Dynamic current testing for CMOS domino circuits

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a method for testing CMOS domino circuits using the transient power supply current. The method is based on monitoring and processing the transient current. We evaluate the effectiveness of this testing method through simulations of various domino circuits of different sizes. Moreover, we propose a normalising technique to mask the process variations effect associated with current testing. Furthermore, we present a test vector generation algorithm for testing large domino circuits, and develop and implement a clustering technique to improve the fault coverage of the test method when used with large circuits. The clustering algorithm divides the circuit into different clusters where each cluster is fed by a different power supply branch.