Qualifying of a detector of noise peaks in the supply of an integrated circuit

• US 20080012574A1
• Filed: 06/15/2007
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics SA (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics SA (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Duval, Benjamin, Malherbe, Alexandre
• Granted Patent: US 8,283,931 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/606
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/16552 in I.C. power supplies
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/002 where the device under test is an electronic circuit
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3004 Current or voltage test
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/31721 Power aspects, e.g. power supplies for test circuits, power saving during test for scan test G01R31/318575
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/755 with measures against power attack
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07363 by preventing analysis of the circuit, e.g. dynamic or static power analysis or current analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/576 using active circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

A method and a system for qualifying an integrated circuit according to a parasitic supply peak detector that it contains, including: supply of the integrated circuit to be tested under at least a first voltage; checking of a starting of the circuit; application of at least one first noise peak on the circuit power supply, while respecting an amplitude and time gauge; and comparison of average currents consumed by the circuit before and after the peak.

Claims

1. A method for qualifying a parasitic supply peak detector of an integrated circuitry, comprising at least steps of:

supply of the integrated circuit to be tested under at least a first voltage;

checking of a starting of the circuit;

application of at least one first noise peak on the circuit power supply, while respecting an amplitude and time gauge; and

comparison of average currents consumed by the circuit before and after the peak.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said steps are reproduced under at least a second circuit supply voltage with a second noise peak different from the first one.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said second voltage is smaller than the first one.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the detectors to be qualified are distributed in three categories according to whether they comprise:

a differential comparator of an average value of the voltage with respect to a threshold;

a differential comparator of an instantaneous reversal of the polarity of the supply voltage;

or

a comparator of an instantaneous value of the supply voltage with respect to a threshold of same polarity.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the amplitude of the noise peak is selected to maintain a minimum voltage of supply of differential stages of the circuit to be tested.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second supply voltages are selected according to the supply voltage range acceptable by the integrated circuit.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the respective amplitudes of the first and second peaks are selected according to the current supply voltage of the integrated circuit and to the threshold voltage of transistors that it contains.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the respective durations of the first and second peaks are selected according to the transition frequency of the integrated circuit transistors.

9. A system for qualifying a parasitic supply peak detector of an integrated circuit, comprising:

controllable means for supplying the integrated circuit;

means for measuring the circuit consumption;

means for memorizing the measured consumption;

controllable means for generating at least one noise peak respecting an amplitude and time gauge; and

a unit of control and synchronization of the different elements, capable of comparing the average consumptions of the circuit before and after sending of a peak on its power supply.

10. (canceled)