Patent · US Expired

System, IC chip, on-chip test structure, and corresponding method for modeling one or more target interconnect capacitances

US6300765A · kind A · utility

19Cited by
0References
25Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 9, 1999
Grant dateOct 9, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 9, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01R31/2884
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A system, an IC chip, a test structure formed on the IC chip, and a corresponding method for modeling one or more target interconnect capacitances is disclosed. The test structure comprises an interconnect configuration comprising a test interconnect and one or more target interconnects. The interconnect configuration has, for each target interconnect, a corresponding target interconnect capacitance between the test interconnect and the target interconnect. The test structure also comprises a test interconnect charging circuit connected to the test interconnect. The test interconnect charging circuit is configured to place a test charge on the test interconnect. The test structure further comprises one or more target interconnect charging circuits. Each target interconnect charging circuit is connected to a corresponding target interconnect. Each target interconnect charging circuit is configured to draw a target interconnect charging current from the corresponding target interconnect in response to the test charge. This places an opposite charge on the corresponding target interconnect that is induced by the corresponding target interconnect capacitance. As a result, a measurement…

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