IP Library Granted Patent US 7,843,205
Granted Patent B2
US 7,843,205 · App. 12/261,833 · Granted Nov 30, 2010

Process monitor for monitoring an integrated circuit chip

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,843,205
App. No.
12/261,833
Granted
Nov 30, 2010
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system or apparatus for monitoring an Integrated Circuit (IC) chip includes: a sense circuit at least partially constructed on the IC chip and configured to produce one or more sense signals each indicative of a corresponding process-dependent circuit parameter of the IC chip; and a digitizer module configured to produce, responsive to the one or more sense signals, one or more digitized signals each representative of a corresponding one of the sense signals. A controller is configured to determine a value of one or more of the process-dependent circuit parameters based on one or more of the digitized signals.

Claims (33)

1. A system for monitoring an integrated circuit chip, comprising:

a first circuit at least partially disposed on the integrated circuit chip and configured to produce a first signal, wherein the first signal is indicative of a measure of a manufacturing process-dependent circuit parameter of the integrated circuit chip; and

a second circuit at least partially disposed on the integrated circuit chip and configured to produce a second signal, wherein the second signal is indicative of a measure of a temperature of the integrated circuit chip.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first circuit and the second circuit are fully disposed on the integrated circuit chip.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an analog multiplexer configured to multiplex the first signal and the second signal.

4. A system for monitoring an integrated circuit chip, comprising:

a first circuit at least partially disposed on the integrated circuit chip and configured to produce a first signal, wherein the first signal is indicative of a measure of a manufacturing process-dependent circuit parameter of the integrated circuit chip; and

a second circuit at least partially disposed on the integrated circuit chip and configured to produce a second signal, wherein the second signal is indicative of a measure of a power supply voltage of the integrated circuit chip.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the first circuit and the second circuit are fully disposed on the integrated circuit chip.

6. The system of claim 4 , further comprising an analog-to-digital converter configured to receive the first signal and the second signal and to produce a digital representation of the first signal and a digital representation of the second signal.

7. A system for monitoring an integrated circuit chip, comprising:

a first circuit at least partially disposed on the integrated circuit chip and configured to produce a first signal, wherein the first signal is indicative of a measure of a temperature of the integrated circuit chip;

a second circuit at least partially disposed on the integrated circuit chip and configured to produce a second signal, wherein the second signal is indicative of a measure of a power supply voltage of the integrated circuit chip; and

a third circuit at least partially disposed on the integrated circuit chip and configured to produce a third signal, wherein the third signal is indicative of a measure of a manufacturing process-dependent circuit parameter of the integrated circuit chip.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the first circuit and the second circuit are fully disposed on the integrated circuit chip.

9. The system of claim 7 , further comprising a controller configured to receive the first signal and the second signal and to produce a fourth signal to cause an adjustment of an operation performed on the integrated circuit chip.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is disposed outside of the integrated circuit chip.

11. A system for monitoring an integrated circuit chip, comprising:

a first sensor at least partially disposed on the integrated circuit chip and configured to produce a first signal, wherein the first signal is indicative of a measure of a first manufacturing process-dependent circuit parameter;

a second sensor at least partially disposed on the integrated circuit chip and configured to produce a second signal, wherein the second signal is indicative of a measure of a second manufacturing process-dependent circuit parameter;

an analog multiplexer configured to multiplex the first signal and the second signal; and

an analog-to-digital converter configured to receive, from the analog multiplexer, the first signal and the second signal and to produce a digital representation of the first signal and a digital representation of the second signal.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the first sensor, the second sensor, the analog multiplexer, and the analog-to-digital converter are fully disposed on the integrated circuit chip.

13. The system of claim 11 , further comprising a controller configured to receive the digital representation of the first signal and the digital representation of the second signal and to produce a third signal to cause an adjustment of an operation performed on the integrated circuit chip.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the first manufacturing process-dependent circuit parameter is a gate-to-source threshold voltage of a transistor disposed on the integrated circuit chip.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the first manufacturing process-dependent circuit parameter is a transconductance of a transistor disposed on the integrated circuit chip.

16. The system of claim 11 , wherein the first manufacturing process-dependent circuit parameter is a sheet resistance of a resistor disposed on the integrated circuit chip.

17. A system for monitoring an integrated circuit chip, comprising:

a first circuit disposed on the integrated circuit chip and configured to determine a measure of a manufacturing process-dependent circuit parameter, to convert the measure of the manufacturing process-dependent circuit parameter into a first signal, and to communicate the first signal to a controller; and

a second circuit disposed on the integrated circuit chip and configured to receive a second signal from the controller and to cause an adjustment of an operation performed on the integrated circuit chip, wherein the adjustment is in response to the measure of the manufacturing process-dependent circuit parameter.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the first circuit and the second circuit are fully disposed on the integrated circuit chip.

19. The system of claim 17 , wherein the controller is disposed outside of the integrated circuit chip.

20. The system of claim 17 , wherein the adjustment is a change to a resistance of a part of a circuit that realizes the operation performed.

Assignments (7)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE PROPERTY NUMBERS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 47630 FRAME: 344. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Mar 21, 2019
From: AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES GENERAL IP (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
To: AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL SALES PTE. LIMITED
Reel/Frame 048883/0267 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF MERGER TO 9/5/2018 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 047196 FRAME: 0687. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE MERGER. Recorded Oct 29, 2018
From: AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES GENERAL IP (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
To: AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL SALES PTE. LIMITED
Reel/Frame 047630/0344 →
MERGER Recorded Oct 4, 2018
From: AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES GENERAL IP (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
To: AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL SALES PTE. LIMITED
Reel/Frame 047196/0687 →
TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS Recorded Feb 3, 2017
From: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: BROADCOM CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 041712/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 1, 2017
From: BROADCOM CORPORATION
To: AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES GENERAL IP (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
Reel/Frame 041706/0001 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Feb 11, 2016
From: BROADCOM CORPORATION
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 037806/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 30, 2008
From: BURNS, LAWRENCE M.; DAUPHINEE, LEONARD; GOMEZ, RAMON A.; CHANG, JAMES Y.C.
To: BROADCOM CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 021765/0590 →