Testing techniques for VLSI circuits are undergoing many exciting changes. The predominant method for testing digital circuits consists of applying a set of input stimuli to the IC and monitoring the logic levels at primary outputs. If, for one or more inputs, there is a discrepancy between the observed output and the expected output then the IC is declared to be defective.
A new approach to testing digital circuits, which has come to be known as I_DDQ testing, has been actively researched for the last fifteen years. In I_DDQ testing, the steady state supply current,...