Signal measurement systems and methods
AssigneeIntel Corporation, a Delaware corporation
InventorsPeter Hazucha, Gerhard Schrom, Tanay Karnik, Vivek De
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Abstract
Systems and methods are disclosed for measuring signals on an integrated circuit die. In one embodiment, a reference signal is distributed to die locations proximal to the signals to be measured. The reference signal is transmitted over transport paths coupling each of the signals to be measured to the die output. The signals to be measured are transmitted over their respective transport paths and measured at the die output. The relative delay between the signals can be calculated using the reference signal measurements.
Claims21
A system comprising:
- a first on-die signal source;
- a second on-die signal source;
- a network operable to distribute a reference signal to a die location proximal to the first on-die signal source and to a die location proximal to the second on-die signal source;
- a first signal transport path coupling the first on-die signal source and the reference signal to a first die output;
- and
- a second signal transport path coupling the second on-die signal source and the reference signal to a second die output.
A method comprising:
- measuring a first delayed version of a reference signal, the first delayed version of the reference signal having traveled from a first chip location;
- measuring a second delayed version of the reference signal, the second delayed version of the reference signal having traveled from a second chip location;
- measuring a first signal originating from a location proximal to the first chip location;
- measuring a second signal originating from a location proximal to the second chip location;
- and
- calculating a relative skew between the first signal and the second signal using, at least in part, the first delayed version of the reference signal and the second delayed version of the reference signal.
A system comprising:
- a first on-die signal source;
- a second on-die signal source;
- a network operable to distribute a reference signal to a die location proximal to the first on-die signal source and to a die location proximal to the second on-die signal source;
- a first signal transport path coupling the first on-die signal source and the reference signal to a first die output;
- a second signal transport path coupling the second on-die signal source and the reference signal to a second die output;
- and
- an oscilloscope operable to measure a signal at the first die output and a signal at the second die output.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.