Apparatus and Method for Testing of Integrated Circuits

The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for testing of integrated circuits, and more particularly relates to such an apparatus and method in which test circuitry is embedded directly into the integrated circuit to be tested and enables continuous operation of the circuit while testing is being carried on.

The development of manufacturing test programs for CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) integrated circuits is a time-consuming and costly development activity. As the design complexity of CMOS integrated circuits increases, manufacturing test development is becoming a major portion of the design cycle. At present, the majority of techniques for test program development are based upon the use of "stuck-at-fault" arrangements. The "stuck-at-fault" model is the basis for fault simulation, ATPG (automatic test pattern generation), scan testing, BIST (built-in self test technique) and some embedded test structures. The "stuck-at-fault" model has been shown to be inadequate in identifying the majority of possible manufacturing defects.

Iddq (static or quiescent power supply current) testing has been proposed as a more accurate method of detecting manufacturing faults for static CMOS circuits. The iddq test is based upon monitoring the quiescent idd current. Variations in the quiescent Idd current can indicate a fault circuit.

The present invention is directed to an apparatus and method for providing internal Iddq current testing capability for standard cell and gate array integrated circuits by embedding iddq test circuitry directly into the array of cells. The Iddq current is monitored and tested at various points within an array of cells, and can be implemented for standard cell, gate array and sea of gates CMOS integrated circuits. This permits the manufacturing test to be accomplished by the chip itself without the need for expensive test equipment or the generation of additional test patterns. The Iddq test can be used with functional patterns. This will also support JTAG standards (JTAG 1149.1 is an IEEE standard for boundary scan) and allow for in-circuit testing of the integrated circuit. The embedded built-in Iddq test circuitry can also be used for real time monitoring of current, current flow analysis and identification of faults.

The present invention thus provides for internal monitoring of current in a chip without expensive test equipment or time-consuming generation of test patterns. The current monitoring cells can also be used in conjunction with test patterns to provide real time monitoring of current for identification of faults.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for embedded built-in static current testing for integrated circuits.

It is another object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus and method for embedded built-in static current testing which enables continuing operation of the integrated circuit being tested while the testing is being carried on.

It is another object of the invention to provide an apparatus and method for monitoring current in a chip without expensive test equipment or time consuming generation of test patterns.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for static current testing which employs a plurality of current monitor cells which are connected with a scan chain for reading out the results of the test.

Additional benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates from the subsequent description of the preferred embodiments and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an integrated circuit which includes an embedded built-in Iddq test capability.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of an Iddq current monitor cell.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram similar to FIG. 2, but showing an Iddq current monitor cell which includes a current divider.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing a plurality of current monitor cells with common current sensing.

Referring now to FIG. 1, shown there is an integrated circuit 10 having a built-in Iddq test circuit. The test circuit comprises a plurality of Iddq current monitoring cells 12 which are used for both power distribution and current sensing. The cells 12 are arranged in the illustrated embodiment in vertical columns and horizontal rows, with internal power busses 14 distributing power to these cells. Power is distributed to the internal power busses 14 by supply busses 16 which run perpendicular to the internal power busses 14 in the illustrated embodiment. Standard or gate array cells 18 for performing the particular functions for which the circuit 10 is designed are positioned between the current monitoring cells 12, and power is provided to these cells 18 by the internal power busses 14.

It will be seen that an Iddq current monitor cell 12 can be used at all, or selective, grid connection points between the supply busses 16 and the internal busses 14 for both power distribution and iddq current monitoring. Each of the Iddq current monitor cells 12 can test the Iddq current at a desired point in the array. The Iddq current monitor cells 12 are connected with a scan chain 20 which is used to access sequentially the Iddq current test results for each cell 12. The Scan Out connection of one cell 12 is connected to the Scan In position of an adjacent cell 12, and so on. The Scan Out connections terminate in test control logic 22, where the results of the test are received and analyzed. Reference voltages are provided by the test control logic 22 and are applied to the various cells 12 over conductive paths 24.

Each Iddq current monitor cell 12 is part of the power grid distribution which is used to monitor the quiescent Idd current at various connection points in the power grid of the integrated circuit 10. Each cell 12 both distributes the power and monitors the current. The cell 12 as shown in FIG. 2 includes three main components: a current sensor 26 which converts the iddq current to a voltage drop V(Iddq) which is a function of the current; a comparator 28 which compares the voltage drop to a reference voltage; and a scan flip flop 30 which is used to scan and latch out the result. The current sensor 26 comprises a transistor having its emitter coupled via a conductor 32 and a node 34 to the VSS supply 16, having its collector coupled via a node 36 and a conductor 38 to the internal power bus 14, and having its base coupled via a conductor 40 to the node 36. Said transistor 26 can optionally be switched out of the circuit during normal operation in order to avoid the possible performance impact of the voltage drop in the current sensor by operating a bypass circuit 42 comprising an MOS transistor 44 which is connected between the node 34 and the internal power bus 14, and can be caused to conduct by applying a signal to the gate of said transistor over a bypass line 46.

The voltage reference VREF in FIG. 2 is set to test for the maximum Iddq current for a non-faulty circuit. A higher current than this maximum Iddq current indicates a faulty circuit. The voltage VREF can also be varied to measure different current levels which can be used to analyze the current flow within the power grid.

