Patent ID: 8185863

Claim:
A delay fault test pattern generation apparatus for generating a delay fault test pattern, comprising: a defect distribution extraction unit which extracts a physical defect distribution of resistances or currents caused by a physical defect related to layout elements or a combination of the layout elements composing the semiconductor integrated circuit; a delay fault-layout element information extraction unit which extracts the layout elements or the combination of the layout elements with interconnect wiring information including location information, interconnect capacitance and a delay fault to be associated with inside the semiconductor integrated circuit as delay fault-layout element information by associating the layout elements or the combination thereof with delay faults to be assumed inside the semiconductor integrated circuit, the delay fault resulting from a value obtained from the resistance and interconnect capacitance of the layout element or the combination thereof; a delay defect distribution calculation and weighting unit which calculates a distribution of delay defect on the basis of the distribution of the resistance or current and adds weight to each of the delay faults on the basis of the delay fault-layout element information; a test pattern generation unit which preferentially generates the delay fault test pattern for un-detected delay faults with large weight on the basis of weight of the delay faults to which the weight is added by the delay defect distribution calculation and weighting unit; and a delay fault test quality calculation unit which calculates the delay fault test quality on the basis of delay design information of the semiconductor integrated circuit, detection information of the test pattern to test the semiconductor integrated circuit, execution conditions of the test, the delay defect distribution of resistance or current caused by physical defects, and the weights.