ADC Failure Detection Using Digital Correction Amounts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing semiconductor devices lack a means to detect excessive variation among elements in analog circuits, which can lead to failures due to deterioration over time, compromising reliability and accuracy.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a digital assist circuit that corrects non-linear errors in the AD converter and a failure detection circuit to identify excessive element variation based on correction amounts, allowing for timely detection of failures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If element sizes are increased to reduce variation among elements, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device area increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by digitally adjusting the correction value stored in the nonvolatile memory to compensate for element variation. Instead of physically changing element sizes, the system changes the digital correction parameter to achieve the desired precision, thereby avoiding the trade-off between manufacturing precision and device area.
2Manufacturing precision
If digital correction technique is used to correct element variation, then manufacturing precision is improved without increasing circuit size, but device complexity increases due to additional nonvolatile memory
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-calculating and storing the correction value in nonvolatile memory during manufacturing. This preliminary correction data is prepared in advance, allowing the analog circuit to be corrected digitally during operation without requiring complex real-time adjustment mechanisms, thus reducing overall device complexity.
3Device complexity
If no failure detection means is included to reduce device complexity, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates as excessive element variation cannot be detected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by using the digital correction value as an indicator to detect whether element variation has exceeded acceptable limits. The system continuously monitors the correction amount and provides feedback about the analog circuit's health status, enabling failure detection without adding complex dedicated detection circuits, thus maintaining simplicity while improving reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a semiconductor device and a failure detection method capable of detecting an excessive variation among elements that constitute an analog circuit as a failure. According to an embodiment, a semiconductor device 1 includes: an AD converter 11; a digital assist circuit 12 that corrects an error of a digital signal Do corresponding to an analog signal Ain processed by the AD converter 11; and a failure detection circuit 13 that detects whether the AD converter 11 has a failure based on a correction amount by the digital assist circuit. The semiconductor device 1 is therefore able to detect the excessive variation among the elements that constitute the AD converter 11 as a failure.