Patent · US Expired

Apparatus and method for testing interconnections between semiconductor devices

US5717701A · kind A · utility

62Cited by
10References
22Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 13, 1996
Grant dateFeb 10, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 13, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01R31/31855
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A boundary scan register allows for simplified testing of interconnections between integrated circuits. The interconnections between integrated circuits are characterized according to net type. Each net type has one or more mask registers that drive control inputs to each boundary scan register that drives a net of that type. One integrated circuit is configured to drive, while the others are configured to receive. The boundary scan registers are initialized to predetermined values, the mask registers are loaded, and clocks are pulsed to perform the needed tests. The results are then scanned out of the boundary scan registers, and a compression circuit compresses the test results data.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.