A device for monitoring a critical path of an integrated circuit includes a replica of the critical path formed by sequential elements mutually separated by delay circuits that are programmable though a corresponding main multiplexer. A control circuit controls delay selections made by each main multiplexer. A sequencing module operates to sequence each sequential element using a main clock signal by delivering, in response to a main clock signal, respectively to the sequential elements, secondary clock signals that are mutually time shifted in such a manner as to take into account the propagation time inherent to the main multiplexer.

A circuit breaker characteristic monitoring device monitors the operation of a circuit breaker to estimate the amount of consumption of a movable contact and fixed contacts included in the circuit breaker. The device includes an operating time measurement unit to measure at least one of closing time, which is the time required for the circuit breaker to be closed after starting a closing operation, and opening time, which is the time required for the circuit breaker to be open after starting an opening operation, and a contact consumption amount estimation unit to estimate the amount of consumption of the movable contact and the fixed contacts on the basis of the result of measurement performed by the operating time measurement unit and travel speed of the movable contact during the closing operation or the opening operation for which the measurement result is obtained.

Systems and methods for optimizing timing/power risk SVB using a customer-supplied, non-linear voltage slope. Chips are manufactured according to an integrated circuit design. The minimum operating voltage and hardware variations for each device in the design is determined and a process distribution for the chips is divided into process windows. Vmax and Vmin to support system frequency are determined for each process window. Vmin vs. process-bin mean and sigma sensitivity is calculated using information about specific devices. The voltage for each process window that generates Vmin for specific devices is identified. Power at the slow end and fast end of each process window is evaluated using the voltage to support system frequency. Pmax is determined. Vmax for each process window that generates Pmax is determined. A voltage is identified between Vmin and Vmax that maximizes the timing margin for system frequency while minimizing risk for Pmax. The chips are sorted into different process windows, based on the voltage identified.

A test apparatus for testing electrical parameters of a target chip includes: a function generator; a switch matrix module; a plurality of source measurement units (SMUs); at least one of the SMUs is configured to provide power supply for the target chip; at least one of the SMUs is coupled to the switch matrix module; and at least two of said SMUs are test SMUs coupled to ports of the target chip and the function generator.

A process corner detection circuit based on a self-timing oscillation ring comprises a reset circuit (1), the self-timing oscillation ring (2), and a counting module (3). The self-timing oscillation ring (2) consists of m two-input Miller units and inverters, and a two-input AND gate, m being a positive integer greater than or equal to 3. The circuit can be used for detecting a process corner of a fabricated integrated circuit chip, and reflecting the process corner of the chip according to the number of oscillations of the self-timing oscillation ring (2). The number of oscillations of the self-timing oscillation ring (2) in different process corners is acquired by Hspice simulation before the chip tape-out, and the process corner of the chip after the chip tape-out can be determined according to the actually measured number of oscillations.

A value representative of a dispersion of a propagation delay of assemblies of electronic components is determined. A component test structure includes stages of components and a logic circuit connected in a ring. Each stage includes two assemblies of similar components configured to conduct a signal. A test device is configured to obtain values of the component test structure and to perform operations on these values.

A semiconductor device and a layout verification method of a semiconductor device are provided. The layout verification method includes forming a plurality of standard cells each having a first type of a cross coupled structure (XC) and a second type of the XC on a substrate of the semiconductor device, forming a plurality of first inverters in which the first type of the XC is activated in the a plurality of the standard cells and a plurality of second inverters in which the second type of the XC is activated in the a plurality of the standard cells and estimating an electrical characteristic of the first type of the XC or the second type of the XC by measuring a magnitude of a signal delay of the plurality of the first inverters or the plurality of the second inverters.

Described herein are improved techniques for measuring propagation delay of an integrated circuit that facilitate performing propagation delay measurements on-chip. Some embodiments relate to an integrated circuit comprising programmable oscillator circuitry with a plurality of oscillator stages that are switchable into and out of a delay path based on control signals from a controller, allowing the same programmable oscillator to generate many different oscillator signals according to the received control signals, for the controller to determine a central tendency and/or variance of propagation delay of the integrated circuit. Some embodiments relate to an integrated circuit including programmable delay paths configured to provide an amount of cell delay and an amount of wire delay based on control signals from a controller, allowing the same programmable delay path to generate signals for measuring delays due to cell and wire delays of the integrated circuit.

A semiconductor IC device comprises a timing circuit to transfer a timing signal, the timing circuit being configured to receive a first test signal and to effect a delay in the timing signal in response to the first test signal, the first test signal including a first timing event. The semiconductor IC device further comprises an interface circuit configured to transfer the data signal in response to the timing signal, the interface circuit being further configured to receive a second test signal and to effect a delay in the data signal in response to the second test signal, the second test signal including a second timing event that is related to the first timing event according to a test criterion.

A method and apparatus for determining jitter, a storage medium and an electronic device are disclosed. The method for determining jitter includes: determining a plurality of measurement time points for an output signal from an integrated circuit (IC); identifying one or more jitter points from the plurality of measurement time points by comparing the output signal with a predetermined signal at the plurality of measurement time points; and determining a jitter of the output signal of the IC based on the one or more jitter points. The jitter of the output signal of an IC chip can be determined without relying on any other additional equipment.