A monitor circuit (301) for monitoring changes in an input digital value of a register circuit comprises a data input (302) configured to receive a copy of the input digital value of said register circuit, and one or more triggering signal inputs (303) configured to receive one or more triggering signals. One or more triggering edges thereof define an allowable time limit before which a digital value must appear at a data input of said register circuit to become properly stored in said register circuit. The monitor circuit comprises a data event (DE) output (305), so that said monitor circuit is configured to produce a DE signal at said DE output (305) in response to a digital value at said data input (302) changing within a time window defined by said one or more triggering signals.

A semiconductor chip includes a physical layer and a processing circuit. The physical layer includes an input/output circuit, at least one sequence checking circuit and at least one signal transmission path, wherein the at least one sequence checking circuit is configured to generate at least one test result signal according to a clock signal transmitted through the input/output circuit and at least one test data signal transmitted through the at least one signal transmission path. The processing circuit is electrically coupled to the physical layer and is configured to determine an operation status of the at least one signal transmission path according to a voltage level of the at least one test result signal.

A scan chain circuitry for a memory device includes a first non-volatile storage bit (nvbit) configured to receive a shared control signal, a second nvbit configured to receive the shared control signal, a first flip-flop connected to the first nvbit, and a second flip-flop connected to the second nvbit and the first flip-flop. The first flip-flop enables loading a first data in (din) to the first nvbit based on a clock signal, and the second flip-flop enables loading a second din to the second nvbit based on the clock signal.

A scannable data synchronizer including an input circuit, first and second pass gates, first and second inverters, and a gate controller. The input circuit drives the data nodes to opposite logic states in response to an asynchronous input data signal in a normal mode and in response to scan data in a scan test mode. Each pass gate is coupled between one of the data nodes and a corresponding one of the capture nodes, and each has at least one control terminal. The inverters are cross-coupled between the second capture nodes. The gate controller can keep the pass gates at least partially open during a metastable condition of the capture nodes, and can close the pass gates when both capture nodes stabilize to opposite logic states. In the scan test mode, the scan data is used to test the latch or register functions of the scannable data synchronizer.

An integrated circuit includes a plurality of state retention power gating (SRPG) flip-flops coupled in a first chain, wherein the first chain has a first scan input and a first scan output; a pseudo random pattern generator (PRPG) configured to generate test patterns in response to seeds; a multiplexer (MUX) coupled between the PRPG and the first scan input and coupled to receive a select signal; and response compression logic coupled to the first scan output and configured to generate a test signature in response to an output pattern provided at the first scan output. The MUX is configured to, when the select signal has a first value, couple a first output of the PRPG to the first scan input, and, when the select signal has a second value, couple an inversion of the first output of the PRPG to the first scan input.

A method and system are directed to testing reconfigurable hardware designs, the method comprising inserting a scan chain into a reconfigurable hardware design associated with an integrated circuit comprising a redacted design; generating, using an automatic test pattern generation (ATPG) system, one or more test patterns and one or more bitstreams; receiving one or more primary outputs and contents of the scan chain from the reconfigurable hardware design by applying the one or more test patterns and the one or more bitstreams to the reconfigurable hardware design based on an ATPG test method of a plurality of ATPG test methods and a test architecture of a plurality of test architectures; comparing the one or more outputs and contents of the scan chain with one or more respective expected outcomes; and determining one or more faults associated with the reconfigurable hardware design based on the comparison.

In order to generate a false failure in a logic circuit without adding a new circuit to the logic circuit, a semiconductor device includes a plurality of test points includes a test point flip-flop to fix a target node within the logic circuit to a predetermined logic level when the flip-flop holds a predetermined value. A scan chain is configured by sequentially coupling a plurality of test point slip-flops. A failure injection circuit injects a failure into the target node during the normal operation of the logic circuit, by generating failure data and by setting the generated failure data to the scan chain through a scan-in node of the scan chain.

A system includes a memory and a processor. The processor is configured to execute computer program codes to perform operations below. A netlist of a functional unit is transformed to a first matrix. The netlist includes information associated with nodes and flip-flops. A first node is selected from the nodes according to the first matrix and a second matrix, to generate a fault list. The second matrix includes weighting values for the nodes. The first node is determined to be associated with a maximum number of the flip-flops. A fault injection is performed on the functional unit. The functional unit is analyzed according to the netlist and the fault list, to generate a first file. A safety mechanism unit is analyzed to generate a second file. A failure is detected according to the first file or a combination of the first file and the second file.

A flip-flop circuit may include a selection circuit, a master latch circuit and a slave latch circuit. The selection circuit includes a multiplexer and first and second inverters. The multiplexer outputs a data signal or a scan input signal to a first node in response to an enable signal. The first inverter is connected to the first node and provides an inversion of a signal of the first node to a second node in response to a clock signal. The second inverter is connected to the second node and provides an inversion of the signal of the second node to a third node in response to the clock signal and a signal of a fourth node. The master latch circuit is connected between the third and fourth nodes. The slave latch circuit is connected between the fourth node and an output terminal of the flip-flop circuit.

An apparatus for performing scan test of IC chip includes a shift-frequency searching unit that searches usable shift frequency for a target scan section among at least one scan section each including whole or part of at least one scan pattern inputted to a scan path. When searching usable shift frequency for the target scan section, the shift-frequency searching unit scales shift frequency of the target scan section differently from that of at least one scan section among scan sections shifted before or after the target scan section or sets shift frequency of the target scan section differently from that of the at least one scan section among the scan sections shifted before or after the target scan section, and searches shift frequency with which result of the scan test indicates pass or shift frequency with which result of the scan test indicates fail.