Methods and systems for performing test and calibration of integrated sensors

• US 10,598,526 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2016
• Issued: 03/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Agrawal, Mitesh, Lobo, Preetham M., Motika, Franco, Parker, John D., Salem, Gerard M., Webel, Tobias
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dzung
• Application Number:
  US15/063,731
• Publication Number:
  US 20170261354A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,477 Days
• Field of Search: 702 45, 702104, 702188
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 18/008 with calibration coefficients stored in memory

Abstract

Embodiments include methods, and computer system, and computer program products for performing test and calibration of integrated sensors on a processor chip. Aspects include: initializing, by a tester program, an on-chip service engine of processor chip, performing and completing, by on-chip service engine, test and calibration of integrated sensors. The method may also include: loading and decoding tester program into an on-chip service engine memory, testing and calibrating each integrated sensor, which may include: selecting an integrated sensor for test and calibration, loading sensor test and calibration patterns and parameters, and sensor test code, and executing the sensor test code to test and calibrate integrated sensors, writing results of the test and calibration to a predetermined location of the on-chip service engine memory, and writing a return code of test and calibration to another predetermined location of on-chip service engine memory, when every integrated sensor is tested and calibrated.

Claims

1. A computer system for performing test and calibration of one or more integrated sensors on a processor chip comprising a processor and a memory storing a tester program, the processor chip comprising:

an on-chip service engine micro-controller; and

the one or more integrated sensors formed directly on the processor,

wherein the processor chip is configured to perform;

initializing, by the tester program, an on-chip service engine of the processor chip for performing test and calibration of the one or more integrated sensors;

performing, by the on-chip service engine, test and calibration of the one or more integrated sensors; and

completing the test and calibration of the one or more integrated sensors,

wherein the processor chip comprises the on-chip service engine, an on-chip service engine memory, and a plurality of the integrated sensors, the plurality of integrated sensors including at least one critical path monitor (CPM) sensor simulating a timing critical path that senses voltage droop of the processor chip, and wherein the processor chip performs testing and calibration of each integrated sensor among the plurality of sensors.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the one or more integrated sensors comprises:

temperature sensors;

voltage sensors;

current sensors;

process sensors;

pressure sensors;

microfluidics sensors;

passive infrared (PIR) sensors;

gas sensors;

motion sensors;

light sensors;

acceleration sensors;

displacement sensors;

magnetic field sensors;

the at least one critical path monitors (CPM) sensor; and

digital temperature sensors (DTS).

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the initializing comprises:

loading the tester program into the on-chip service engine memory; and

triggering execution of the test and calibration of the one or more integrated sensors.

4. The computer system of claim 3, wherein the performing comprises:

decoding the tester program;

loading the decoded tester program into the on-chip service engine memory; and

executing the test and calibration of each of the one or more integrated sensors.

5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the executing comprises:

selecting one of the one or more integrated sensors for test and calibration;

loading one or more sensor test and calibration patterns for the integrated sensor selected;

loading one or more test and calibration parameters for the integrated sensor selected;

loading sensor test code for the integrated sensor selected;

executing the sensor test code to test and calibrate the integrated sensor selected according to the one or more test and calibration patterns and the one or more test and calibration parameters loaded; and

writing results of the test and calibration of the integrated sensor selected to a first predetermined location of the on-chip service engine memory.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the completing comprises writing a return code of the test and calibration of the one or more integrated sensors to a second predetermined location of the on-chip service engine memory, when each of the one or more integrated sensors is tested and calibrated.

7. A computer program product operable on a computer system for performing test on a chip having partial-good portions, comprising a non-transitory computer storage medium readable by the computer system having a processor and a memory configured to store a tester program for execution by the processor of the computer system for performing a method comprising:

initializing, by the tester program, an on-chip service engine formed on a processor chip for performing test and calibration of one or more integrated sensors on the processor chip;

performing, by at least one intra-chip functional logic unit of the on-chip service engine formed on the processor chip, test and calibration of the one or more integrated sensors; and

completing the test and calibration of the of the one or more integrated sensors,

wherein the processor chip comprises the on-chip service engine, an on-chip service engine memory, and a plurality of the integrated sensors, the plurality of integrated sensors including at least one critical path monitor (CPM) sensor simulating a timing critical path that senses voltage droop of the processor chip, and wherein the processor chip performs testing and calibration of each integrated sensor among the plurality of sensors.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the processor chip comprises the on-chip service engine, an on-chip service engine memory, and the one or more integrated sensors.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the initializing comprises:

instructing the on-chip service engine to perform;

loading the tester program into the on-chip service engine memory; and

triggering execution of the test and calibration of the one or more integrated sensors.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the performing comprises:

decoding the tester program;

loading the decoded tester program into the on-chip service engine memory; and

executing the test and calibration of each of the one or more integrated sensors.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the executing comprises:

selecting one of the one or more integrated sensors for test and calibration;

loading one or more sensor test and calibration patterns for the integrated sensor selected;

loading one or more test and calibration parameters for the integrated sensor selected;

loading sensor test code for the integrated sensor selected;

executing the sensor test code to test and calibrate the integrated sensor selected according to the one or more test and calibration patterns and the one or more test and calibration parameters loaded; and

writing results of the test and calibration of the integrated sensor selected to a first predetermined location of the on-chip service engine memory.

12. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the completing comprises writing a return code of the test and calibration of the one or more integrated sensors to a second predetermined location of the on-chip service engine memory, when each of the one or more integrated sensors is tested and calibrated.