Patent · US Expired

Test system for VLSI digital circuit and method of testing

US4588950A · kind A · utility

100Cited by
2References
7Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateNov 15, 1983
Grant dateMay 13, 1986
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 15, 2003

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01R31/308
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

The conductive state of a transistor in a semiconductor integrated circuit is determined by irradiating the transistor with a radiation beam and measuring changes in load current, thereby indicating whether the transistor was conducting or non-conducting prior to irradiation. A correlated double sampling method is employed in measuring changes in load current. A load resistor in series with the device under test is capacitively coupled to a differential amplification means including a plurality of differential amplifiers with buffers connected between successive amplifiers. A system clock is stopped at a predetermined time period prior to irradiating the transistor. A bypass switch shunts the load resistor until the clock is stopped.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.