under-test and is thus suitable for built-in self-test. Oscillation based test has been applied to different kind of circuits including filters, A/D and D/A converters, PLLs, etc [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Extensive summary of the proposed solutions can be found in [9,10].…”

“…Oscillation-based test (OBT) [1][2][3] is a low-cost analog and mixed-signal test technique primarily used for fault detection. In the test mode, the circuit is transformed into an oscillator and the frequency of oscillation is measured and compared to a reference value obtained on a knowngood circuit operating in the same conditions.…”