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US 12,481,007 B2Granted
Systems and methods for testing electrical connections between a chip and external circuitry
AssigneeNXP B.V.
InventorsErwin Johannes Gerardus Janssen, Tarik Saric
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods for testing electrical connections between a chip and external circuitry are discussed. In some embodiments, a chip may include an Input/Output (I/O) terminal and a test circuit coupled to the I/O terminal, wherein an oscillating frequency of the test circuit changes in response to an impedance change at the I/O terminal due to a connection failure or degradation.
Claims20
A chip, comprising:
- an Input/Output (I/O) terminal;
- and
- a test circuit coupled to the I/O terminal, wherein an oscillating frequency of the test circuit changes in response to an impedance change at the I/O terminal due to a connection failure or degradation.
A test circuit, comprising:
- a Schmitt trigger;
- and
- a feedback resistor coupled across an input and an output of the Schmitt trigger, wherein the input of the Schmitt trigger is coupled to an electrical pad of a chip, and wherein the test circuit is configured to oscillate with a frequency indicative of a connection integrity between the chip and an external device coupled to the electrical pad.
A method, comprising:
- monitoring an oscillating frequency of a test circuit coupled to a connection between a chip and an antenna;
- and
- in response to a change in the oscillating frequency greater than a threshold value, identifying fault or degradation of a solder joint at the connection.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.