Optimization of core-based SOC test scheduling based on modified differential evolution algorithm

System on a chip (SOC) based on reusable IP core has been widely used in integrated circuit (IC) design and manufacturing. However SOC efficient test is still the bottle-neck issue. Test scheduling can enhance parallel test to minimize test application time at SOC system level. We present a modified differential evolution (MDE) approach to solve the problems of test scheduling and test access mechanism (TAM) partition for system on chips. A new hybrid mutation mechanism based on the probability estimation operator is introduced in the paper for better handling test scheduling, where the first variation coefficient stays the same but the second variation coefficient changes with iterative times. The different evolutionary strategies are adopted to accelerate effectively convergence without loss in population diversity as far as possible. Different mutation operators and evolutionary strategies are combined to get optimal results. The experimental results on ITC'02 SOC benchmarks are encouraging compared with the improved quantum-inspired evolutionary (IQI), genetic algorithm (GA), the integer linear programming formulation (ILP) and heuristic approaches.