Invention Grant
- Patent Title: Detecting and locating shoot-through timing failures in a semiconductor integrated circuit
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Application No.: US15810607Application Date: 2017-11-13
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Publication No.: US10247777B1Publication Date: 2019-04-02
- Inventor: Theodore Clifton Bernard
- Applicant: TESEDA CORPORATION
- Applicant Address: US OR Portland
- Assignee: TESEDA CORPORATION
- Current Assignee: TESEDA CORPORATION
- Current Assignee Address: US OR Portland
- Agency: FisherBroyles LLP
- Agent Micah D. Stolowitz
- Main IPC: G01R31/28
- IPC: G01R31/28 ; G01R31/3177 ; G01R31/317

Abstract:
“Shoot-through” timing failures in a scan chain of a defective semiconductor integrated circuit corrupt test pattern data used to perform failure analysis. Methods and procedures are provided to detect “shoot-through” conditions, determine the number of shoot-through scan cells, and to determine the location of the shoot-through cells within a scan chain. Reset test pattern results can be analyzed to identify candidate locations of shoot-through cells and when combined with candidate cell locations from analysis of physical clock distribution trees and potential clock-skew issues, the exact location of all shoot-through cells can be determined. Methods are also provided to use shoot-through cell locations to identify the defective clock net containing the physical defect causing the clock skew conditions needed to produce shoot-through timing failures.
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