A built-in technique for probing power-supply noise distribution within large-scale digital integrated circuits

Noise detector circuits as compact as standard logic cells for being embedded within a high-density large-scale digital circuit enable in-depth characterization of dynamic power-supply and ground noises. Voltage drops at the locations of active cell rows within 1.8-V standard cell based digital circuits are consistently measured by 1.8-V and 2.5-V built-in detectors in a 0.18-μm CMOS triple well technology. Measurements show that the ground-noise distribution is distinctively more localized than the power-supply counterpart due to the presence of a substrate.