Determination of the dispersion of an electronic component

A method of determining a value representative of dispersion of a propagation delay of assemblies of electronic components, wherein the method is implemented by a device comprising:

• at least one component test structure, wherein each component test structure comprises stages of components and a logic circuit connected in a ring, wherein each stage comprises two assemblies of electronic components configured to conduct a signal;
• and a test device configured to obtain values of the at least one component test structure and to perform operations on these values;
• wherein each pair of assemblies of electronic components is formed by the two assemblies of electronic components of a stage;
• wherein each stage comprises a comparator, a memory circuit configured to store data, and a multiplexer, the method comprising:
• calculating a difference between a sum of longest propagation delays of each pair among pairs of assemblies of electronic components, and a sum of shortest propagation delays in each pair among pairs of assemblies of electronic components, the pairs of assemblies of electronic components being formed by same components coupled in a same way but having different characteristics as a result of manufacturing differences;
• sending a signal into the stages;
• comparing with the comparator of each stage to determine a path where the signal propagates faster;
• and
• storing information resulting from comparing in the memory circuit.

An apparatus for determining a value representative of dispersion of a propagation delay of assemblies of electronic components, comprising:

• at least one component test structure, wherein each component test structure comprises:
• stages of components and a logic circuit connected in a ring, wherein each stage comprises two assemblies of electronic components, the two assemblies of electronic components being formed by same components coupled in a same way but having different characteristics as a result of manufacturing differences, and wherein each assembly of electronic components is configured to conduct a signal to an output of that assembly of electronic components, and
• a multiplexer having inputs coupled to outputs of the two assemblies of electronic components of the stage;
• and
• a test device configured to obtain values of the at least one component test structure and to perform operations on these values to thereby determine the value representative of the dispersion of the propagation delay of the two assemblies of electronic components;
• wherein each multiplexer is configured to:
• select during a first phase the input which is connected to the assembly of said two assemblies of electronic components having a shortest propagation delay;
• and
• select during a second phase the input which is connected to the assembly of said two assemblies of electronic components having a longest propagation delay.