Efficient multisine testing of analog circuits

An efficient method has been developed for generating test waveforms for linear analog circuits which minimize the test effort and maximize the test confidence. The method makes use of a fault-based automatic test pattern generator (ATPG) to generate a set of test frequencies. A successive gradient method is used to combine these individual sinusoidal signals in a way that maximizes the fault coverage. The compressed waveform can be stored on-chip and used for built-in test of analog circuits.