Abstract: Apparatus and method for IR-drop and supply noise measurements in electronic circuits. A first voltage at a point of interest in the circuit is sampled and stored during a quiescent mode of the circuit the voltage is to be measured in. Subsequently, the circuit is brought in an operating mode and a second voltage is sampled and held at the same point of interest. The first and the second voltage are compared and a corresponding voltage signal is passed to a system output.

Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments relate to improved fabrication of CMOS transistor arrays for integrated circuits. Increased regularity in standard-cells using gate-isolation architecture may permit further reduction in feature size. MOSFETs may be spaced at roughly equal pitch and have increased channel lengths for leakage current reduction. Logic gates may be designed to have nominal channel lengths for speed and increased channel lengths for leakage current reduction. Further leakage current reduction may involve specialized channel lengths for isolation MOSFETs. Thus, the combination of the gate-isolation technique with MOSFETs having lengthened channels that are evenly spaced at substantially the same pitch may produce a flexible library architecture for improved standard-cell designs in advanced CMOS technology nodes.

Abstract: A sensor (400) for sensing jitter in a clock signal has a DLL (402, 310, 312) for locking a clock signal and a delayed version of the clock signal. The sensor comprises a delay line (402) having a first number of cascaded controllable delay segments. The DLL uses a second number of the cascaded delay segments for generating a delay of an average clock period of the clock signal. The second number is smaller than the first number. The sensor also has a comparator (408) for supplying a sensor output signal representative of a comparison of the clock signal and a further delayed version of the clock signal. The further delayed version of the clock signal is obtained from an output of a specific one of the delay segments located in the delay line after the second number of cascaded delay segments.

Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments relate to improved fabrication of CMOS transistor arrays for integrated circuits. Increased regularity in standard-cells using gate-isolation architecture may permit further reduction in feature size. MOSFETs may be spaced at roughly equal pitch and have increased channel lengths for leakage current reduction. Logic gates may be designed to have nominal channel lengths for speed and increased channel lengths for leakage current reduction. Further leakage current reduction may involve specialized channel lengths for isolation MOSFETs. Thus, the combination of the gate-isolation technique with MOSFETs having lengthened channels that are evenly spaced at substantially the same pitch may produce a flexible library architecture for improved standard-cell designs in advanced CMOS technology nodes.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a detection circuitry for detecting bonding conditions on segmented bond pads of a semiconductor device, the bonding conditions representing good or bad contacts on the bond pads. The detection circuitry comprises a segmented bond pad (1, 11) having at least two parts (2, 3, 12, 13) being electrically separated from each other, and a supplying unit (S1, S2, R1, R2) being adapted for supplying predetermined signals to at least one of the at least two parts of the segmented bond pad. Furthermore, a detector (4, 14) is provided for receiving from at least one of the at least two parts of the segmented bond pad sensing signals derived from said predetermined signals, and for determining the bonding conditions based on said received sensing signals indicative of a good or bad bonding contact on the segmented bond pad.

Abstract: A sensor (400) for sensing jitter in a clock signal has a DLL (402, 310, 312) for locking a clock signal and a delayed version of the clock signal. The sensor comprises a delay line (402) having a first number of cascaded controllable delay segments. The DLL uses a second number of the cascaded delay segments for generating a delay of an average clock period of the clock signal. The second number is smaller than the first number. The sensor also has a comparator (408) for supplying a sensor output signal representative of a comparison of the clock signal and a further delayed version of the clock signal. The further delayed version of the clock signal is obtained from an output of a specific one of the delay segments located in the delay line after the second number of cascaded delay segments.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and device for monitoring a lithographic process of an integrated circuit. In a first step a design for an integrated circuit is provided. The integrated circuit comprises at least an integrated circuit transistor pair having a gate of a first transistor connected to a gate of a second transistor. The gate of the second transistor is designed such that it has a predetermined overlap with respect to a source and a drain of the second transistor. A detection circuit is connected to the at least an integrated circuit transistor pair for detecting if in operation functionality of the second transistor of each of the at least an integrated circuit transistor pair is one of a transistor and a short circuit. The integrated circuit is then manufactured in dependence upon the desogn. After manufacturing, the detection circuit is used to determine the functionality of the second transistor of each of the at least an integrated circuit transistor pair.

Abstract: A method suitable for testing an integrated circuit device is disclosed, the device comprising at least one module, wherein the at least one module incorporates at least one associated module monitor suitable for monitoring a device parameter such as temperature, supply noise, cross-talk etc. within the module.

