System and method for measuring a capacitance associated with an integrated circuit
First Claim
1. A method for measuring a capacitance associated with a portion of an integrated circuit comprising:
- coupling a measurement circuit to an integrated circuit;
initializing one or more transistors within the integrated circuit;
measuring a capacitance associated with a portion of the integrated circuit using the measurement circuit, the portion of the integrated circuit being selectively charged and discharged in response to a voltage potential being applied thereto such that a drain current is generated that serves as a basis for the capacitance measurement; and
separating the capacitance measurement associated with the portion of the integrated circuit into a capacitance associated with the transistors included within the integrated circuit and a capacitance associated with one or more interconnects that are coupled to the transistors.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method for measuring a capacitance associated with a portion of an integrated circuit is provided that includes coupling a measurement circuit to an integrated circuit. One or more transistors within the integrated circuit are initialized such that a steady-state associated with one or more of the transistors is achieved. A capacitance associated with the portion of the integrated circuit is then measured using the measurement circuit. The portion of the integrated circuit is selectively charged and discharged in response to a voltage potential being applied thereto such that a drain current is generated that serves as a basis for the capacitance measurement.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A method for measuring a capacitance associated with a portion of an integrated circuit comprising:
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coupling a measurement circuit to an integrated circuit;
initializing one or more transistors within the integrated circuit;
measuring a capacitance associated with a portion of the integrated circuit using the measurement circuit, the portion of the integrated circuit being selectively charged and discharged in response to a voltage potential being applied thereto such that a drain current is generated that serves as a basis for the capacitance measurement; and
separating the capacitance measurement associated with the portion of the integrated circuit into a capacitance associated with the transistors included within the integrated circuit and a capacitance associated with one or more interconnects that are coupled to the transistors. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An apparatus for measuring a capacitance associated with a portion of an integrated circuit comprising:
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an integrated circuit that includes one or more transistors;
a measurement circuit coupled to the integrated circuit and operable to initialize one or more of the transistors within the integrated circuit such that a steady-state associated with one or more of the transistors is achieved, wherein the measurement circuit is used to measure a capacitance associated with a portion of the integrated circuit, the portion of the integrated circuit being selectively charged and discharged in response to a voltage potential being applied thereto such that a drain current is generated that serves as a basis for the capacitance measurement; and
wherein the capacitance measurement associated with the portion of the integrated circuit is separated into a capacitance associated with the transistors included within the integrated circuit and a capacitance associated with one or more interconnects that are coupled to the transistors. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A system for measuring a capacitance associated with a portion of an integrated circuit comprising:
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a measurement circuit operable to initialize one or more transistors within an integrated circuit such that a steady-state associated with one or more of the transistors is achieved, wherein the measurement circuit is coupled to the integrated circuit which is selectively charged and discharged in response to a voltage potential being applied thereto such that a drain current is generated that serves as a basis for the capacitance measurement; and
wherein the capacitance measurement associated with the portion of the integrated circuit is separated into a capacitance associated with the transistors included within the integrated circuit and a capacitance associated with one or more interconnects that are coupled to the transistors. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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Specification