Sarcouncil Journal of Engineering and Computer Sciences

Abstract: The semiconductor industry faces unprecedented challenges in validating increasingly complex System-on-Chip architectures through traditional pre-silicon and post-silicon testing methodologies that inadequately capture real-world operational behaviors. System-level testing has emerged as a critical paradigm shift toward comprehensive validation that bridges the gap between structural defect detection and actual deployment scenarios. However, the lack of standardization across vendor implementations creates significant inefficiencies, duplicated development efforts, and inconsistent quality metrics that hinder industry-wide advancement. This article presents a comprehensive framework for standardizing SLT flows through the strategic integration of In-System Test mechanisms with realistic workload simulation capabilities. The proposed standardization encompasses unified specification formats, embedded diagnostic frameworks, scenario-based test libraries, comprehensive traceability systems, and robust security mechanisms that collectively address the fragmentation currently plaguing the industry. Real-world workload simulation enables validation under authentic operational conditions, including AI processing, media handling, and automotive control scenarios that stress system interfaces, cache hierarchies, and power domains in ways that synthetic test patterns cannot achieve. The standardized framework leverages embedded IST capabilities to provide continuous health monitoring, marginal defect detection, and enhanced debugging capabilities for intermittent failures that traditional external testing approaches often miss. Cross-industry collaboration opportunities, open-source infrastructure initiatives, artificial intelligence-driven test optimization, and alignment with digital twin ecosystems represent transformative pathways toward achieving comprehensive standardization. Despite challenges including vendor diversity, tooling fragmentation, coverage-cost optimization, and security implications, the semiconductor industry stands positioned to realize significant benefits through coordinated standardization efforts that democratize advanced testing methodologies while fostering innovation through collaborative development models