A method for predicting high-temperature operating life of an integrated circuit (IC) includes performing bias temperature instability tests and high-temperature operating life tests on a device of the IC, establishing a relationship between the device bias temperature instability and the IC's high-temperature operating life based on a result of the bias temperature instability tests and the high-temperature operating life tests. The method further includes providing a lot of subsequent integrated circuits (ICs), performing wafer-level bias temperature instability tests on a device of the ICs, and predicting high-temperature operating life of the ICs based on a result of the wafer-level bias temperature instability tests and based on the established relationship between the device's bias temperature instability and the IC's high-temperature operating life. The method can save significant effort and time over conventional approaches for accurate prediction of high-temperature operating life of an IC.

The present invention provides a general four-port on-wafer high frequency de-embedding method. The method comprises: for each on-wafer de-embedding dummy, building a model considering the distributive nature of high frequency characteristics of the on-wafer de-embedding dummy; obtaining the intrinsic Y-parameter admittance matrix of said N on-wafer de-embedding dummies by calculation or simulation by using said models; and solving the equation set which the corresponding measurement and calculation or simulation data of said on-wafer de-embedding dummies satisfy for the elements of the related admittance matrices of the parasitic four-port network to be stripped in de-embedding and model parameters of models on which said calculation or simulation is based.

A per-chip equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) circuit sensor resides in an integrated circuit. The per-chip EOT circuit sensor determines electrical characteristics of the integrated circuit. The measured electrical characteristics include leakage current. The determined electrical characteristics are used to determine physical attributes of the integrated circuit. The physical attributes, including EOT, are used in a reliability model to predict per-chip failure rate.

The disclosure relates to an integrated circuit and associated method and packaged integrated circuit. The integrated circuit comprises a first pad; a second pad; an active element having a node that is capacitively coupled to the first and second pads; a voltage or current source connected to the first pad; and a detection module connected to the second pad and configured to determine an electrical continuity between the second pad and the first pad.

A method to bypass a voltage regulator of a system on a chip (SOC) comprising powering a first power domain using a voltage regulator; powering a second power domain using the voltage regulator; coupling a third power domain with an external voltage source; raising an external voltage supply from the external voltage source above a threshold level of the voltage regulator; coupling the first second power domains to the external voltage source; turning OFF the voltage regulator of the SOC after coupling the first power domain of the SOC and the second power domain of the SOC to the external voltage source; and powering the first power domain of the SOC, the second power domain of the SOC, and the third power domain of the SOC with the external voltage source, the external voltage source bypassing the voltage regulator.

A circuit structure for testing through silicon vias (TSVs) in a 3D IC, including a TSV area with multiple TSVs formed therein, and a switch circuit with multiple column lines and row lines forming an addressable test array, wherein two ends of each TSV are connected respectively with a column line and a row line. The switch circuit applies test voltage signals through one of the row lines to the TSVs in the same row and receives current signals flowing through the TSVs in the row from the columns lines, or the switch circuit applies test voltage signals through one of the column lines to the TSVs in the same column and receives current signals flowing through the TSVs in the column from the row lines.

Some examples described herein provide for an on-die virtual probe in an integrated circuit structure for measurement of voltages. In an example, an integrated circuit comprises a voltage-controlled frequency oscillator circuitry and a processor circuitry. The voltage-controlled frequency oscillator circuitry comprises a plurality of circuitry components and is configured to generate a signal having a frequency related to a supply voltage. The voltage-controlled frequency oscillator circuitry is disposed at a location of the integrated circuit proximal to the supply voltage being monitored. The processor circuitry is configured to identify a relationship between the frequency of the signal and the supply voltage. The processor circuitry is also configured to determine a value of the supply voltage associated with the signal based on the identified relationship. The processor circuitry further monitors on-die transient voltages at the location of the integrated circuit based on the value of the supply voltage.

A semiconductor chip is provided with first and second electrode pads, a first current detector, and a third electrode pad. The first and second electrode pads are both to be wire-bonded to a first lead terminal. The first current detector is connected between the first and second electrode pads. The third electrode pad is wire-bonded to a second lead terminal. A first closed circuit is configured by the first lead terminal, the first electrode pad, the first current detector, and the second electrode pad. An induced current flows through the first closed circuit when a current generating an induced electromotive force is applied to the third electrode pad. The first current detector is configured to output different values depending on whether the induced current exceeds a threshold value or not.

To provide a sensor device which is capable of high temperature detection using self-heat generation without providing a dedicated terminal and suppresses an increase in cost with an increase in chip occupation area due to the addition of a test pad. A sensor device is configured to include an active logic switching circuit for switching an active logic of an output driver and perform a heating inspection while switching the active logic of the output driver during an inspection process with the output driver as a heat generation source.

A method detects electromigration in a field replaceable unit. An integrated circuit, which is within a field replaceable unit (FRU) in an electronic device, is quiescented. An isolation power switch applies a test voltage from a field power source to a target voltage rail in the integrated circuit. An isolation power switch isolates the target voltage rail from the field power source. A voltage sensor coupled to the target voltage rail measures a field voltage decay rate for the target voltage rail. A voltage record comparator logic within the integrated circuit compares the field voltage decay rate to an initial voltage decay rate for the target voltage rail. In response to a difference between the field voltage decay rate and the initial voltage decay rate for the target voltage rail exceeding a predetermined limit, a signal is sent to an output device.