FTROM: A Silicon Compiler for Fault-tolerant ROMs

Abstract

This paper describes a new CAD tool, FTROM - Fault-Tolerant ROM compiler, which synthesizes layout geometries of fault-tolerant ROM modules with flexible, user-specified geometry and CMOS design-rule parameters. This physical design tool produces high-quality built-in self-testable (BIST) and fault-tolerant ROM layouts and uses a novel, minimum-delay overhead approach for fault-tolerance. A tool like FTROMeliminates the high cost of external testing of embedded ROM macros with I/O pins that are difficult to control and observe. © 1998 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.