Industrial Technology Research Institute

Faraday Technology Corporation

Chung Yuan Christian University

Yeong-Jar Chang

Wen-Ching Wu

Kun-Lun Luo

Sheng-Yu Hsu

Jung-Chi Ho

Cheng-Wen Wu

Juin-Ming Lu

Chau-Chin Su

Hung-Wen Lu

Shih-Hsu Huang

Yow-Tyng Nieh

Shen-Tien Lin

Jen-Chien Hsu

Chin-Lung Su

Yao-Hua Chen

Jinn-Shyan Wang

Wen-Tsan Hsieh

Jai-Ming Lin

Liang-Chia Cheng

Pei-Wen Luo

Po-Yao Huang

Chung-Fu Lin

Pei-Yuan Chou

Rei-Fu Huang

Chia-Wei Chang

Ya-Ting Shyu

Yen-Fu Chang

Chia-Yu Jin

Sheng-Bin Lin

Chia-Jen Lee

Yaw-Feng Wang

Yi-Fang Chiu

Chin-Jung Su

An embodiment of a thermal estimation device including a temperature model generator, a temperature gradient calculator, and a thermal sensing analyzer is disclosed. The temperature model generator generates a temperature model based on an initial power consumption, an initial area and an initial coordination of a circuit module. The temperature gradient calculator substitutes at least one of a testing area, a testing power or a testing coordinate of the circuit module into the temperature model for correspondingly estimating an temperature estimation function. The thermal sensing analyzer differentiates the temperature estimation function. When an absolute value of a differential result of the temperature estimation function resulted from a constant is closest to zero or is zero, outputting the constant as an optimized parameter.

Thermal estimation device and thermal estimation method

An apparatus for jitter measurement includes a first delay circuit, a second delay circuit, and a control circuit. The first delay circuit imposes a preliminary phase delay on an input signal to generate a delayed input signal. The second delay circuit operates with the first delay circuit to impose a fine phase delay on the delayed input signal. The control circuit controls amounts of delays imposed by the first and second delay circuits, and fine tunes the phase delay of the delayed input signal according to the amounts of delays respectively imposed by delay elements of the first and second delay circuits, and estimates or calculates a jitter window for the input signal according to adjustment results of the first and second delay circuits.

On-chip apparatus and method for jitter measurement

A thermal simulation device is applied to a transaction-level designed chip which includes a plurality of intellectual properties. The thermal simulation device includes a plurality of thermal-aware transaction-level power model circuits, a simulator, a translator and a thermal emulator. The thermal-aware transaction-level power model circuits corresponds to the respective intellectual properties, and are configured to a corresponding power information for each of the intellectual properties, and dynamically adjusts the power information according to temperature information. The simulator is configured to generate the corresponding temperature information of the intellectual properties according to compatible information. The translator is configured to generate the compatible information which is compatible with the simulator. The thermal emulator is configured to trigger the simulator and transmit the temperature information to the intellectual properties.

Thermal simulation device and method

A semiconductor package structure includes a package substrate, at least a chip, solder balls, a light emitting/receiving device, a optical intermediary device and an optical transmission device. The package substrate has a first surface, a second surface, a circuit and solder ball pads, wherein each solder ball pad is electrically connected to the circuit. The chip is disposed on the first surface and electrically connected to the circuit. The solder balls are respectively disposed on the solder ball pads. The light emitting/receiving device is disposed on the package substrate and electrically connected to the circuit. The optical intermediary device is disposed above the light emitting/receiving device. The optical transmission device is inserted in the optical intermediary device, wherein a light emitting by the light emitting/receiving device is emitted to the optical transmission device via the optical intermediary device so that an optical signal is transmitted through the optical transmission device.

Semiconductor package structure and manufacturing method thereof

Provided is a measurement circuit for measuring a jitter of a clock signal. Delay elements delay the clock signal into delayed clock signal. Latches latch the delayed clock signals to indicate whether transition edges of the clock signal is within a window value which is corresponding to delays of the delay elements. Based on the latch result from the latches, a finite state machine generates control signals for controlling the delay elements. If the latch result indicates that the transition edges of the clock signal is not within the window value, the control signals adjust the delays of the delay elements and the window value. The jitter of the clock signal is measured based on the delays of the delay elements and the window value.

Clock jitter measurement circuit and integrated circuit having the same

A jitter measurement circuit and a method for calibrating the jitter measurement circuit are disclosed. The jitter measurement circuit includes a synchronous dual-phase detector and a decision circuit. In a test mode, a probability distribution function (PDF) of the jitter of a clock signal output by a circuit under test is obtained. In a calibration mode, a random clock, which is externally generated or generated by a free-run oscillator in the circuit under test, is used to calibrate the synchronous dual-phase detector. The decision circuit performs logic operations, data latching and counting on a phase relationship detected by the synchronous dual-phase detector in order to obtain a counting value and a PDF relative to the jitter of the clock signal.

