Advanced Micro Devices Corporation

Gladney Asada

Emerson S Fang

Jeffrey Cooper

Regina Tien Schmidt

A system and method for detecting and measuring electrostatic discharge during semiconductor assembly are described. A semiconductor device fabrication process forms a conductor between two metal routes in a series path on a semiconductor die. The series path is between a bump on the die and a substrate tie. The two metal routes have a width greater than a threshold based on a metal width capable of conducting a critical current density caused by an electrostatic discharge event without conductive failure or breakdown. The conductor has a width less than the threshold. When an electrostatic discharge event occurs, if the current exceeds a critical amount of current, the conductor experiences conductive breakdown and current ceases to flow. During later testing, this series path is tested for open connections, which indicate whether the conductor acting as an electrical on-die fuse experienced conductive failure during assembly of a semiconductor chip.

Fuses to measure electrostatic discharge during die to substrate or package assembly

Apparatus and methods are provided for calibrating and operating a receiver circuit. An exemplary method comprises the steps of applying a first voltage offset to a first input of an amplifier circuit, generating an output signal at an output of the amplifier circuit based on the first voltage offset and a second voltage offset at a second input of the amplifier circuit, adjusting the second voltage offset based on the output signal, and maintaining the second voltage offset at a constant voltage when the output signal is indicative of the second voltage offset cancelling the first voltage offset.

Receiver circuitry and related calibration methods

An AC coupled receiver incorporates a decision feedback restore technique that is readily implemented on a monolithic integrated circuit to reduce or eliminate effects of baseline wander in a non-return-to-zero (NRZ) data receiver. In at least one embodiment of the invention, a method includes at least substantially attenuating at least a DC portion of a received signal to generate a first signal. The method includes generating a low frequency signal based at least in part on a reference signal selected from a plurality of reference signals. The method includes generating a restored signal based at least in part on the first signal and the low frequency signal.

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Santa Clara, CA, United States of America

Gladney Asada