Integrated circuit and method for diagnosing an integrated circuit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11624779-B2
Application number	US-202117375450-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 14, 2021
Priority date	Jul 15, 2020
Publication date	Apr 11, 2023
Grant date	Apr 11, 2023

Abstract

According to one aspect, an integrated circuit includes: an electronic module configured to generate a voltage at an output, and an electronic control circuit coupled to an output of the electronic module, the electronic control circuit comprising an emissive electronic component. The electronic control circuit is configured to cause the emissive electronic component to emit light radiation as a function of a value of the voltage at the output of the electronic module relative to a value of an operating voltage of the electronic module, and the operating voltage is specific thereto during normal operation of this electronic module. The light radiation emitted by the emissive electronic component is configured to diffuse to an outer face of the integrated circuit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An integrated circuit comprising:
an electronic module configured to generate a voltage at an output; and
an electronic control circuit coupled to the output of the electronic module, the electronic control circuit comprising an emissive electronic component, the electronic control circuit configured to cause the emissive electronic component to emit light radiation as a function of a value of the voltage at the output of the electronic module relative to a value of an operating voltage of the electronic module, the operating voltage being specific thereto during normal operation of this electronic module, wherein the light radiation emitted by the emissive electronic component is configured to diffuse to an outer face of the integrated circuit.

2. The integrated circuit of claim 1 , wherein the electronic module comprises a plurality of electronic modules, and the electronic control circuit comprises a plurality of electronic control circuits.

3. The integrated circuit of claim 2 , wherein each electronic module of the plurality of electronic modules is coupled to a corresponding electronic control circuit of the plurality of electronic control circuits.

4. The integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic control circuit is configured to enable the emissive electronic component to emit the light radiation when the value of the voltage at the output of this electronic module reaches the value of the operating voltage.

5. The integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic control circuit is configured to enable the emissive electronic component to emit the light radiation when the value of the voltage at the output of the electronic module is less than the value of the operating voltage.

6. The integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the integrated circuit is free of metallic lines disposed between the emissive electronic component and the outer face of the integrated circuit that could obstruct the light radiation of generated by the emissive electronic component.

7. The integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the light radiation has a wavelength between 400 nm and 1,400 nm.

8. The integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the emissive electronic component is a diode.

9. The integrated circuit according to claim 8 , wherein the diode is an N-Well diode.

10. The integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the emissive electronic component is a transistor.

11. The integrated circuit according to claim 1 , comprising a circuit configured to switch-off the electronic control circuit.

12. A method for performing diagnostics on an integrated circuit comprising an electronic module configured to generate a voltage at an output, and an electronic control circuit coupled to the output of the electronic module, wherein the electronic control circuit comprises an emissive electronic component, the electronic control circuit is configured to cause the emissive electronic component to emit light radiation as a function of a value of the voltage at the output of the electronic module relative to a value of an operating voltage of the electronic module, the operating voltage is specific thereto during normal operation of this electronic module, and the light radiation emitted by the emissive electronic component is configured to diffuse to an outer face of the integrated circuit, the method comprising:
turning on the integrated circuit; and
monitoring the emissive electronic component for emitted light radiation; and
determining whether the electronic module is faulty based on the monitoring.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein:
monitoring the emissive electronic component comprises acquiring at least one image of the outer face of the integrated circuit; and
determining whether the electronic module is faulty comprises analyzing an emission state of the emissive electronic component based on the at least one image.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein acquiring the at least one image comprises using a camera.

15. The method according to claim 12 , wherein:
the electronic module comprises a plurality of electronic modules, the electronic control circuit comprises a plurality of electronic control circuits;
monitoring the emissive electronic component comprises acquiring plurality of sequential images of the outer face of the integrated circuit; and
determining whether the electronic module is faulty comprises analyzing a plurality of emission states of the emissive electronic components of the plurality of electronic modules based on the plurality of sequential images.

16. The method according to claim 15 , further comprising causing the plurality of electronic modules to perform a test sequence during the monitoring.

17. The method according to claim 15 , further comprising determining whether a particular electronic module of the plurality of electronic modules is faulty based on the analyzing the plurality of emission states.

18. A method of operating an integrated circuit comprising a plurality of testable electronic circuits, each testable electronic circuit comprising an electronic module coupled to an electronic control circuit comprising an emissive electronic component, the method comprising, for each for each control circuit of the plurality of testable electronic circuits:
monitoring an output signal of the electronic module,
comparing the monitored output signal with a reference level,
causing the emissive electronic component to emit light radiation based on the comparing, wherein the emitted light radiation is configured to diffuse to an outer face of the integrated circuit.

19. The method according to claim 18 , wherein the output signal is an output voltage, and the reference level corresponds to an operating voltage of the electronic module during normal operation.

20. The method according to claim 18 , wherein causing the emissive electronic component to emit the light radiation based on the comparing comprises causing the emissive electronic component to emit the light radiation when the monitored output signal reaches the reference level.

21. The method according to claim 18 , wherein causing the emissive electronic component to emit the light radiation based on the comparing comprises causing the emissive electronic component to emit the light radiation when the monitored output signal is less than the reference level.

Assignees

• St Microelectronics Alps Sas
• St Microelectronics Grenoble 2

Inventors

• Auvray Etienne
• Melis Tommaso
• Sirito-Olivier Philippe

Classifications

• G01R15/22

  using light-emitting devices, e.g. LED, optocouplers {(G01R31/31901 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• G01R31/2851

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

• G01R31/311 Primary

  of integrated circuits {(G01R31/31728 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• G01R19/0084

  Measuring voltage only · CPC title

• G01R31/2856 Primary

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