A New Process Characterization Method for FPGAs Based on Electromagnetic Analysis

Thanks to their inherent regularity and reconfigurability, FPGAs offer an ideal structure to manage process variability. Recent works from the literature have addressed the process characterization problem for FPGAs: proposed approaches rely on process sensors (ring oscillators) and a measurement subsystem implemented into the configurable logic blocks. In this article, we propose for the first time in the literature a non-invasive characterization method based on electromagnetic analysis. The whole experimental set-up is described and the characterization accuracy is discussed. This paper proves the feasibility of this new method on FPGAs.