Test Resource Partitioning

Shrinking process technologies and increasing design sizes have led to highly complex, billion-transistor integrated circuits (ICs). Testing these complex ICs to weed out defective parts has become a major challenge. To reduce design and manufacturing costs, testing must be quick and effective [19]. The cost of testing an IC is directly related to the amount of test resources consumed. The rapidly increasing number of transistors in ICs has spurred an enormous growth in test resource requirements, such as large test data sets, long test development and application times, and complex test equipment. Effective test development techniques that enhance the utilization of test data, testing time and test equipment are therefore necessary to increase production capacity and reduce test cost.