Intermediate test file conversion and comparison
US5974248A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 23, 1996 |
| Grant date | Oct 26, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 23, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01R31/318307
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method for comparing intermediate test files having different file formats used to test integrated circuitry is provided. The method initially receives intermediate test files from an ATPG tool or a manually run simulation. The ATPG tool or manually run simulation provides data in a .wgl format for testing, and is a non-simulatable format, and the ATPG tool also provides a second intermediate file comprising a file or files in a simulatable format. All files contain event data used for testing. The intermediate test files are converted to files having a common format. The invention then compares the converted files to determine mismatches between the converted files. This comparison comprises evaluating the common format files and generating a pass/fail flag based on the results of the evaluation. Mismatches between the common format are corrected if the flag indicates that the files are not identical. The system transforms any converted files which were altered by the previous steps back to the previous format.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.