Patents by Inventor Peter A. Twembly

Peter A. Twembly has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Mechanism for detection and compensation of NBTI induced threshold degradation
    Patent number: 7504847
    Abstract: The embodiments of the invention provide an apparatus and method for detection and compensation of negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) induced threshold degradation. A semiconductor device is provided comprising at least one stress device having a voltage applied to its gate node and at least one reference device having a zero gate-to-source voltage. A controller is also provided to configure node voltages of the device and/or the reference device to reflect different regions of device operations found in digital and analog circuit applications. Moreover, the controller measures a difference in current between the stress device and the reference device to determine whether NBTI induced threshold degradation has occurred in the stress device. The controller also adjusts an output power supply voltage of the stress device until a performance of the stress device matches a performance of the reference device to account for the NBTI induced threshold degradation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth J. Goodnow, Douglas W. Kemerer, Stephen G. Shuma, Oscar C. Strohacker, Mark S. Styduhar, Peter A. Twembly, Paul S. Zuchewski
  • Mechanism For Detection And Compensation Of NBTI Induced Threshold Degradation
    Publication number: 20080094092
    Abstract: The embodiments of the invention provide an apparatus and method for detection and compensation of negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) induced threshold degradation. A semiconductor device is provided comprising at least one stress device having a voltage applied to its gate node and at least one reference device having a zero gate-to-source voltage. A controller is also provided to configure node voltages of the device and/or the reference device to reflect different regions of device operations found in digital and analog circuit applications. Moreover, the controller measures a difference in current between the stress device and the reference device to determine whether NBTI induced threshold degradation has occurred in the stress device. The controller also adjusts an output power supply voltage of the stress device until a performance of the stress device matches a performance of the reference device to account for the NBTI induced threshold degradation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2006
    Publication date: April 24, 2008
    Inventors: Kenneth J Goodnow, Douglas W. Kemerer, Stephen G. Shuma, Oscar C. Strohacker, Mark S. Styduhar, Peter A. Twembly, Paul S. Zuchewski