Title :
Ultra high precision circuit diagnosis through seebeck generation and charge monitoring
Author :
Boit, Christian ; Helfmeier, Clemens ; Nedospasov, Dmitry ; Fox, A.
Author_Institution :
TUB Berlin Univ. of Technol., Berlin, Germany
Abstract :
This work investigates the generator properties of the Seebeck effect and the advantages of current detection via internal charge monitoring over external SMU measurement. Each of the two aspects increases precision in circuit diagnostics. A detailed study of the Seebeck signal enables classification of not only malfunctions, but local characterization of each circuit cell, node or device in terms of operating condition or logical state. Hence, this technique provides a new level of precise circuit diagnosis. Charges are a widely neglected physical quantity in electronic circuit analysis. An ultra-precise measurement of local currents can be derived from monitoring small scale charge collection. This concept increases current sensitivity by several orders of magnitude compared to the most precise SMU results. For example, the faint degradation currents of dielectrics under stress can be detected well below breakdown. A current sensitivity to the 10 aA regime is demonstrated here for the first time in microelectronics.
Keywords :
Seebeck effect; charge measurement; electric current measurement; integrated circuit measurement; sensitivity analysis; Seebeck effect; Seebeck generation; Seebeck signal; circuit cell local characterization; current detection; current sensitivity; device local characterization; electronic circuit analysis; external SMU measurement; faint degradation currents; generator properties; internal charge monitoring; local currents; logical state; microelectronics; node local characterization; operating condition; precise circuit diagnosis; small-scale charge collection monitoring; ultrahigh-precision circuit diagnosis; ultraprecise measurement; Charge measurement; Current measurement; Dielectric measurement; Dielectrics; Semiconductor device measurement; Sensitivity; Voltage measurement;
Conference_Titel :
Physical and Failure Analysis of Integrated Circuits (IPFA), 2013 20th IEEE International Symposium on the
Conference_Location :
Suzhou
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4799-1241-4
DOI :
10.1109/IPFA.2013.6599119