The minimum test set problem for circuits with nonreconvergent fanout

The problem of computing the minimum size of a test set for a combinational circuit is considered. It is known that the minimum test set size of a combinational circuit can be determined in polynomial time for fanout free circuits, while even for circuits with non-reconvergent fanout, the minimum test set size problem is NP-Hard. We extend the class of circuits for which a minimum test set can be constructed in polynomial time to include a class of circuits with fanout, called restricted fanout circuits. Restricted fanout circuits are characterized using an undirected graph describing the structure of the circuit. The graph for these circuits must be free of (undirected) cycles. In addition, the paper demonstrates a novel application of dynamic programming to test generation problems.

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