18163888. METHOD OF MEASURING CHIP CHARACTERISTICS, TEST DEVICE AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIA simplified abstract (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.)

METHOD OF MEASURING CHIP CHARACTERISTICS, TEST DEVICE AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIA

Organization Name

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Inventor(s)

Ting-Hao Wang of HSINCHU CITY (TW)

Pei-Ju Lin of HSINCHU CITY (TW)

METHOD OF MEASURING CHIP CHARACTERISTICS, TEST DEVICE AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIA - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18163888 titled 'METHOD OF MEASURING CHIP CHARACTERISTICS, TEST DEVICE AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIA

Simplified Explanation

The abstract describes a method of measuring chip characteristics by changing the operating voltage of the chip until it transitions from a normal state to a failure state, recording the oscillating signals generated at this boundary voltage, and using this data to represent the chip characteristics.

• Testing method for measuring chip characteristics:

   - Outputting an operating voltage to the chip
   - Testing the chip with a system clock signal
   - Changing the operating voltage until the chip fails
   - Recording oscillating signals at the boundary voltage

• Potential Applications:

   - Quality control in chip manufacturing
   - Performance optimization in electronic devices

• Problems Solved:

   - Efficient method for determining chip characteristics
   - Identifying boundary operating voltage for reliable performance

• Benefits:

   - Accurate measurement of chip characteristics
   - Improved reliability and performance of electronic devices

• Potential Commercial Applications:

   - Semiconductor industry for chip testing
   - Electronics manufacturing for quality assurance

• Possible Prior Art:

   - Existing methods for chip testing and characterization
   - Prior techniques for measuring operating voltage boundaries

Questions:

1. How does this method compare to traditional chip testing techniques? 2. What specific chip characteristics can be measured using this method?

Original Abstract Submitted

A method of measuring chip characteristics includes: outputting an operating voltage to a chip by a test device, wherein the chip comprises a plurality of oscillator circuits configured to generate a plurality of oscillating signals according to the operating voltage; and testing the chip by the test device under a situation that the test device outputs a system clock signal having a first clock period to the chip, including: changing the operating voltage sequentially with the test device until the chip changes from a normal state to a failure state, so as to generate a boundary operating voltage; and recording the plurality of oscillating signals generated according to the boundary operating voltage as measurement data by the test device, wherein the measurement data represents chip characteristics of the chip corresponding to the first clock period.