A jitter determination method for determining at least one jitter component of an input signal is described. The input signal is generated by a signal source. The jitter determination method includes: receiving the input signal; determining a step response based on the input signal, the step response being associated with at least the signal source; and determining at least one variation parameter associated with the determined step response, wherein the at least one variation parameter is indicative of a reliability of the determined step response. Further, a measurement instrument is described.

The present disclosure describes using the JTAG Tap's TMS and/or TCK terminals as general purpose serial Input/Output (I/O) Manchester coded communication terminals. The Tap's TMS and/or TCK terminal can be used as a serial I/O communication channel between; (1) an IC and an external controller, (2) between a first and second IC, or (3) between a first and second core circuit within an IC. The use of the TMS and/or TCK terminal as serial I/O channels, as described, does not effect the standardized operation of the JTAG Tap, since the TMS and/or TCK I/O operations occur while the Tap is placed in a non-active steady state.

The present disclosure describes using the JTAG Tap's TMS and/or TCK terminals as general purpose serial Input/Output (I/O) Manchester coded communication terminals. The Tap's TMS and/or TCK terminal can be used as a serial I/O communication channel between; (1) an IC and an external controller, (2) between a first and second IC, or (3) between a first and second core circuit within an IC. The use of the TMS and/or TCK terminal as serial I/O channels, as described, does not effect the standardized operation of the JTAG Tap, since the TMS and/or TCK I/O operations occur while the Tap is placed in a non-active steady state.

In one embodiment, a device comprises: a first die having disposed thereon a first plurality of latches wherein ones of the first plurality of latches are operatively connected to an adjacent one of the first plurality of latches; and a second die having disposed thereon a second plurality of latches wherein ones of the second plurality of latches are operatively connected to an adjacent one of the second plurality of latches. Each latch of the first plurality of latches on said first die corresponds to a latch in the second plurality of latches on said second die. Each set of corresponding latches are operatively connected. A scan path comprises a closed loop comprising each of said first and second plurality of latches. One of the second plurality of latches is operatively connected to another one of the second plurality of latches via an inverter.

A system-on-chip includes a process-voltage-temperature (PVT) sensor with a filter circuit that initiates a patterned digital signal and propagates the patterned digital signal in a manner responsive to variations in semiconductor material, operating supply voltage and operating temperature of the system-on-chip. A digital comparison circuit compares the initiated patterned digital signal and the propagated patterned digital signal. A warning signal is generated in response to the comparison where there is a detection of discrepancy between the initiated patterned digital signal and the propagated patterned digital signal.

Described embodiments include a test system having first, second and third circuits having the same design and configured to receive a same input signal. A majority voter circuit has a first voter input coupled to a first circuit output, a second voter input coupled to a second circuit output, a third voter input coupled to a third circuit output, and a voter output. The output signal is equal to a signal present at least two of the voter inputs. A discrepancy detector circuit has first, second and third discrepancy inputs coupled to the first, second and third circuit outputs, respectively. A discrepancy output is configured to: provide a first logic signal responsive to the first, second and third circuit outputs having equal values; and provide a second logic signal responsive to the first, second and third circuit outputs having unequal values.

Power-glitch detection and power-glitch self-testing within a chip is shown. In a chip, a processor has a power terminal, a glitch detector, and a self-testing circuit. The power terminal is configured to receive power. The glitch detector is coupled to the power terminal of the processor for power-glitch detection. The self-testing circuit has a glitch generator and a glitch controller. The glitch controller controls the glitch generator to generate a self-testing glitch signal within the chip to test the glitch detector.

A network of storage units has a data path, which is at least a portion of the network. The network also has a dynamic time-varying or cycle-varying code generation unit and a code comparator unit that together make up an unlock signal generation unit; and a gateway storage unit. If the gateway storage unit does not store an unlock signal or the unlock signal generation unit does not generate and transmit an unlock signal, the gateway storage unit does not insert a data path segment in the data path. If the unlock signal generation unit is operated such that it generates an unlock signal, and it transmits that unlock signal to a gateway storage unit, and the gateway storage unit stores the unlock signal value, then the gateway storage unit inserts a data path segment into the data path.

A method includes identifying state holding pipeline stages in a pipeline path of a design for test (DFT) of an integrated circuit design, splitting each pattern of a plurality of patterns into a first part and a second part, reformatting the plurality of patterns to generate another plurality of patterns such that the first part and the second part of each pattern of the plurality patterns are included in different patterns of the another plurality of patterns. The length of the first part is a function of a number of the identified pipeline stages.

A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium stores an analysis program for causing a computer to execute a process including: reading circuit data; trying to generate test data for a delay fault to be targeted; analyzing whether an underkill is caused when the targeted delay fault results in a redundant fault; and presenting circuit modification locations to avoid the underkill, based on an analysis result, when the underkill is caused.