Apparatus and method for determining effect of on-chip noise on signal propagation

Abstract

The invention relates to a combination for determining the effects of signal noise and cross-talk on on-chip propagation, comprising an integrated circuit, and a testing system having a signal generator, a plurality of ring oscillators responsive to the signal generator and a signal analyzer responsive to the plurality of ring oscillators for dynamically measuring the effects of noise and cross-talk on the integrated circuit. The plurality of ring oscillators includes a first ring oscillator constructed to mimic a data path within the integrated circuit, a second ring oscillator constructed with traces routed within the core logic area, a third ring oscillator randomly placed within the core logic area, and a fourth ring oscillator constructed to mimic a data path within the integrated circuit, the fourth ring oscillator sharing a power source with at least one component of the plurality of components within the core logic area.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.