公开(公告)号：US11823962B2

公开(公告)日：2023-11-21

申请号：US17180652

申请日：2021-02-19

Applicant: QUALCOMM Incorporated

Inventor： Saravanan Marimuthu ,  De Lu ,  Baldeo Sharan Sharma ,  Peeyush Kumar Parkar ,  Venkat Narayanan ,  Rui Li ,  Samy Shafik Tawfik Zaynoun ,  Min Chen ,  David Kidd ,  Amit Patil

IPC: H01L21/66 ,  G06F30/398

CPC classification number: H01L22/14 ,  G06F30/398 ,  H01L22/34

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure are directed to sensing integrated circuit (IC) Back End Of Line (BEOL) process corners. In one aspect, an apparatus for sensing IC BEOL process corners includes a ring oscillator including a plurality of ring oscillator stages configured to generate an output waveform with a frequency state; and a shield net circuit including a plurality of shield net stages corresponding to the plurality of ring oscillator stages, the shield net circuit having a toggle input. And, a method includes generating an output waveform with a frequency state using a ring oscillator that includes a plurality of ring oscillator stages; modifying a plurality of ring oscillator stage time delays through a coupling between a plurality of shield net stages and the plurality of ring oscillator stages; and selecting the frequency state using a toggle input of a shield net circuit which includes the plurality of shield net stages.