Method and system for performing self-tests in an electronic system

US8659310B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• International Business Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

• Martin Eckert · Metzingen, DE
• Roland Frech · Esslingen am Neckar, DE
• Jochen Supper · Herrenberg, DE
• Otto A. Torreiter · Echterdingen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 15, 2011
• Grant date: Feb 25, 2014
• Expiry date: Aug 8, 2032

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01R31/3004
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method and system for performing a self-test of power supply quality for an integrated circuit chip within an electronic system. The electronic system is subjected to a well-defined repetitive activity, such as by using an amplitude modulated system clock tree. With the repetitive activity causing current consumption within the chip, time-domain local power supply voltage (U(t)) is measured for a location on the chip. A set of time-domain measured voltage data (U(t)) is accumulated and transformed into the frequency domain to yield a local voltage profile (U(f)). The local voltage profile (U(f)) is compared with a reference voltage profile (U0(f)) to verify whether power supply quality at the chip location under test is adequate. Alternatively, a local impedance profile Z(f) evaluated from the local voltage profile (U(f)) may be compared to a reference impedance profile Z0(f).