CMOS Process Skew Sensor for SoC Yield
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
System on a chip (SoC) devices face high defect density due to their dense layout, which affects their operating functionality and yield, necessitating effective process variation detection to improve power, performance, and area (PPA) efficiency.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating process skew sensors within the SoC circuitry to detect and analyze global CMOS process variations by comparing the strength of PMOS and NMOS device drive currents, utilizing converter circuitry, process detector circuitry, and comparator circuitry to generate output signals indicative of silicon process skew.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If SoC devices use a dense layout to integrate more components on a single chip, then area efficiency is improved, but defect density increases and manufacturing precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by incorporating process skew sensors into the SoC design before manufacturing. These sensors pre-detect process variations at the silicon level, allowing the system to compensate for manufacturing imperfections that inevitably occur in dense layouts. The sensors are built-in during fabrication, enabling early detection of PMOS/NMOS skew before the device is deployed, thus mitigating the impact of high defect density inherent in dense SoC layouts.
2Manufacturing precision
If process skew sensors are incorporated to detect process variations, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The process skew sensor circuitry is designed to be multi-functional, serving both as a detection mechanism for process variations and as part of the overall SoC operational infrastructure. The same sensor circuitry that detects PMOS/NMOS skew can also provide data for adaptive voltage scaling, frequency adjustment, and other performance optimization functions. This universal approach allows a single added component to address multiple concerns, reducing the net increase in device complexity while maintaining improved manufacturing precision detection.
Data Source
AI summary
Various implementations described herein are directed to an integrated circuit. The integrated circuit may include converter circuitry that operates to provide a drive current. The integrated circuit may include process detector circuitry having multiple drive strength devices that are driven by the drive current from the converter circuitry. The multiple drive strength devices may provide multiple drive strength signals based on the drive current. The integrated circuit may include comparator circuitry having a comparator that receives the multiple drive strength signals from the multiple drive strength devices, detects a voltage difference between the multiple drive strength signals, and provides an output signal based on the detected voltage difference.