Oscillation built-in self test (OBIST) scheme for functional and structural testing of analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits

Abstract

This paper describes a new built-in self test (BIST) technique suitable for both functional and structural testing of analog and mixed-signal circuits based on the oscillation-test methodology. Analog-todigital converter (ADC) is used as a test vehicle to demonstrate the capability of the proposed OBIST technique for both functional and structural testing. Design of different parts of OBIST structure is also presented.The ADC conversion rate, differential nonlinearity (DNL) and integral nonlinearity (INL) at each quantization band edge (QBE) are tested as functional parameters. These parameters are considered to be the most important functional characteristics of an ADC.Practical experimentation using real-world successive approximation and flash ADCs confirms the accuracy of OBIST for functional testing of ADCs. Simulation results using a 3-bit flash ADC designed using a CMOS 1.2 pm technology are also presented. For structural testing, oversampled sigma-delta ADCs are investigated. Both hard and soft faults are considered and some simulation results are presented.

On-Chip Testing Schemes of Through-Silicon-Vias (TSVs) in 3D Stacked ICs

“…Oscillation ring (OR) test is a useful and efficient method to detect faults in functional circuits and devices [15][16]. An oscillation ring is a closed loop with an odd number of signal inversions.…”

On Measurement Uncertainty of ADC Nonlinearities in Oscillation-Based Test

“…1. It consists of a feedback loop, which forces the ADC to oscillate around a selected code [7]. The input stimulus of ADC is a triangle wave signal of symmetrical slope controlled by the OBT control logic.…”

“…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].…”

Flexible embedded test solution for high-speed analogue front-end architectures

“…Some BIST approaches employ more defect-oriented measurements avoiding the extraction of converter performance parameters [20,21]. BIST techniques for static performance parameter evaluation have been published based on the feedback loop methodology [22] and histogram testing [23,24]. A BIST technique targeting high-resolution converters is published in [25,26], where a polynomial fitting algorithm is employed to the converter's ramp response to determine gain error, offset error, and secondand third-order harmonics.…”