Built-in jitter measurement circuit

We propose an opposite-phase scheme for peak current reduction. The basic idea is to divide the clock buffers at each level of the clock tree into two sets: one half of the clock buffers operate at the same phase as the clock source, and the other half of the clock buffers operate at the opposite phase to the clock source. Consequently, our approach can effectively reduce the peak current of the clock tree. The method enables the opposite-phase scheme to combine with the electronic design automation (EDA) tools that are commonly used in modern industries.

Opposite-phase scheme for peak current reduction

A programmable memory built-in self-test circuit and a clock switching circuit thereof are provided. The memory built-in self-test circuit is able to provide more self-test functions preset by a user, simplify the redundant circuit in the prior art and reduce chip area and lower the cost by means of an instruction decoder and a built-in self-test controller. The present invention also provides some peripheral control circuits of a memory. The control circuits occupies less area and enables the memory to be tested more flexibly. The present invention further provides a clock switching circuit enabling a chip to be correctly tested under different clock speeds, which benefits to advance the testability and the analyzability of the memory embedded in a chip and thereby increase fault coverage.

Programmable memory built-in self-test circuit and clock switching circuit thereof

A BIST circuit for testing both an analog-to-digital converter and a phase lock loop includes a controllable delay circuit, a NAND gate, a dividing circuit, a NOR gate and a charge/discharge circuit. The invention reduces the period of the signal under test, converts its pulse width to voltage and measures the output via an ADC. The clock jitter becomes sensitive through a delay cancellation method, thus, the accuracy is improved. The invention further comprises all testing procedure for period jitters of a PLL and static characteristics of an ADC. The test error caused by process variation can be corrected by a controllable delay circuit such that the error determination of the test result is prevented.

Built-in self test circuit for analog-to-digital converter and phase lock loop and the testing methods thereof

A controllable delay line includes an anti-jitter unit, a dependent current source, a first current mirror, a second current mirror, a regulation capacitor, a compensation capacitor and an output buffer unit. The anti-jitter unit receives a first bias voltage and produces a second bias voltage based on the first bias voltage. When the voltage source used in the controllable delay line has a variation, the second bias voltage varies therewith. The regulation capacitor is used for reducing the variation of the voltage difference between the voltage source and a node voltage of the first current source. The compensation capacitor is used for reducing the influence of a transition of the input signal of the output buffer unit on the node voltage, so as to lower the jitter amount of the output signal of the output buffer unit.

Controllable delay line and regulation compensation circuit thereof

A wrapper testing circuit of system-on-a-chip for electrical tests of at least a core circuit of an integrated circuit and a wrapper testing method thereof are provided. A controller outputs control signals and test signals and receives result signals executed by the core circuit. The wrapper testing circuit comprises a decoding logic and a plurality of wrapper boundary registers. The decoding logic has a signal decoding table which receives and decodes the control signals and then issues decoded signals according to the signal decoding table. The WBR shifts, updates and captures the test signals for the core circuit to execute and output the result signals according to the decoded signals. In comparison with prior art, the testing time is reduced.

Wrapper testing circuits and method thereof for system-on-a-chip

Disclosed is a sample and hold circuit for detecting a parameter of a data signal, which includes: a first switching module, wherein the sample and hold circuit samples the data signal according to the turning on or off of the first switching module; at least one capacitor, coupled to the first switching module; a second switching module, coupled to the capacitor; a controllable reference voltage source, for providing a first reference voltage to charge/discharge the capacitor via the second switching module according to a control signal; a first comparator, coupled to the capacitor, for comparing a voltage drop on the capacitor and the first reference voltage to generate a first comparing result; and a control circuit, coupled to the controllable reference voltage source and the first comparator, for generating the control signal according to the comparing results.

Sample and hold circuit and related data signal detecting method utilizing sample and hold circuit

A power consumption model for a memory device is provided. According to each characteristic vector, a corresponding power lookup table is built. Each characteristic vector comprises an operating mode and a variation of the data and/or address status of the memory device.

Memory power models related to access information and methods thereof

A built-in memory current test circuit to test a memory on a chip is disclosed, comprising a built-in self-test circuit and a dynamic current generation module. The built-in self-test circuit is disposed on the chip to receive and process a test signal and generate a control signal to control operation of the memory and a current control code. The dynamic current generation module, also disposed on the chip, produces a test current into the memory based on the current control code. The current switch time is reduced in the built-in memory current test circuit, and an integrated test combining functional and stress tests can thus be performed.

Growing community of inventors

Taichung County, Taiwan

Yeong-Jar Chang