The present disclosure provides a process variation detection circuit and a process variation detection method. The process variation detection circuit is arranged in a chip and includes: a first ring oscillator, where a first number of auxiliary elements of a preset type are arranged between two adjacent inverters of the first ring oscillator; and a second ring oscillator, where a second number of auxiliary elements of a preset type are arranged between two adjacent inverters of the second ring oscillator, the second number is larger than the first number; wherein, a number of the inverter of the first ring oscillator is the same as a number of the inverter of the second ring oscillator; a type and a size of a transistor of the first ring oscillator are the same as a type and a size of a transistor of the second ring oscillator.

One aspect of this description relates to a testing apparatus including an advance process control monitor (APCM) in a first wafer, a plurality of pads disposed over and coupled to the APCM. The plurality of pads are in a second wafer. The testing apparatus includes a testing unit disposed between the first wafer and the second wafer. The testing unit is coupled to the APCM. The testing unit includes a metal structure within a dielectric. The testing apparatus includes a plurality of through silicon vias (TSVs) extending in a first direction from the first wafer, through the dielectric of the testing unit, to the second wafer.

Circuits and methods involve an integrated circuit (IC) device, a plurality of application-specific sub-circuits, and a plurality of instances of a measuring circuit. The application-specific sub-circuits are disposed within respective areas of the IC device. Each instance of the measuring circuit is associated with one of the application-specific sub-circuits and is disposed within a respective one of the areas of the device. Each instance of the measuring circuit further includes a ring oscillator and a register for storage of a value indicative of an interval of time. Each instance of the measuring circuit is configured to measure passage of the interval of time based on a first clock signal, count oscillations of an output signal of the ring oscillator during the interval of time, and output a value indicating a number of oscillations counted during the interval of time.

An integrated circuit with a switched signal path and circuitry configured to determine an anticipated specification current through the signal path.

A semiconductor device comprises a plurality of memory elements, test control circuitry, and a testing interface. The test control circuitry is configure to determine that one or more clock signals associated with the memory elements have been stopped and generate a scan clock signal based on the determination that the one or more clock signals have been stopped. The test control circuitry is further configured to communicate the scan clock signal to the memory elements. The testing interface is configured to communicate test data from the memory elements. In one example, the test data is delimited with start and end marker elements. The semiconductor device is mounted to a circuit board and is communicatively coupled to communication pins of the circuit board.

A semiconductor wafer and a multi-chip parallel testing method are provided. The semiconductor wafer includes a plurality of chips, a plurality of test pads, and a test control circuit. The test pads receive a plurality of test signals from a test fixture. The test control circuit is electrically connected to the chips and the test pads, selects at least one selected test signal from the test signals, generates a plurality of broadcast test signals according to the at least one selected test signal, and provides the broadcast test signals to the chips in parallel.

The present invention provides a device for testing a chip, wherein the device includes a testing board and an interposer. The testing board has a plurality of pads for providing a plurality of test signals. The interposer board includes a plurality of passive components, and at least one of the passive components is coupled between a supply voltage and a ground voltage, and the supply voltage and the ground voltage are received from a power pad and a ground pad of the plurality of pads of the testing board, respectively; wherein the chip is positioned in the device, the chip receives the test signals including the supply voltage and the ground voltage from the power pad and the ground pad of the testing board, respectively.

Provided are a semiconductor device and a method of operating the same. A semiconductor includes a test circuit which comprises: a test transistor to be tested for time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) characteristics using a stress voltage; an input switch disposed between a voltage application node to which the stress voltage is applied and an input node which transmits the stress voltage to the test transistor; and a protection switch disposed between the input node and a ground node.

An integrated circuit chip is attached to a support that includes first conductive elements. First conductive pads are located on the integrated circuit chip and are electrically coupled to the first conductive elements by conductive wires. The integrated circuit chip further includes a conductive track. A switch circuit is provided to selectively electrically connect each first conductive pad to the conductive track. To test the conductive wires, a group of first conductive pads are connected by their respective switch circuits to the conductive track and current flow between corresponding first conductive elements is measured.

The present disclosure provides a process corner detection circuit and a process corner detection method. The process corner detection circuit includes: M ring oscillators disposed inside a chip, M≥1, where types of N-type transistors in the M ring oscillators are not exactly the same, and types of P-type transistors in the M ring oscillators are not exactly the same; transistor types of the M ring oscillators include all transistor types used in the chip; the ring oscillators include symmetric ring oscillators and asymmetric ring oscillators; types of N-type transistors and P-type transistors in the symmetric ring oscillators are the same; and types of N-type transistors and P-type transistors in the asymmetric ring oscillators are different.