Semiconductor Safety Block Layout for Real-Time Fault Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge is to design a safety mechanism for semiconductors that meets high safety standards without increasing chip size and to reduce failure rates and verification time, particularly for automotive applications.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor device with a functional safety block that includes identical components to the functional block, using flip-flops and comparators to detect faults in real-time, reducing duplication of combinational logic and focusing on flip-flop redundancy for transient fault detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a redundant structure is applied to satisfy ASIL D level safety requirements, then safety reliability is improved, but chip size increases by more than two times
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the functional block into multiple sub-functional blocks and applies redundancy selectively to critical paths rather than duplicating the entire functional block. This segmentation allows safety mechanisms to be applied where most needed while avoiding unnecessary duplication in non-critical areas, thus improving reliability without proportionally increasing chip size.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different levels of redundancy to different parts of the functional block based on their criticality. High-criticality paths receive full redundant structures while low-criticality paths use simplified safety mechanisms. This local differentiation optimizes the balance between safety reliability and chip area utilization.
2Reliability
If full functional block redundancy is implemented for safety mechanisms, then fault detection capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential safety-critical components from the functional block for redundancy implementation, rather than duplicating the entire block. By taking out and redundantly implementing only the critical sub-functional blocks and safety mechanisms, the patent achieves fault detection capability while minimizing the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial redundancy - implementing safety mechanisms for only the most critical paths and functions rather than complete redundancy across all functions. This partial action approach provides sufficient fault detection capability for safety-critical operations without the excessive complexity of full-system redundancy.
3Measurement precision
If separate test cases are used for verification, then verification completeness is improved, but verification time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functional verification and safety mechanism verification into a unified test framework. By combining test cases that verify both the functional block operation and its safety mechanisms simultaneously, the patent achieves verification completeness without the time penalty of separate testing sequences.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs test cases with multi-functionality that can verify multiple aspects of the system (functional correctness, safety mechanism operation, fault detection) in a single test execution. This universal approach to verification maintains completeness while reducing overall verification time through efficient test case utilization.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device and an operating method therefor are disclosed. The electronic device according to at least one of various embodiments of the present disclosure comprises: a memory; a semiconductor device including a functional block, which outputs a result of a specific function performed on an input signal, and a functional safety block, which is for a safety mechanism determining whether the functional block is faulty; and a processor for determining whether the semiconductor device is faulty, wherein the functional safety block can include constituent elements that are the same as pre-configured constituent elements from among constituent elements of the functional block.