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ABSTRACT

An interconnect break is a break that occurs in the interconnect wiring, which results in logic gate inputs being disconnected from the drivers and causes the wire to float. Interconnect breaks are the most common types of breaks in modern $CMOS$ integrated circuits, so testing and detecting these breaks has become very important. This paper proposes a model by which standard tests for stuck-at-faults can be used to detect interconnect breaks in a circuit. We do a worst-case analysis of the detection of these breaks and calculate the minimum number of test vectors required to detect breaks with a specified confidence level, using n-detection principles. To enhance the understanding of the breaks in the circuit, we present a statistical model based on the length distribution of the wires surrounding the floating wire where the break occurs. From the model we compute the detection probabilities of such breaks and show that the worst case of detection is when the bias voltage is the same as the logic threshold voltage.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  B. Hardware
  B.8 Performance and Reliability
      B.8.1 Reliability, Testing, and Fault-Tolerance

General Terms:
Reliability

Keywords:
break fault, interconnect open, stuck-at test