A stepwise refinement data path synthesis procedure for easy testability

Abstract

This paper presents a new data path synthesis algorithm which takes into account simultaneously three important design criteria: testability, design area, and total execution time. We define a goodness measure on the testability of a circuit based on three rules of thumb introduced in prior work on synthesis for testability. We then develop a stepwise refinement synthesis algorithm which carries out the scheduling and allocation tasks in an integrated fashion. Experimental results for benchmark and other circuit examples show that we are able to enhance the testability of circuits with very little overheads on design area and execution time.<>