Method and device for pulse width estimation

• US 8,917,109 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2013
• Issued: 12/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Microelectronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: United Microelectronics Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Shi-Wen, Lin, Yung-Hsiang
• Primary Examiner(s): Hollington, Jermele M
• Assistant Examiner(s): RIOS RUSSO, RAUL J
• Application Number:
  US13/855,708
• Publication Number:
  US 20140300385A1
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 324/73.46, 324/73.47, 324/76.72, 324/158.1, 324/500, 324/537, 324/762.01, 327/17, 327/18, 327/21, 327/23, 327/27, 327/47, 327/48
• US Class Current: 324/762.01
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 29/023 Measuring pulse width
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2851 Testing of integrated circuits [IC] G01R31/317 takes precedence; testing individual devices G01R31/26; testing printed circuits G01R31/2801
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/31725 Timing aspects, e.g. clock distribution, skew, propagation delay for tester hardware G01R31/31937

Abstract

A pulse width estimation method, applied between an integrated circuit and a circuit system for generating a reference pulse with a predetermined pulse width, includes steps for the following: generating an under-test pulse with an under-test pulse width by the integrated circuit; delivering the under-test and reference pulses to the integrated circuit for multiplying the under-test pulse width and the predetermined pulse width thereof by a timing gain and thereby obtaining a gained under-test pulse and a gained reference pulse, respectively; providing, by the integrated circuit, a count pulse for sampling the gained under-test pulse and the gained reference pulse and thereby obtaining a first count number and a second count number, respectively; and estimating the under-test pulse width by using the predetermined pulse width, the first count number and the second count number. A pulse width estimation device is also provided.

Claims

1. A pulse width estimation method applied between an integrated circuit and a circuit system, the circuit system being configured to generate a reference pulse with a predetermined pulse width, the pulse width estimation method comprising steps of:

generating an under-test pulse with an under-test pulse width by the integrated circuit;

delivering the under-test pulse and the reference pulse to the integrated circuit for multiplying the under-test pulse width of the under-test pulse and the predetermined pulse width of the reference pulse by a timing gain and thereby obtaining a gained under-test pulse and a gained reference pulse, respectively;

providing a count pulse for sampling the gained under-test pulse and the gained reference pulse by the integrated circuit, and thereby obtaining a first count number and a second count number, respectively; and

estimating the under-test pulse width by using the predetermined pulse width, the first count number and the second count number.

2. The pulse width estimation method according to claim 1, wherein the reference pulse is generated by a crystal oscillator, and the under-test pulse is a word line pulse applied in a memory unit.

3. The pulse width estimation method according to claim 1, wherein the step of multiplying the under-test pulse width of the under-test pulse and the predetermined pulse width of the reference pulse by the timing gain and thereby obtaining the gained under-test pulse and the gained reference pulse, respectively, is realized by a processing unit of the integrated circuit.

4. The pulse width estimation method according to claim 3, wherein the processing unit and a voltage-controlled oscillator configured to provide the count pulse are manufactured into a same integrated circuit chip by a same integrated circuit manufacturing process.

5. The pulse width estimation method according to claim 1, wherein the under-test pulse width is t_wl, the predetermined pulse width is t_clk, the first count number is D1, the second count number is D2, and t_wl=(D1/D2)*t_clk.

6. A pulse width estimation device in an integrated circuit, the integrated circuit being configured to receive a reference pulse generated by an external circuit system, the reference pulse having a predetermined pulse width, the pulse width estimation device comprising:

an under-test pulse generator configured to generate an under-test pulse with an under-test pulse width;

a processing unit, in communication with the under-test pulse generator and the circuit system, configured to receive the under-test pulse and the reference pulse, multiply the under-test pulse width of the under-test pulse and the predetermined pulse width of the reference pulse by a timing gain and thereby obtaining a gained under-test pulse and a gained reference pulse, respectively;

a count pulse generator configured to generate a count pulse; and

a counting unit, in communication with the processing unit and the count pulse generator, configured to sample the gained under-test pulse and the gained reference pulse by using the count pulse and thereby obtaining a first count number and a second count number, respectively, for estimating the under-test pulse width.

