Special Issue of IEEE Transactions on VLSI Systems

CALL FOR PAPERS

Overview

Microprocessors have always been at the leading-edge of integrated circuit (IC) technology in terms of delivered performance and functionality. Continued scaling of MOS devices that constitute the manufacturing fabric has allowed both general purpose processors and embedded processors, typically found in Systems-on-a-Chip (SoC), to grow in functionality, performance and complexity. Manufactured circuits testing technology, that goes hand-in-hand with the design and manufacturing technologies, runs the entire gamut of testing practices and fault models. With explosive growth in transistor count and burgeoning growth in number of failure mechanisms, the tasks of microprocessors and microprocessor-based ICs testing have become more challenging.

Effective methodologies for silicon validation and testing from the first stages of silicon prototyping through volume production manufacturing testing and subsequent field operation can benefit from the uniqueness of locally available microprocessor hardware that is typically not found in other designs. Moreover, a processor has exceptional access to every other component of a complex design. The processor’s unique programmability can be used to support the validation and testing of itself as well as of all the surrounding components as they lend the system with a powerful processing engine that can efficiently handle test application and test control algorithms.

This special section aims to collect recent advances, methodologies and best practices in the area of autonomous and semi-autonomous validation and testing of microprocessors and microprocessor based systems. Topics of interest referring to microprocessors and processor-based SoCs include (but are not limited to) the following:

First silicon validation
Silicon debug
Fault and defect diagnosis
Manufacturing/volume testing
Embedded test and self-test
Speed, power, temperature and voltage characterization
Failure analysis and fault modeling
On-line testing, field testing, and fault tolerance techniques
Multiprocessor systems
Power-aware testing
Clock control, power and temperature management
Regular array testing and repair methods, including memories

Submissions

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Authors are encouraged to submit high-quality research contributions that preferably will not require major revisions. The Guest Editors for the Special Section are as follows:

Dimitris Gizopoulos
University of Piraeus
Department of Informatics
80 Karaoli & Dimitriou Street
Piraeus, 18534, Greece
dgizop@unipi.gr

Robert C. Aitken
ARM Physical IP
141 Caspian Ct.
Sunnyvale, CA 94089, USA
raitken@arm.com

Sandip Kundu
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
151 Holdsworth Way
Amherst, MA 01003-9284, USA
kundu@ecs.umass.edu

All manuscripts are subject to the standard Transactions on VLSI review process. Prospective authors should submit their manuscripts electronically to the TVLSI Web site http://tvlsi-ieee.manuscriptcentral.com/ and highlight in the “Notes to EIC” that the manuscript is being submitted to the special section on “Autonomous Silicon Validation and Testing of Microprocessors and Microprocessor-based Systems”. Please also send an email to the Guest Editors notifying them of your submission.

Instructions on how to submit a paper can be found at http://tvlsi-ieee.manuscriptcentral.com/ and authors can contact Michael Pham at mpham@csee.usf.edu for further assistance.

Papers submission deadline: July 31, 2006
Authors initial notification: October 5, 2006
Revised manuscripts due: November 5, 2006
Final notifications: December 5, 2006
Final manuscripts due: December 20, 2006
Publication date: April 2007

For more information, visit us on the web at: http://tvlsi-ieee.manuscriptcentral.com/

CALL FOR PAPERS
Overview -- Submissions
Overview
Microprocessors have always been at the leading-edge of integrated circuit (IC) technology in terms of delivered performance and functionality. Continued scaling of MOS devices that constitute the manufacturing fabric has allowed both general purpose processors and embedded processors, typically found in Systems-on-a-Chip (SoC), to grow in functionality, performance and complexity. Manufactured circuits testing technology, that goes hand-in-hand with the design and manufacturing technologies, runs the entire gamut of testing practices and fault models. With explosive growth in transistor count and burgeoning growth in number of failure mechanisms, the tasks of microprocessors and microprocessor-based ICs testing have become more challenging. Effective methodologies for silicon validation and testing from the first stages of silicon prototyping through volume production manufacturing testing and subsequent field operation can benefit from the uniqueness of locally available microprocessor hardware that is typically not found in other designs. Moreover, a processor has exceptional access to every other component of a complex design. The processor’s unique programmability can be used to support the validation and testing of itself as well as of all the surrounding components as they lend the system with a powerful processing engine that can efficiently handle test application and test control algorithms. This special section aims to collect recent advances, methodologies and best practices in the area of autonomous and semi-autonomous validation and testing of microprocessors and microprocessor based systems. Topics of interest referring to microprocessors and processor-based SoCs include (but are not limited to) the following: First silicon validation Silicon debug Fault and defect diagnosis Manufacturing/volume testing Embedded test and self-test Speed, power, temperature and voltage characterization Failure analysis and fault modeling On-line testing, field testing, and fault tolerance techniques Multiprocessor systems Power-aware testing Clock control, power and temperature management Regular array testing and repair methods, including memories
Submissions	top
Authors are encouraged to submit high-quality research contributions that preferably will not require major revisions. The Guest Editors for the Special Section are as follows: Dimitris Gizopoulos University of Piraeus Department of Informatics 80 Karaoli & Dimitriou Street Piraeus, 18534, Greece dgizop@unipi.gr Robert C. Aitken ARM Physical IP 141 Caspian Ct. Sunnyvale, CA 94089, USA raitken@arm.com Sandip Kundu University of Massachusetts, Amherst Electrical and Computer Engineering Department 151 Holdsworth Way Amherst, MA 01003-9284, USA kundu@ecs.umass.edu All manuscripts are subject to the standard Transactions on VLSI review process. Prospective authors should submit their manuscripts electronically to the TVLSI Web site http://tvlsi-ieee.manuscriptcentral.com/ and highlight in the “Notes to EIC” that the manuscript is being submitted to the special section on “Autonomous Silicon Validation and Testing of Microprocessors and Microprocessor-based Systems”. Please also send an email to the Guest Editors notifying them of your submission. Instructions on how to submit a paper can be found at http://tvlsi-ieee.manuscriptcentral.com/ and authors can contact Michael Pham at mpham@csee.usf.edu for further assistance. Papers submission deadline: July 31, 2006 Authors initial notification: October 5, 2006 Revised manuscripts due: November 5, 2006 Final notifications: December 5, 2006 Final manuscripts due: December 20, 2006 Publication date: April 2007
For more information, visit us on the web at: http://tvlsi-ieee.manuscriptcentral.com/