CN102236065A

CN102236065A - Method for rapidly debugging and locating chip functional fault and debugging circuit

Info

Publication number: CN102236065A
Application number: CN2010101550250A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 舒海军
Original assignee: Shanghai Huahong Integrated Circuit Co Ltd
Current assignee: Shanghai Huahong Integrated Circuit Co Ltd
Priority date: 2010-04-22
Filing date: 2010-04-22
Publication date: 2011-11-09
Anticipated expiration: 2030-04-22
Also published as: CN102236065B

Abstract

The invention discloses a method for realizing rapid debugging and locating of a chip functional fault. The method is characterized by comprising the following steps: embedding a debugging circuit in a chip circuit, inputting a predefined signal by virtue of one or more pins of the chip to ensure the chip to enter into a debugging mode when the chip has the functional fault and selecting the internal signals to be observed of the chip according to the input predefined signal; outputting the selected internal signals of the chip by virtue of one predefined pin of the chip; and realizing the debugging and locating of the functional fault by observing the waveforms of certain internal signals in the working process of the chip and comparing the waveforms with the expected waveforms of the signals during design. The invention also discloses the debugging circuit used in the method. By adopting the method, the debugging and locating of the chip fault can be rapidly realized at low cost after the chip has the functional fault.

Description

The chip functions fault is debugged the method and the debug circuit of location fast

Technical field

The present invention relates to the chip design field, particularly relate to a kind of chip functions fault that can realize and debug the method for location fast.The present invention relates to the debug circuit in this method.

Background technology

The development of semiconductor process technology makes the further raising of integrated circuit (IC) integrated level become possibility.Electronics industry has strided forward the VLSI (very large scale integrated circuit) epoch from the large scale integrated circuit epoch.Maturation along with the deep submicron process technology, chip design already is faced with severe problem: because the development of demand of chip functions and performance, chip-scale is increasing, operating rate is more and more higher, construction cycle is more and more longer, and design cost is more and more higher, and designing quality is more and more restive, design that occurs after the chip production and production problem probability are increasing, and it is also increasing to search time of fault and human cost and complexity.When 3 layers of metal level of design, problem was arranged before 10 years, can directly study metal level and check circuit as fruit chip.For 9 layers of metal level and 0.13mm even littler intermetallic distance, problem is not so simple just now.When chip goes wrong,, may need to observe some key signal of chip internal for the reason that locates errors; Usual way is to utilize focused ion beam (FIB) to be insinuated into chip internal.This method is the cost height not only, and the time is long, and is easy to destroy chip or introduces other problems in so little intermetallic distance.

Summary of the invention

The technical problem to be solved in the present invention provides a kind of chip functions fault that realizes and debugs the method for location fast, after functional fault appears in chip, and the debugging and the location of realization failure of chip that can fast and low-cost; For this reason, the present invention also will provide a kind of debug circuit of realizing in the described method.

For solving the problems of the technologies described above, the method that chip functions fault of the present invention is debugged the location fast is to adopt following technical scheme to realize:

Be embedded in a debug circuit at chip circuit, when functional fault appears in chip, one section good signal of predefine of one or more pins input by this chip makes chip enter debugging mode, and selects according to the internal chip enable signal that the good signal of the predefine of described input is treated observation; The internal chip enable signal that chooses is exported by a good pin of predefine of chip; By observing the waveform of some internal signal in the chip operation process, and the expectation waveform of this signal is compared during with design, realizes the debugging and the location of functional fault.

The present invention realizes that the debug circuit in the described method sees the description of embodiment part for details.

Adopt method of the present invention, can when chip design, be embedded in the little debug circuit of a fritter area at chip.After chip production is finished, if functional fault is need debug the time, can not destroy chip and do under the situation of focused ion beam (FIB) engineering, external terminal by the operation chip just can be observed some key signal of chip internal, thus the debugging and the location of realization failure of chip that can fast and low-cost.Make people just can control and observe the signal of chip internal, and on cost and time budget, do not exceed intended target in chip exterior.

Description of drawings

The present invention is further detailed explanation below in conjunction with accompanying drawing and embodiment:

Fig. 1 is each signal waveforms of one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is the debug circuit one example structure figure that is embedded in chip internal.

Embodiment

The method that described in one embodiment chip functions fault is debugged the location fast is that portion embeds a debug circuit within it when chip design.When functional fault appears in chip, import one section good signal of predefine by one or more pins of this chip and make chip enter debugging mode; And the internal chip enable signal for the treatment of observation according to the good signal of the predefine of described input is selected; The internal chip enable signal that chooses is exported by a good pin of predefine of chip; By observing the waveform of some internal signal in the chip operation process, and the expectation waveform of this signal is compared during with design, realizes the debugging and the location of functional fault.

Referring to shown in Figure 1, for example, from the IO0 pin input high level signal of chip, from IO1 pin input clock signal, from IO2, IO3, the good signal of IO4 pin input predefine; Wherein, from IO4 pin input be serial data, after changing, become parallel data; From preceding 8 data of IO4 pin input be " A5 " (certainly, preceding 8 data of input also but other data, for example " 9A "; If purpose is that to set in the debug circuit that chip is embedded in is A5, have only so when preceding 8 data from the input of IO4 pin are " A5 ", be that both have mated, just can enter debugging mode one, internal chip enable signal to be observed is outputed to, otherwise can not realize the internal chip enable signal debug function), and make chip enter debugging mode with signal from IO0, IO1, IO2, IO3, the input of IO4 pin.Produce the selection signal of internal chip enable signal to be observed from back 6 data of IO4 pin input, the internal chip enable signal that is used to treat observation is selected.The internal chip enable signal of selecting that will observe is exported from the IO5 pin.

