On Optimal Power-Aware Path Sensitization

Detailed knowledge of a circuit's timing is essential for performance optimization, timing closure, and generation of test patterns to detect small-delay defects. When an input transition is applied to the circuit's inputs, the resulting delay is not only determined by the propagation path, but also influenced by the power-supply noise. We introduce a path-sensitization procedure which precisely controls the switching activity in the circuit region surrounding the path. The procedure can maximize or minimize switching activity, or set it to a user-specified value. We study the accuracy-vs.-efficiency trade-offs for a hierarchy of timing models, from coarse zero-delay assumption to a waveform-accurate approach with sub-cycle resolution. For the first time, we present a MaxSAT formulation which guarantees maximization or minimization of switching activity, stemming from transitions and from glitches, simultaneously with path sensitization. We validate the quality of the generated test patterns using a mixed-mode IR-drop-aware timing simulator.