METHOD AND DEVICE FOR MONITORING A CRITICAL PATH OF AN INTEGRATED CIRCUIT

    公开(公告)号:US20170299651A1

    公开(公告)日:2017-10-19

    申请号:US15378663

    申请日:2016-12-14

    Inventor: Sylvain Clerc

    Abstract: A device for monitoring a critical path of an integrated circuit includes a replica of the critical path formed by sequential elements mutually separated by delay circuits that are programmable though a corresponding main multiplexer. A control circuit controls delay selections made by each main multiplexer. A sequencing module operates to sequence each sequential element using a main clock signal by delivering, in response to a main clock signal, respectively to the sequential elements, secondary clock signals that are mutually time shifted in such a manner as to take into account the propagation time inherent to the main multiplexer.

    Method for measuring thickness variations in a layer of a multilayer semiconductor structure

    公开(公告)号:US09759546B2

    公开(公告)日:2017-09-12

    申请号:US14442081

    申请日:2013-09-19

    CPC classification number: G01B11/06 G01B11/0633 G01B11/30 G02B21/361 H01L22/12

    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for measuring thickness variations in a layer of a multilayer semiconductor structure, characterized in that it comprises: acquiring, via an image acquisition system, at least one image of the surface of the structure, the image being obtained by reflecting an almost monochromatic light flux from the surface of the structure; and processing the at least one acquired image in order to determine, from variations in the intensity of the light reflected from the surface, variations in the thickness of the layer to be measured, and in that the wavelength of the almost monochromatic light flux is chosen to correspond to a minimum of the sensitivity of the reflectivity of a layer of the structure other than the layer the thickness variations of which must be measured, the sensitivity of the reflectivity of a layer being equal to the ratio of: the difference between the reflectivities of two multilayer structures for which the layer in question has a given thickness difference; to the given thickness difference, the thicknesses of the other layers being for their part identical in the two multilayer structures. The invention also relates to a measuring system implementing the method.

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