Health monitoring of a circuit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10955464-B2
Application number	US-201815960911-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2018
Priority date	Apr 28, 2017
Publication date	Mar 23, 2021
Grant date	Mar 23, 2021

Abstract

A method is disclosed use with a circuit device that includes a circuit having a predetermined voltage-current characteristic and a detector configured to detect a voltage-current relation of the circuit. The method includes using the detector to detect the voltage-current relation of the circuit, and indicating if the detected voltage-current relation differs from the predetermined voltage-current characteristic. A circuit device includes a circuit having a predetermined voltage-current characteristic, and a detector configured to detect a voltage-current relation of the circuit. The circuit device is configured to indicate if the detected voltage-current relation differs from the predetermined voltage-current characteristic.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for use with a circuit device, wherein the circuit device comprises a circuit having an adaptive voltage-current characteristic, and a detector configured to detect a voltage-current relation of the circuit, the method comprising:
adapting, by the detector, the adaptive voltage-current characteristic over time;
detecting, by the detector, the voltage-current relation of the circuit;
comparing, by the detector, the detected voltage-current relation with the adaptive voltage-current characteristic to generate a comparison result; and
based on the comparison result, generating a signal by the detector, the signal indicating that the detected voltage-current relation differs from the adaptive voltage-current characteristic;
wherein detecting the voltage-current relation of the circuit comprises:
applying, by the detector, a predefined voltage at a measurement node of the circuit;
sensing, by the detector, a measured current through a measurement portion of the circuit, wherein the measured current is produced at the measurement portion of the circuit in response to the predefined voltage applied to the measurement node; and
determining, by the detector, a corresponding design current expected at the measurement portion of the circuit in response to the predefined voltage by cross-referencing the predefined voltage to the adaptive voltage-current characteristic in order to determine the corresponding design current, and

wherein comparing the detected voltage-current relation with the adaptive voltage-current characteristic to generate the comparison result comprises:
comparing, by the detector, the measured current to the corresponding design current to generate the comparison result.

2. The method of claim 1 , the method comprising:
identifying, by the detector, the adaptive voltage-current characteristic based on simulating operation of a model of the circuit.

3. The method of claim 1 , the method comprising:
identifying, by the detector, the adaptive voltage-current characteristic based on operating a prototype of the circuit.

4. The method of claim 1 , the method comprising:
identifying, by the detector, a plurality of circuit portions of the circuit;
identifying, by the detector, a plurality of adaptive partial voltage-current characteristics, each of the plurality of adaptive partial voltage-current characteristics corresponding to a different one of the plurality of circuit portions of the circuit; and
consolidating, by the detector, the plurality of adaptive partial voltage-current characteristics in the adaptive voltage-current characteristic.

5. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising:
generating, by the detector, a signal indicative of a difference of the measured current to the corresponding design current exceeding a threshold current difference or not.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
forecasting, by the detector, a future health of the circuit using at least one of data mining, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and pattern matching.

7. A method for use with a circuit device, wherein the circuit device comprises a circuit having an adaptive voltage-current characteristic, and a detector configured to detect a voltage-current relation of the circuit, the method comprising:
adapting, by the detector, the adaptive voltage-current characteristic over time;
detecting, by the detector, the voltage-current relation of the circuit;
comparing, by the detector, the detected voltage-current relation with the adaptive voltage-current characteristic to generate a comparison result; and
based on the comparison result, generating a signal by the detector, the signal indicating that the detected voltage-current relation differs from the adaptive voltage-current characteristic;
wherein detecting the voltage-current relation of the circuit comprises:
applying, by the detector, a predefined current to a measurement node of the circuit;
at a sense node of the circuit, sensing, by the detector, a measured voltage across the circuit, wherein the measured voltage is produced at the sense node in response to the predefined current applied to the measurement node; and
determining, by the detector, a corresponding design voltage expected at the sense node in response to the predefined current by cross-referencing the predefined current to the adaptive voltage-current characteristic in order to determine the corresponding design voltage, and

wherein comparing the detected voltage-current relation with the adaptive voltage-current characteristic to generate the comparison result comprises:
comparing, by the detector, the measured voltage to the corresponding design voltage to generate the comparison result.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
generating, by the detector, a signal indicative of a difference of the measured voltage to the corresponding design voltage exceeding a threshold voltage difference or not.

9. A circuit device, comprising:
a circuit having an adaptive voltage-current characteristic; and
a detector configured to adapt the adaptive voltage-current characteristic over time, measure a voltage-current relation of the circuit, compare the measured voltage-current relation with the adaptive voltage-current characteristic to generate a comparison result, and generate a signal indicating that the detected voltage-current relation differs from the adaptive voltage-current characteristic;
wherein the detector is further configured to:
apply a predefined voltage at a measurement node of the circuit;
sense a measured current through a measurement portion of the circuit, wherein the measured current is produced at the measurement portion of the circuit in response to the predefined voltage applied to the measurement node;
determine a corresponding design current expected at the measurement portion of the circuit in response to the predefined voltage by cross-referencing the predefined voltage to the adaptive voltage-current characteristic in order to determine the corresponding design current; and
compare the measured current to the corresponding design current to generate the comparison result.

10. The circuit device of claim 9 , wherein the adaptive voltage-current characteristic is based on a simulated operation of a model of the circuit.

11. The circuit device of claim 9 , wherein the adaptive voltage-current characteristic is based on an operation of a prototype of the circuit.

12. The circuit device of claim 9 , wherein the circuit comprises a plurality of circuit portions having a plurality of
adaptive partial voltage-current characteristics, and the circuit device further comprises:
a multiplexer coupled to the plurality of circuit portions and configured to select at least one selected signal from a plurality of signals of the plurality of circuit portions for the detector to measure the voltage-current relation of the circuit.

13. The circuit device of claim 9 , wherein the circuit device is configured to perform a built-in self-test on the circuit via the detector.

14. The circuit device of claim 13 , wherein the detector is configured to set a measurement node of the circuit to a measurement voltage and to sense a measured current through a measurement portion of the circuit.

15. The circuit device of claim 14 , wherein:
the detector is configured to generate a signal indicative of a difference of the measured current to the corresponding design current exceeding a threshold current or not.

16. The circuit device of claim 13 , wherein the detector is confi

Assignees

• Infineon Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Fiore Vincenzo
• Frank Oliver
• Kollmann Helmut
• Platzer Michael
• Sailer Thomas
• Schrattenecker Jochen O

Classifications

• G01R31/2834 Primary

  Automated test systems [ATE]; using microprocessors or computers (G01R31/317 takes precedence; ATE for detection of defective computer hardware G06F11/2736) · CPC title

• G01R31/2856

  Internal circuit aspects, e.g. built-in test features; Test chips; Measuring material aspects, e.g. electro migration [EM] · CPC title

• G01R19/10

  Measuring sum, difference or ratio · CPC title

• G01R31/2851 Primary

  Testing of integrated circuits [IC] (G01R31/317 takes precedence; testing individual devices G01R31/26; testing printed circuits G01R31/2801) · CPC title