Locating logic design errors via test generation and don't-care propagation

This paper presents a new technique, the don't-care propagation method, for logic verification and design error location in a circuit. Test patterns for single stuck-line faults are used to compare the gate-level implementation of a circuit with its functional-level specification. In the presence of logic design errors, such a test set will produce responses in the implementation that disagree with the responses in the specification. In the verification phase of the design of logic circuits using the top-down approach, it is necessary not only to detect but also to locate the source of any inconsistency that may exit between the specification and the implementation. This technique can determine the region containing the error. It has very high resolution and reduces the debugging time by the designers. Extensive experimental results were obtained to demonstrate the effectiveness of the new approach.