High-frequency characterization of on-chip digital interconnects

On-chip inductance is becoming increasingly important as technology continues to scale. This paper describes a way to characterize inductive effects in interconnects. It uses realistic test structures that study the effect of mutual couplings to local interconnects, to random lines connected to on-c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE journal of solid-state circuits 2002-06, Vol.37 (6), p.716-725
Main Authors: Kleveland, B., Xiaoning Qi, Madden, L., Furusawa, T., Dutton, R.W., Horowitz, M.A., Wong, S.S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Circuits
Drivers
Dummies
Electrical resistance measurement
Frequency dependence
Grounds
Inductance
Inductance measurement
Integrated circuit interconnections
Mathematical models
Mutual coupling
Oscillators
Predictive models
Repeaters
Scattering parameters
Testing
Transient analysis
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Summary:On-chip inductance is becoming increasingly important as technology continues to scale. This paper describes a way to characterize inductive effects in interconnects. It uses realistic test structures that study the effect of mutual couplings to local interconnects, to random lines connected to on-chip drivers, and to typical power and ground grids. The use of S parameters to characterize the inductance allows a large number of lines to be extracted while requiring only a small overhead measurement of dummy open pads to remove measurement parasitics. It also enables direct extraction of the frequency-dependent R, L, G, C parameters. The results are summarized with curve-fitted formulas of inductance and resistance over a wide range of line spacings and line widths. The significance of the frequency dependence is illustrated with transient analysis of a typical repeater circuit in a 0.25-/spl mu/m technology. A model that captures the frequency dependency of the extracted parameters accurately predicts the performance of a new inductance-sensitive ring oscillator.
ISSN:0018-9200
1558-173X
DOI:10.1109/JSSC.2002.1004576