Periodic boundary cellular automata based test structure for memory

Abstract

This work reports an effective test design for memory. It realizes March algorithm employing a periodic boundary cellular automata (PBCA) structure. The irreversible single length cycle attractor cellular automata (CA), selected for the design, returns correct decision on the fault in memory even if the test logic is defective. It avoids the bit by bit comparison of memory words, practiced in the conventional test designs, and outperforms the state-of-the-art memory test architecture in terms of delay in testing. The hardware overhead of CA based test design is insignificant in comparison to the cost of memory.