Extraction of interconnect parasitics

US7071710B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED · US

Inventors

• Andrew Marshall · Grand Valley, CA
• Victor Sutcliffe · Leuven, BE

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 18, 2004
• Grant date: Jul 4, 2006
• Expiry date: Aug 18, 2024

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01R31/3016
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

The apparatus for detecting the effects of interconnect resistance and capacitance (RC) in a logic circuit includes a first ring oscillator with the interconnect RC parasitics in a logic circuit and a minimum reference ring oscillator without the interconnect RC parasitic in a logic circuit multiplexed to have common stages to obtain delay with and without the parasitics of the interconnect RC. The frequency difference between the first ring oscillator frequency and the minimum reference ring oscillator frequency is determined to detect the effects of the interconnect RC in the logic circuit.