Stimulus generation of a built-in self-test using oscillation based test structures

Abstract

An oscillation based test method is a simple and in some cases quite efficient method for producing a go-no go test. In this approach, the circuit is transformed into an oscillator during the test mode and the frequency of oscillation is measured and compared to a reference value obtained on a known good circuit operating in the same conditions. The main drawback is that only some parts of a complex analogue system can be transformed into oscillators and hence be tested by the oscillation test approach. In this paper, we extend their application to stimulus generation of a built-in self-test. Oscillation test structures of switched-capacitor and active RC filters are considered. Simple ways of changing the oscillation frequency are discussed.