Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090132972 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING ELECTRO-MIGRATION IN INTEGRATED CIRCUIT DESIGNS - A method and apparatus for determining electro-migration (EM) in integrated circuit designs is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes pre-characterizing an output current waveform for a logic cell of the circuit at selected load and input slew points, estimating an effective load and operating slews at a chip level of the circuit and directly generating an equivalent current source waveform at output, evaluating current densities through a metal segment of the circuit using a fast solver, parametrically representing process variations and a netlist to parametrically model the interconnect variations of the circuit, and determining current densities for selected yield numbers using a parametrically generated current source on an interconnect network, wherein calculated results statistically predict a point of current density less than 9−σ a through any metal segment in the parametrically modeled circuit. The method may further include comparing selected current densities with predetermined EM guidelines. | 05-21-2009 |
20090135643 | SEU HARDENING CIRCUIT AND METHOD - An SEU hardening circuit and method is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes providing a semiconductor memory component having a pair of pMOS transistors and a pair of nMOS transistors, tying a first pMOS body terminal of a first pMOS transistor of the pair of pMOS transistors to a second pMOS gate terminal of a second pMOS transistor of the pair of pMOS transistors, and tying at least a first pre-designated body terminal of at least one transistor selected from the group including essentially of a pair of pMOS transistors and a pair of nMOS transistors to at least a second pre-designated terminal of at least one pre-designated transistor selected from the group including essentially of the pair of pMOS transistors and the pair of nMOS transistors. | 05-28-2009 |
20090187368 | Burn-In Tests To Produce Fabricated Integrated Circuits With Reduced Variations Due To Process Spread - An aspect of the present invention enables burn-in tests to reduce variations due to process spread in fabricated integrated circuits (IC). Fabricated ICs are classified into multiple categories based on performance characteristics (e.g., operational speed) indicative of the extent of process spread in the ICs. The ICs are subjected to burn-in tests, with the severity of stress parameters applied during a burn-in test being proportional to the performance characteristics. As a result, process spread exhibited by the ICs (post burn-in) is reduced. | 07-23-2009 |
20090187868 | DESIGN OF INTEGRATED CIRCUITS LESS SUSCEPTIBLE TO DEGRADATIONS IN TRANSISTORS CAUSED DUE TO OPERATIONAL STRESS - According to an aspect of the present invention, statistical timing analysis is applied with respect to a stress degradation that occurs in fabricated integrated circuits (IC) when used for a long duration. The circuit design may be suitably modified to account for the degradations (e.g., those caused by NBTI and CHC for transistors, those caused due to electromigration in case of interconnects). As a result, the fabricated ICs may be less susceptible to such degradations. The features are extended to model complex circuit blocks and also account for different degrees of stress that different circuit blocks are subjected to, in a same age of operation. | 07-23-2009 |
20090187869 | Budgeting Electromigration-Related Reliability Among Metal Paths In The Design Of A Circuit - Apportioning unequally contributions of different metal paths of a circuit to electromigration (EM) reliability. In an embodiment, a corresponding parameter value representing a magnitude of excess current flowing in a single direction in each metal path is determined. A desired reliability measure for electromigration (EM) is apportioned among the metal paths based on computed parameter values for the corresponding metal path. A reliability analysis for the circuit is performed based on the apportioning. In an embodiment, metal paths which predominantly carry currents with an average value less than a threshold are excluded from being considered as contributors to EM degradation. | 07-23-2009 |
20110080175 | ELECTROMIGRATION COMPENSATION SYSTEM - An integrated circuit is described. The integrated circuit, comprising: a central processor; a memory; and an electromigration compensation system associated with a plurality of leads within the integrated circuit, wherein the electromigration compensation system causes the plurality of leads to have interlocking, horizontally tapered ends that substantially reduces electromigration divergence and consequently lead resistance and circuit shorting. | 04-07-2011 |
