Semiconductor device with appraisal circuitry
View Patent ↗A semiconductor device comprises a substrate provided with a doping of a first type, on which an electronic circuit is provided surrounded by a circuit portion of the substrate provided with a doping of a second type; at least one pad for connecting the electronic circuit to an external device outside the substrate, surrounded by a pad portion provided with a doping of the second type; a sensing device comprising a sensor portion of the substrate provided with a doping of the first type, for sensing a parameter forming a measure for a local electrical potential of the substrate; and an evaluation unit connected to the sensing device, for providing an evaluation signal based on a difference between the parameter and a reference value.
1. A semiconductor device, comprising a substrate provided with a doping of a first type, on which an electronic circuit is provided surrounded by a circuit portion of said substrate provided with a doping of a second type;
at least one pad for connecting said electronic circuit to an external device outside said substrate, surrounded by a pad portion provided with a doping of said second type;
a sensing device comprising a sensor portion of said substrate provided with a doping of said first type, for sensing a parameter forming a measure for a local electrical potential of said substrate; and
an evaluation unit connected to said sensing device, for providing an evaluation signal based on a difference between said parameter and a reference value.
2. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a control unit configured to control an operation mode of said electronic circuit depending on said evaluation signal.
3. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said sensor portion is located between said pad portion and said circuit portion.
4. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said sensing device is configured to sense a local electrical potential of a region of said substrate close to said sensor portion.
5. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said difference depends on a current injected through said pad into said substrate.
6. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 5 , wherein said injected current is a majority carrier current.
7. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a barrier configured to at least partially inhibit a current flow between said electronic circuit and said one or more pads is provided, at least partly enclosing said circuit portion.
8. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said evaluation unit is an active device.
9. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said evaluation unit comprises an amplifier.
10. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said evaluation unit is a part of said electronic circuit.
11. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said electronic circuit includes one or more of a group comprising: microprocessor, central processing unit, a graphics processor, coprocessor, digital signal processor, embedded processor, graphics processor, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), analogue-to-digital converter, field programmable gate array (FPGA), a device implementing a state machine, a microcontroller unit (MCU).
12. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 , comprising:
one or more additional sensing devices, wherein
each additional sensing device comprises an additional sensor portion of said substrate,
each additional sensing device is configured to sense a parameter forming a measure for a local electrical potential of a region of said substrate close to said additional sensor portion.
13. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 12 , wherein said one or more additional sensing devices are connected to said evaluation unit.
14. A safety critical system, comprising a semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 .
15. An apparatus ( 100 ), comprising a semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 or a safety critical system.
16. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said sensing device is configured to sense a local electrical potential of a region of said substrate close to said sensor portion.
17. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 3 , wherein said difference depends on a current injected through said pad into said substrate.
18. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 3 , wherein a barrier configured to at least partially inhibit a current flow between said electronic circuit and said one or more pads is provided, at least partly enclosing said circuit portion.
19. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 2 , comprising:
one or more additional sensing devices, wherein
each additional sensing device comprises an additional sensor portion of said substrate,
each additional sensing device is configured to sense a parameter forming a measure for a local electrical potential of a region of said substrate close to said additional sensor portion.
20. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 18 , comprising:
one or more additional sensing devices, wherein
each additional sensing device comprises an additional sensor portion of said substrate,
each additional sensing device is configured to sense a parameter forming a measure for a local electrical potential of a region of said substrate close to said additional sensor portion.