G01R31/31705

Session management for interactive debugging

Methods and measurements systems are disclosed relating to dynamic measurement prioritization by multiple software interfaces. A first software interface with a low priority may be conducting a first measurement on a device under test (DUT) through a driver connected to a measurement device. A second software interface with a higher priority may initiate a request to conduct a second measurement on the DUT. In response, the driver may automatically determine that the second software interface has a higher priority than the first software interface and may halt the first measurement and conduct the second measurement. The driver may notify the first software interface that its access to the measurement hardware has been revoked, and the first software interface may enter a monitoring mode to monitor the results of the second measurement.

Methods and systems to verify correctness of bug fixes in integrated circuits

A method and/or system is disclosed for pre-silicon verification of a first integrated circuit design modified to a second integrated circuit design to avoid a hit of property P where property P has a known counterexample. The method/system includes applying a first implication check in an equivalence testbench on the first integrated circuit and on the second integrated circuit to determine whether the second integrated circuit hits property P in the same way as the first integrated circuit hits property P. Additionally or alternatively applying a second implication check to determine whether the second integrated circuit hits property P at a different timestep than the first integrated circuit hits property P. Additionally or alternatively applying a third implication check to determine whether the second integrated circuit hits property P further along a path than the first integrated circuit hits property P.

System and method for debugging in concurrent fault simulation

The present disclosure relates to a system and method for debugging in fault simulation associated with an electronic design. Embodiments may include receiving, using at least one processor, an electronic design and performing concurrent fault simulation on a fault to be analyzed associated with the electronic circuit design, wherein the fault has a fault propagation path associated therewith. Embodiments may also include identifying a trace of one or more signals of interest that are in the fault propagation path and generating a faulty database and a good database associated with the one or more signals of interest that are in the fault propagation path. Embodiments may further include identifying one or more differences between the faulty database and the good database.

Method of and an Arrangement for Analyzing Manufacturing Defects of Multi-Chip Modules Made Without Known Good Die
20210116497 · 2021-04-22 ·

The present invention provides a reliable method and arrangement for boundary scan testing and debugging newly manufactured multi-chip modules (MCMs) made to identical design specifications with no Known Good Die therein. Advantageously, a first and a second MCM are temporarily linked in tandem for boundary scan testing through a motherboard and daisy-chaining their internal dice, and interlinking the corresponding boundary scan cells of the identical dice of the first and second MCM to (1) run self-test on individual MCMs and mutual test on the MCMs connected in tandem in order to generate an extended Truth Table that includes responses from an array of combined netlists of the first and second MCMs, and (2) to diagnose mismatched bits in the extended Truth Table using a Boundary Scan Diagnostics software so as to identify defects in the first and second MCMs.

REDUCED SIGNALING INTERFACE METHOD & APPARATUS
20210072310 · 2021-03-11 ·

This disclosure describes a reduced pin bus that can be used on integrated circuits or embedded cores within integrated circuits. The bus may be used for serial access to circuits where the availability of pins on ICs or terminals on cores is limited. The bus may be used for a variety of serial communication operations such as, but not limited to, serial communication related test, emulation, debug, and/or trace operations of an IC or core design. Other aspects of the disclosure include the use of reduced pin buses for emulation, debug, and trace operations and for functional operations.

INTERFACES FOR WIRELESS DEBUGGING

Existing multi-wire debugging protocols, such as 4-wire JTAG, 2-wire cJTAG, or ARM SWD, are run through a serial wireless link by providing the debugger and the target device with hardware interfaces that include UARTs and conversion bridges. The debugger interface serializes outgoing control signals and de-serializes returning data. The target interface de-serializes incoming control signals and serializes outgoing data. The actions of the interfaces are transparent to the inner workings of the devices, allowing re-use of existing debugging software. Compression, signal combining, and other optional enhancements increase debugging speed and flexibility while wirelessly accessing target devices that may be too small, too difficult to reach, or too seal-dependent for a wired connection.

System on chip and operating method thereof

A system-on-chip (SoC) includes: a plurality of processors configured to store respective debugging information in response to respective information extraction commands received in a deadlock state, the plurality of processors having different architectures; a system bus connected to the plurality of processors; and an SoC manager configured to generate the respective information extraction commands differently according to an architecture of each of the plurality of processors in response to detecting occurrence of the deadlock state, and transmit the respective information extraction commands to the plurality of processors through a bus separate from the system bus.

Smart and efficient protocol logic analyzer configured within automated test equipment (ATE) hardware

A method for monitoring a communication link between a device under test (DUT) and automated test equipment is disclosed. The method comprises monitoring data traffic associated with testing a DUT using a protocol analyzer module, wherein the data traffic comprises a flow of traffic between the DUT and a protocol core of a programmable logic device, wherein the protocol analyzer module is integrated within the programmable logic device, wherein the programmable logic device is controlled by a system controller and is operable to generate commands and data to test the DUT, and wherein the protocol core is operable to generate signals to communicate with the DUT using a protocol associated with the DUT. The method further comprises saving results associated with the monitoring in a memory associated with the protocol analyzer module and transmitting the results upon request to an application program executing on the system controller.

Debug interface recorder and replay unit

The system and method of using a debug interface recorder and replay unit for debugging and testing devices of interest such as integrated circuits by using a debug interface buffer controller to receive, record, and replay sequences of instructions to the integrated circuit. This is particularly useful for deployed devices that are difficult or dangerous to access. This is also beneficial for devices that cannot be reached (e.g., after launch). By recording sequences and storing them for later use, and by communicating commands and configuration settings to a device, system maintenance and troubleshooting is accomplished saving valuable time and money without requiring physical access to the device of interest.

Operational management of a device

Operational management of an integrated circuit device can be performed by a microcontroller based on information associated with the notification messages generated by the integrated circuit device. The notification messages may include timestamps and metadata for different notification types which can be used to build a timeline. The microcontroller may use the information to monitor the operational health and performance of the integrated circuit device or can communicate this information to a remote management server.