7. The pulse width estimation device according to claim 6, wherein the processing unit comprises:

a time difference generator, in communication with the under-test pulse generator and the circuit system, configured to receive the under-test pulse and the reference pulse, and process a first rising edge and a first falling edge of the under-test pulse and a second rising edge and a second falling edge of the reference pulse into a first rising edge trigger signal, a second rising edge trigger signal, a third rising edge trigger signal and a fourth rising edge trigger signal, respectively; and

a timing amplifier, in communication with the time difference generator, configured to generate the gained under-test pulse by receiving the first rising edge trigger signal and the second rising edge trigger signal and generate the gained reference pulse by receiving the third rising edge trigger signal and the fourth rising edge trigger signal.

8. The pulse width estimation device according to claim 6, wherein the under-test pulse generator is a word line pulse generator applied in a memory unit, the reference pulse is generated by a crystal oscillator, and the count pulse generator is a voltage-controlled oscillator.

9. The pulse width estimation device according to claim 6, wherein the under-test pulse generator, the processing unit, the count pulse generator and the counting unit are manufactured into a same integrated circuit chip by a same integrated circuit manufacturing process.

10. The pulse width estimation device according to claim 6, further comprising a calculation unit, in communication with the counting unit, configured to calculate the under-test pulse width by using an equation t_wl=(D1/D2)*t_clk, wherein t_wl is the under-test pulse width, t_clk is the predetermined pulse width, D1 is the first count number and D2 is the second count number.

11. A pulse width estimation device arranged in an integrated circuit, the integrated circuit being configured to receive a reference pulse generated by an external circuit system, the reference pulse having a predetermined pulse width, the pulse width estimation device comprising:

an under-test pulse generator configured to generate an under-test pulse with an under-test pulse width;

a processing unit, in communication with the under-test pulse generator and the external circuit system, configured to receive the under-test pulse and the reference pulse, multiply the under-test pulse width of the under-test pulse and the predetermined pulse width of the reference pulse by a timing gain and thereby obtaining a gained under-test pulse and a gained reference pulse, respectively;

a count pulse generator configured to generate a count pulse; and

a counting unit, in communication with the processing unit and the count pulse generator, configured to sample the gained under-test pulse and the gained reference pulse by using the count pulse and thereby obtaining a first count number and a second count number, respectively, and transmit the first count number and the second count number to the circuit system, wherein the circuit system is configured to calculate the under-test pulse width by using the predetermined pulse width, the first count number and the second count number.

12. The pulse width estimation device according to claim 11, wherein the processing unit comprises:

a time difference generator, in communication with the under-test pulse generator and the circuit system, configured to receive the under-test pulse and the reference pulse, and process a first rising edge and a first falling edge of the under-test pulse and a second rising edge and a second falling edge of the reference pulse into a first rising edge trigger signal, a second rising edge trigger signal, a third rising edge trigger signal and a fourth rising edge trigger signal, respectively; and

a timing amplifier, in communication with the time difference generator, configured to generate the gained under-test pulse by receiving the first rising edge trigger signal and the second rising edge trigger signal and generate the gained reference pulse by receiving the third rising edge trigger signal and the fourth rising edge trigger signal.

13. The pulse width estimation device according to claim 11, wherein the under-test pulse generator is a word line pulse generator applied in a memory unit, the reference pulse is generated by a crystal oscillator, and the count pulse generator is a voltage-controlled oscillator.

14. The pulse width estimation device according to claim 11, wherein the under-test pulse generator, the processing unit, the count pulse generator and the counting unit are manufactured into a same integrated circuit chip by a same integrated circuit manufacturing process.

15. The pulse width estimation device according to claim 11, wherein the circuit system comprises a calculation unit, in communication with to the counting unit, configured to calculate the under-test pulse width by using an equation t_wl=(D1/D2)*t_clk, wherein t_wl is the under-test pulse width, t_clk is the predetermined pulse width, D1 is the first count number and D2 is the second count number.