Abstract: An integrated circuit (1) comprises a monitor (M1, M3, M3) operable to produce monitor data in dependence upon a measured parameter of the integrated circuit (1); and a self test controller (28) connected to receive monitor data from the monitor (M1, M2, M3). The self-test controller is also operable to output self test data from the integrated circuit. The monitor includes an output shift register (SR1, SR2, SR3) and is operable to output monitor data through the shift register (SR1, SR2, SR3). Such a system enables simplified communication of system self test results on an integrated circuit.

Abstract: As technology scales, on-chip interconnects are becoming narrower, and the height of such interconnects is not scaling linearly with the width. This leads to an increase of coupling capacitance with neighboring wires, leading to higher crosstalk. It also leads to poor performance due to poor RC response at the receiving of the wire, which may even result in failure in very noisy environments. An adaptive threshold scheme is proposed in which receiver switching thresholds are adjusted according to the detected noise in bus lines. These noise levels are dependent on both the front-end processing (transistor performance) as well as on the backend processing (metal resistance, capacitance, width and spacing). The circuit therefore automatically compensates for process variations.

Abstract: An electronic data processing circuit uses current mode signalling on a communication conductor, wherein a receiver supplies current to the communication conductor to try and keep a voltage on the conductor constant and measures the current that is needed to do so. A transition coding circuit is coupled between a data source circuit and the communication conductor, for driving the communication conductor in a first state in pulses in response to transitions in the logic signal and in a second state outside the pulses. The level that is used for indicating no change is selected so the current that needs to be supplied by the receiver is smaller when no change is signalled than when a change is signalled. Preferably only a nearly zero quiescent current is needed when there is no change.

Abstract: An integrated circuit (100) has a circuit portion (102) that can be switched to a standby mode through an enable transistor (104), which is coupled between an internal power supply line (120) and an external power supply line (130). The enable transistor (104) is controlled by control circuitry via a control line (160). The control line (160) is coupled to the gates of a first transistor (152) and a further transistor (154) of a logic gate (150). The substrate of the further transistor (154) is coupled to a backbias generator (170). Consequently, when the enable transistor (104) is switched off, the further transistor (154) is enabled and applies a substantial backbias to the gate of the enable transistor (104), thus dramatically reducing the leakage current from the circuit portion (102) through the enable transistor (104).

Abstract: The invention relates to a controllable delay circuit for delaying an electrical input signal wherein the controllable delay circuit is arranged for receiving an input signal and at least one control signal, wherein, in use, the delay circuit delays the input signal by a delay for generating an output signal, wherein the delay is a function of the at least one control signal, wherein the delay circuit comprises a first module for generating a base signal and at least one support signal on the basis of the input signal and the at least one control signal, wherein, in use, the phase and/or the amplitude of the at least one support signal is controllable with respect to the phase and/or the amplitude of the base-signal by means of the at least one control signal, wherein the delay circuit also comprises a second module connected to the first module, which second module comprises a signal-conductor and at least one support conductor, wherein the signal conductor and the at least one support conductor extend, at l

Abstract: The invention relates to a controllable delay circuit for delaying an electrical input signal wherein the controllable delay circuit is arranged for receiving an input signal and at least one control signal, wherein, in use, the delay circuit delays the input signal by a delay for generating an output signal, wherein the delay is a function of the at least one control signal, wherein the delay circuit comprises a first module for generating a base signal and at least one support signal on the basis of the input signal and the at least one control signal, wherein, in use, the phase and/or the amplitude of the at least one support signal is controllable with respect to the phase and/or the amplitude of the base-signal by means of the at least one control signal, wherein the delay circuit also comprises a second module connected to the first module, which second module comprises a signal-conductor and at least one support conductor, wherein the signal conductor and the at least one support conductor extend, at l

Abstract: An electronic device (100) having n circuit portions (120a, 120b, . . . , 120n) each connected to a supply rail (102) through respective coupling elements (110a, 110b, . . . , 110n) is arranged for gradual self-timed powerup/powerdown of the n circuit portions (120a, 120b, . . . , 120n) under control of control circuit (240a, . . . , 240n−1) to prevent the occurrence of power surges during the powerup of the device (100). When the first circuit portion (120a) has sufficiently been powered up through supply rail (102) and the first coupling element (110a), control circuit (240a) switches second coupling element (110b) to a conductive state, thereby enabling the powerup of second circuit portion (120b). In a similar fashion, the electronic device (100) can be powered down in a gradual self-timed manner through coupling elements (112a, 112b, . . . , 112n), which respectively connect circuit portions (120a, 120b, . . . , 120n) to a further supply rail (104).