20110193588 | MULTI-MODE CIRCUIT AND A METHOD FOR PREVENTING DEGRADATION IN THE MULTI-MODE CIRCUIT - Multi-mode circuit (the circuit) and a method for preventing degradation in the circuit. The circuit includes a first transistor that enables functioning of the circuit in a first mode. The first transistor is responsive to a first signal to become inactive when the circuit enters into a second mode, thereby preventing degradation of the first transistor when the circuit enters into the second mode. A second transistor is coupled to the first transistor. The second transistor is responsive to a second signal to generate a third signal. A third transistor is coupled to the second transistor. The third transistor is responsive to the third signal to become inactive when the circuit enters into the second mode, thereby preventing degradation of the third transistor when the circuit enters into the second mode. | 08-11-2011 |
20120167031 | METHOD FOR DESIGNING A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE BASED ON LEAKAGE CURRENT ESTIMATION - A method of designing a semiconductor device includes preparing a first design for a semiconductor device and estimating leakage current for the first design. The method also includes determining a leakage current cumulative distribution function (CDF) for the first design. The method further includes preparing a second design for the semiconductor device based on determination of the leakage current CDF for the first design. Further, the method includes estimating leakage current for the second design. The method also includes determining a leakage current CDF for the second design in accordance to the determination of the leakage current CDF for the first design. Moreover, the method includes selecting one of the first design and the second design based on a comparison of the leakage current CDF for the first design and the leakage CDF for the second design. | 06-28-2012 |
20120266123 | COHERENT ANALYSIS OF ASYMMETRIC AGING AND STATISTICAL PROCESS VARIATION IN ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS - Coherent analysis of asymmetric aging and statistical process variation. A method of designing a circuit includes preparing an initial netlist of components in the circuit. A plurality of components is selected from the initial netlist by a first statistical process. Further, a process variation netlist is prepared by replacing a plurality of initial operating parameters of the plurality of components with a plurality of process variation operating parameters. A plurality of high stress components is then identified in the process variation netlist and an aged netlist is prepared by replacing a set of operating parameters of the plurality of high stress components with a set of degraded operating parameters. The circuit is simulated using the aged netlist. The method also includes modifying the initial netlist according to a result of simulation and repeating the foregoing steps until a desired circuit performance is obtained. | 10-18-2012 |
20130002297 | BIAS TEMPERATURE INSTABILITY-RESISTANT CIRCUITS - A Bias Temperature Instability- (BTI-) resistance circuit is arranged to propagate a received clock signal through a clock tree. The state of the clock signal is inverted at a midpoint of the clock tree that is about the halfway point of the path of the propagated clock signal through the clock tree. The inversion of the clock signal at the midpoint mitigates BTI-aging effects of the BTI-resistant circuit when the clock signal is blocked by a clock gating signal, for example. The clock tree can be used to latch a data signal at an input latch of a logic block using the received clock signal, and to latch a data signal at an output latch of a logic block using a propagated clock signal that is output from the endpoint of the clock tree. | 01-03-2013 |
20130002327 | BIAS TEMPERATURE INSTABILITY-RESISTANT CIRCUITS - Standard cells that include transistors subject to aging as a result of BTI-related operating conditions are identified and replaced with BTI-resistant standard cells, for example. The BTI-resistant standard cells are typically functionally equivalent circuits (such as circuits included in standard cells in a design library) and are arranged to ensure that critical transistors are protected (e.g., by either extending recovery times and/or turning the transistor off in response to a critical edge transition). | 01-03-2013 |
20130161718 | INTEGRATED CIRCUIT DIE AND METHOD OF MAKING - Integrated circuit dies and methods of making dies are disclosed. An embodiment of a die includes at least one transistor gate, wherein the gate has an area. A conductor is connected to the gate, and wherein the conductor has an area. The area of the conductor is proportional to the area of the gate raised to a power, wherein the power is a function of the failure rate of the gate. | 06-27-2013 |
20140024144 | INTEGRATED CIRCUIT DIE AND METHOD OF MAKING - Integrated circuit dies and methods of making dies are disclosed. An embodiment of a die includes at least one transistor gate, wherein the gate has an area. A conductor is connected to the gate, and wherein the conductor has an area. The area of the conductor is proportional to the area of the gate raised to a power, wherein the power is a function of the failure rate of the gate. | 01-23-2014 |