The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.

The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.

Date of Patent:
Mar. 22, 2016

Filed:

Oct. 30, 2012
Applicant:

Nvidia Corporation, Santa Clara, CA (US);

Inventor:

Gunaseelan Ponnuvel, Santa Clara, CA (US);

Assignee:

Nvidia Corporation, Santa Clara, CA (US);

Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Assistant Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
H01L 21/66 (2006.01); G01R 31/28 (2006.01);
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
H01L 22/14 (2013.01); H01L 22/20 (2013.01); G01R 31/2831 (2013.01);
Abstract

A test system and method for selecting a derating factor to be applied to a ratio of transistors having disparate electrical characteristics in a wafer fabrication process. In one embodiment, the test system includes: (1) structural at-speed automated test equipment (ATE) operable to iterate structural at-speed tests at multiple clock frequencies over integrated circuit (IC) samples fabricated under different process conditions and (2) derating factor selection circuitry coupled to the structural at-speed ATE and configured to employ results of the structural at-speed tests to identify performance deterioration in the samples, the performance deterioration indicating the derating factor to be employed in a subsequent wafer fabrication process.


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