Arrangement for transient-current testing of a digital electronic CMOS circuit

• US 6,414,511 B1
• Filed: 02/07/2000
• Issued: 07/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Janssen, Petrus J. M., Hart, Cornelis M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hamdan, Wasseem H.
• Application Number:
  US09/498,880
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 324/618, 324/601, 324/769, 324/643, 324/767, 324/357, 257/369, 702/107
• US Class Current: 324/750.02
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3004 Current or voltage test
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/31905 Interface with the device under test [DUT], e.g. arrangements between the test head and the DUT, mechanical aspects, fixture
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3191 Calibration
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/31924 Voltage or current aspects, e.g. driver, receiver

Abstract

For transient-current testing of an electronic circuit, a differentiating current measuring device is arranged for measuring an undershoot voltage for each of a series of current pulses controlled in the circuit. In particular, the device is executed in integrated circuit technology and simulates a differentiating current probe. Furthermore, it may have calibration for imparting an offset voltage to each undershoot voltage of the series. This calibrates an actual potential of the simulation and produces for a correct Device Under Test in each cycle a substantially uniform undershoot voltage.

Claims

1. An arrangement for transient-current testing of a device-under-test, comprising:

a current measuring circuit that is configured to provide an input undershoot voltage corresponding to each of a series of current pulses from the device-under-test,

a calibration circuit that is configured to provide a calibration voltage corresponding to each of the series of current pulses, and

a summer, operably coupled to the current measuring circuit and the calibration circuit, that is configured to provide an output undershoot voltage corresponding to a combination of the input undershoot voltage and the calibration voltage for each of the series of current pulses,

wherein

the calibration voltage corresponding to each of the series of current pulse is designed to provide a substantially uniform output undershoot voltage when the device-under-test is functioning according to its specification.

2. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, further comprising

a high-slew-rate differentiating differential amplifier arranged between a signaling output of the device under test and an input of said current measuring circuit.

3. An arrangement as claimed in claim 2, wherein

the differentiating differential amplifier includes an unsymmetric power supply.

4. An arrangement as claimed in claim 3, wherein

the differentiating differential amplifier has a clamping facility for clamping excessive output voltage pulses thereof caused by the unsymmetric power supply.

5. An arrangement as claimed in claim 2, furthermore comprising

a buffer stage led by an output of the differentiating differential amplifier, that is configured to provide an input of an all-digital tester comparator, via an oscillation damper resistor.

6. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the device-under-test contains CMOS technology.

7. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the device-under-test contains digital circuitry.

8. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, further including

a damping electrolytic capacitor, operably coupled between respective electric power connections to the devil under test.

9. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, furthermore comprising

a low ohmic and specifically activatable bypass for bridging a measuring output resistor of the device under test.

10. An integrated circuit comprising:

a current measuring circuit that is configured to measure an undershoot voltage for each of a series of current pulses controlled in a circuit under test, and

a digital to analog converter, operably coupled to the current measuring circuit that is configured to provide a calibration voltage that is combined with each undershoot voltage of the series of current pulses, so as to provide in each cycle of the series of current pulses a substantially uniform undershoot voltage.

11. An integrated circuit as claimed in claim 10, further comprising

an analog to digital converter that is configured to determine one or more calibration measures, corresponding to a plurality of output values at an output of the current measuring circuit while a properly functioning device is used as the circuit under test, and

wherein

the digital to analog converter is configured to provide the offset voltage to a subsequent circuit under test based on the one or more calibration measures.

12. An integrated circuit as claimed in claim 11, wherein

the one or more calibration measures are based on an average of the plurality of output values.