Whether method of the present invention has CPU all to be suitable for to chip internal, particularly more suitable when chip internal does not have CPU or CPU cisco unity malfunction.If cisco unity malfunction behind the chip power, the duty that can remove to watch internal chip enable signal by the pin of operation chip exterior makes it possible to carry out fast the location of mistake of functional fault; And do not need chip internal that CPU or the necessary energy of CPU operate as normal are arranged.

In conjunction with shown in Figure 2, in one embodiment, described debug circuit comprises:

The debugging mode generation module is used to produce the debugging mode signal, makes chip enter debugging mode.The debugging mode signal produces according to the good signal of one section predefine importing from one or more pins of chip.

String and modular converter will convert parallel data to from the serial data of chip one pin input, promptly be used to make chip to enter debugging mode, be used to produce the selection signal that the internal signal for the treatment of observation is selected again; Wherein, preceding 8 data of serial input are used for participating in making chip enter debugging mode, enter the internal signal that back 6 data of serial input behind the debugging mode are used to treat observation and select.

Internal signal module to be observed is used to produce a plurality of internal chip enable signals to be observed; From several thousand internal signals of chip, pick out the signal that function debugging is played a crucial role.Chip complexity is high more, needs the internal signal to be observed of selection also many more, and cost can increase certainly; 64 internal signals that key is to be observed have only been selected in an embodiment of the present invention.

The observation signal selector switch is connected with string and modular converter with internal signal module to be observed, and selects internal signal accordingly to be observed to export as observation signal under the control of selecting signal.

The observation signal o controller is connected with the observation signal selector switch with the debugging mode generation module, under the control of debugging mode signal, selects the normal function signal of output observation signal or chip.

When chip is in debugging mode, chip can be according to the selected internal signal of some pin output of selecting signal by pre-defining.As shown in Figure 1, 2, the pin IO5 by chip exports observation signal (internal signal promptly to be observed).

Shown in Fig. 1,2, in one embodiment, described method has adopted six pins of chip, be respectively IO0, IO1, IO2, IO3, IO4, IO5, these six pins are except being used for debugging when functional fault occurring, the normal input/output function that also can be used for chip, the pin multiplexing when realizing debugging with normal the use.

When chip design finish and produce finish after, when finding that in test this chip has functional fault, can observe some internal signal of chip by above-mentioned six pins of handling this chip, detailed process is, from pin IO0 input high level, pin IO1 input clock sequence is from pin IO2 input high level signal, from pin IO3 input low level signal, from pin IO4 input particular serial 0,1 sequence signal.The signal that debug circuit in chip detects pin IO0, IO2 simultaneously is a high level, and the signal of pin IO3 is a low level, and 0,1 sequence of pin IO4 input is through string and be converted to sexadecimal number " A5 ", then enters pre-designed debugging mode.

In case chip enters debugging mode, then 6 serial data signals of pin IO4 input are through string and modular converter, produce the selection signal that the internal signal for the treatment of observation is selected, as the selection signal " 010001 " (binary number) among Fig. 1.Select signal selector to select the selection signal " 010001 " that is produced by string and modular converter, then the observation signal selector switch is selected predefined the 18th internal signal of debugging mode from 64 internal signal modules to be observed, and IO5 outputs to outside the chip through pin.By observing the waveform of this output signal, just can infer the duty of other signals of chip internal, thereby realize the debugging and the location of failure of chip.

More than by specific embodiment the present invention is had been described in detail, but these are not to be construed as limiting the invention.Under the situation that does not break away from the principle of the invention, those skilled in the art also can make many distortion and improvement, and these also should be considered as protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. a chip functions fault is debugged the method for location fast, it is characterized in that: be embedded in a debug circuit at chip circuit, when functional fault appears in chip, one section good signal of predefine of one or more pins input by this chip makes chip enter debugging mode, and selects according to the internal chip enable signal that the good signal of the predefine of described input is treated observation; The internal chip enable signal that chooses is exported by a good pin of predefine of chip; By observing the waveform of some internal signal in the chip operation process, and the expectation waveform of this signal is compared during with design, realizes the debugging and the location of functional fault.

2. the method for claim 1 is characterized in that: when the high level signal or the low level signal of a certain pin input of chip, and cooperate the good signal of predefine of other pin input to make chip enter debugging mode.

3. realize the debug circuit in the described method of claim 1, it is characterized in that, comprising:

The debugging mode generation module is used to produce the debugging mode signal, makes chip enter debugging mode;

String and modular converter will convert parallel data to from the serial data of chip one pin input, promptly be used to make chip to enter debugging mode, be used to produce the selection signal that the internal signal for the treatment of observation is selected again; Wherein, preceding 8 data of serial input are used for participating in making chip enter debugging mode, enter the internal signal that back 6 data of serial input behind the debugging mode are used to treat observation and select;

Internal signal module to be observed is used to produce a plurality of internal chip enable signals to be observed;

The observation signal selector switch is connected with string and modular converter with internal signal module to be observed, and selects internal signal accordingly to be observed to export as observation signal under the control of selecting signal;