Logic circuits are becoming increasingly susceptible to probabilistic behavior caused by external radiation and process variation. In addition, inherently probabilistic quantum- and nano-technologies are on the horizon as we approach the limits of CMOS scaling. Ensuring the reliability of such circuits despite the probabilistic behavior is a key challenge in IC design---one that necessitates a fundamental, probabilistic reformulation of synthesis and testing techniques. This monograph will present techniques for analyzing, designing, and testing logic circuits with probabilistic behavior.

This book covers recent advances in the field of logic synthesis and design, including Boolean Matching, Logic Decomposition, Boolean satisfiability, Advanced Synthesis Techniques and Applications of Logic Design. All of these topics are valuable to CAD engineers working in Logic Design, Logic Optimization, and Verification. Engineers seeking opportunities for optimizing VLSI integrated circuits will find this book as an invaluable reference, since there is no existing book that covers this material in a systematic fashion.

An Introduction to Logic Circuit Testing provides a detailed coverage of techniques for test generation and testable design of digital electronic circuits/systems. The material covered in the book should be sufficient for a course, or part of a course, in digital circuit testing for senior-level undergraduate and first-year graduate students in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. The book will also be a valuable resource for engineers working in the industry. This book has four chapters. Chapter 1 deals with various types of faults that may occur in very large scale integration (VLSI)-based digital circuits. Chapter 2 introduces the major concepts of all test generation techniques such as redundancy, fault coverage, sensitization, and backtracking. Chapter 3 introduces the key concepts of testability, followed by some ad hoc design-for-testability rules that can be used to enhance testability of combinational circuits. Chapter 4 deals with test generation and response evaluation techniques used in BIST (built-in self-test) schemes for VLSI chips. Table of Contents: Introduction / Fault Detection in Logic Circuits / Design for Testability / Built-in Self-Test / References

This monograph is motivated by the challenges faced in designing reliable VLSI systems in modern VLSI processes. The reliable operation of integrated circuits (ICs) has become increasingly dif?cult to achieve in the deep submicron (DSM) era. With continuouslydecreasing device feature sizes, combinedwith lower supply voltages and higher operating frequencies, the noise immunity of VLSI circuits is decreasing alarmingly. Thus, VLSI circuits are becoming more vulnerable to noise effects such as crosstalk, power supply variations, and radiation-inducedsoft errors. Among these noise sources, soft errors(or error caused by radiation particle strikes) have become an increasingly troublesome issue for memory arrays as well as c- binational logic circuits. Also, in the DSM era, process variations are increasing at a signi?cant rate, making it more dif?cult to design reliable VLSI circuits. Hence, it is important to ef?ciently design robust VLSI circuits that are resilient to radiation particle strikes and process variations. The work presented in this research mo- graph presents several analysis and design techniques with the goal of realizing VLSI circuits, which are radiation and process variation tolerant.

With VLSI chip transistors getting smaller and smaller, today's digital systems are more complex than ever before. This increased complexity leads to more cross-talk, noise, and other sources of transient errors during normal operation. Traditional off-line testing strategies cannot guarantee detection of these transient faults. And with critical applications relying on faster, more powerful chips, fault-tolerant, self-checking mechanisms must be built in to assure reliable operation. Self-Checking and Fault-Tolerant Digital Design deals extensively with self-checking design techniques and is the only book that emphasizes major techniques for hardware fault tolerance. Graduate students in VLSI design courses as well as practicing designers will appreciate this balanced treatment of the concepts and theory underlying fault tolerance along with the practical techniques used to create fault-tolerant systems. Features: Introduces reliability theory and the importance of maintainability Presents coding and the construction of several error detecting and correcting codes Discusses in depth, the available techniques for fail-safe design of combinational circuits Details checker design techniques for detecting erroneous bits and encoding output of self-checking circuits Demonstrates how to design self-checking sequential circuits, including a technique for fail-safe state machine design

Advances in design methods and process technologies have resulted in a continuous increase in the complexity of integrated circuits (ICs). However, the increased complexity and nanometer-size features of modern ICs make them susceptible to manufacturing defects, as well as performance and quality issues. Testing for Small-Delay Defects in Nanoscale CMOS Integrated Circuits covers common problems in areas such as process variations, power supply noise, crosstalk, resistive opens/bridges, and design-for-manufacturing (DfM)-related rule violations. The book also addresses testing for small-delay defects (SDDs), which can cause immediate timing failures on both critical and non-critical paths in the circuit. Overviews semiconductor industry test challenges and the need for SDD testing, including basic concepts and introductory material Describes algorithmic solutions incorporated in commercial tools from Mentor Graphics Reviews SDD testing based on "alternative methods" that explores new metrics, top-off ATPG, and circuit topology-based solutions Highlights the advantages and disadvantages of a diverse set of metrics, and identifies scope for improvement Written from the triple viewpoint of university researchers, EDA tool developers, and chip designers and tool users, this book is the first of its kind to address all aspects of SDD testing from such a diverse perspective. The book is designed as a one-stop reference for current industrial practices, research challenges in the domain of SDD testing, and recent developments in SDD solutions.