TSUNAMI: a light-weight on-chip structure for measuring timing uncertainty induced by noise during functional and test operations

Abstract

Noise such as voltage drop and temperature in integrated circuits can cause significant performance variation and even functional failure in lower technology nodes. In this paper, we propose a light-weight on-chip sensor that measures timing uncertainty induced by noise during functional and test operations. The proposed on-chip structure facilitates speed characterization under various workloads and test conditions. Simulation results show that it offers very high sensitivity to noise even under variations. The structure requires negligible area in the chip.