Patent Document ID: 8839061
Application ID: 13762344
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. An electronic design automation (EDA) tool for selecting a first scan cell combination from a plurality of scan cells in a scan chain of an electronic circuit design for re-ordering the scan chain, the EDA tool comprising: a timing placement tool that provides a plurality of ordering parameters corresponding to each combination of two scan cells of the plurality of scan cells; a memory that stores the electronic circuit design; and a processor in communication with the memory, wherein the processor is configured for: disconnecting a first plurality of connections between the plurality of scan cells; identifying a first scan cell from the plurality of scan cells, wherein the first scan cell is at least one of a scan cell that receives a test input signal from an external test apparatus and a scan cell that provides an output signal to the external test apparatus; connecting the first scan cell with each of the plurality of scan cells to form a first plurality of scan cell combinations; determining a plurality of ordering parameters corresponding to each of the first plurality of scan cell combinations using the timing placement tool; determining at least one weighted average of the plurality of ordering parameters corresponding to each of the first plurality of scan cell combinations; arranging the first plurality of scan cell combinations based on the at least one weighted average; and selecting the first scan cell combination based on a predetermined priority of the plurality of ordering parameters.