With the advent of VLSI, testing has become one of the most costly, complicated, and time consuming problems. The method of syndrome- testing is applicable toward VLSI testing since it does not require test generation and fault simulation. It can also be considered as a vehicle for self-testing. In order to employ syndrome-testing in VLSI, we electronically partition the chip into macros in test mode. The macros are then syndrome tested in sequence.

Large-scale integration (LSI) is four to five years old for many of us, yet we must continue to ask some very fundamental questions. Can we reach the substantial hardware cost reductions projected? How much will this impact system cost? Where is the market and how will it evolve? Will implementation problems force radical system designs? Does the key rest with automation, e.g., with simulation and testing, or rather will it depend upon our ability to design with repetitive structures? And not the least of our considerations, would a low-cost LSI provide the economic base for the solution to the many highly complex problems? This paper will attempt to focus attention upon some of the saJient issues involved in the fore-going questions.