In normal operation, the current sensor converts the Iddq current to the V(Iddq) voltage level, which is then applied to the plus terminal of the comparator 28, to the minus terminal of which is applied the reference voltage VREF via line 24. The two voltages are compared by the comparator 28, and if the comparison indicates the presence of a fault in the circuit, a signal of appropriate level is applied to the data terminal D of the scan flip flop 30, which sets the flip flop. The state of the flip flop is subsequently ascertained by the scan chain 20, via the Scan In line coupled to the scan data terminal SD and the Scan Out line coupled to the output Q of the flip flop 30. If the flip flop 30 is in a predetermined one of its two possible states, it indicates no fault in the circuit, whereas if it is in the other state, the presence of a fault is indicated.

A second implementation of the Iddq current monitor of the present invention is shown in FIG. 3. This implementation is similar to the implementation of FIG. 2, insofar as it includes a current sensor 50, a comparator 52 and a scan flip flop 54. It differs however in also including a current divider 56, comprising two MOS transistors 58 and 60. This circuit minimizes the impact of measuring the current. A voltage VDD is applied to the gate of each of the transistors 58 and 60. The transistor 58 is connected with its source to the VSS supply 16, and the drain is connected to a node 62, which is connected to the internal bus 14. The transistor 60 has its drain connected through a node 64 to the plus terminal of the comparator 52. The output of the comparator 52 is connected to the data input D of the flip flop 54, as in the embodiment of FIG. 2. The emitter of the current sensor 50 is connected to a voltage source VSOURCE, while its collector is connected through a node 66 to the node 64, and its base is also connected to the node 66.

As mentioned above, the two transistors 58, 60 act as a current divider, and are sized relative to each other so that only a relatively small portion of the total current is used for the testing function. This minimizes the effect of conducting the test on the normal continuing operation of the integrated circuit 10. The quantity W/L is a ratio of width to length which relates to the size of the transistor. The relative sizes of the transistors are proportional to the currents drawn by the two transistors. The term N is the ratio of the relative sizes of the two transistors. Thus it will be seen that the size of the transistor 58 is N times the size of the transistor 60, which means that only a small proportion of the total amount of current passes through the transistor 60 and is used in performing the testing function. By virtue of this arrangement, the current through the current sensor is Iddq/(N-1), the voltage drop of the current sensor is V(Iddq) and the current through the transistor 58 is Iddq*N/(N-1).

The operation of the circuit of FIG. 3 is essentially similar to that of FIG. 2, except that only a relatively small proportion of the total current is employed for comparison purposes. That proportion is converted to the V(iddq) voltage level by the current sensor 50, and that voltage level is compared with the VREF voltage level in the comparator 52, with a signal representing the result of the comparison being applied to the scan flip flop 54. The state of the flip flop is scanned during a scan operation via the Scan In and Scan Out conductors, as previously described.

A third implementation of the Iddq current monitor of the present invention is shown in FIG. 4. In this implementation, simplification is achieved by moving the current sensor and the comparator to the test control logic, which will be shared by all the current monitor cells, as represented by the block 70, which may be considered to be included in the test control logic 22 of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 shows two similar iddq current monitor cells 72 and 74 arranged in a single column, but it is contemplated that an integrated circuit could readily contain a plurality of such cells, arranged in a plurality of rows and columns, similar to the arrangement shown in FIG. 1. The cell 72 contains a pair of MOS transistors 76 and 78, similar to the transistors 58 and 60 in the embodiment of FIG. 3. The transistor 76 is connected between the VSS supply 16 and a node 80, while the transistor 78 is connected between the node 80 and a conductor 82. The node 80 is connected to the VSS internal bus 14 which supplies current Iddq(I,j), representing the current in the cell located in column I, row J, to the node 80 and the transistors 76 and 78. The gate of the transistor 76 is connected to a voltage source VDD, while the gate of the transistor 78 is connected to a select line 82 to which a select signal SELECT(I,J) may be applied.

The cell 74 is similarly configured, with a transistor 86 being connected between the VSS supply 16 and a node 90, and a transistor 88 being connected between the node 90 and the conductor 82. The node 90 is connected to the VSS internal bus 14. The gate of the transistor 86 is connected to a voltage source VDD, while the gate of the transistor 88 is connected to a select line 92 to which a select signal SELECT(I,K) may be applied.

The conductor 82 is connected through first and second nodes 94 and 96 to the collector of a current sensor transistor 98 in the test logic block 70. The emitter of said transistor is connected to a source of voltage VSOURCE, and the base is connected to the node 96.

The node 94 which is electrically coupled to the collector of the current sensor transistor 98 is connected to the plus input of a comparator 100, the minus input of which is connected to a reference voltage VREF. The output of the comparator is on a line 102. The current measured by the test logic 70 is the sum of iddq currents divided by (N-1) of all of the selected cells.

Each cell, such as cell 72, can be individually interrogated by applying a suitable select signal such as SELECT(I,J) to the conductor 82 connected to the gate of the transistor 78. As previously described in connection with FIG. 3, the two transistors 76 and 78 act as a voltage divider, so that the integrated circuit which includes the cell 72 can continue its normal operation while testing is being carried on. Application of the signal SELECT(I,J) to the gate of the transistor 78 causes a signal to be applied to the plus input of the comparator 100, resulting in an output signal on the output line 102 having a logic level which is descriptive of whether or not there is a fault in the portion of the integrated circuit being monitored by the cell 72. The output of the comparator 100 can be sampled at times corresponding to the times of application of the various select signals such as SELECT(I,J) in order to determine which, if any, of the cells is indicating the presence of a fault.

Although the invention has been described with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof, variations and modifications of the present invention can be effected within the spirit and scope of the following claims.