Evaluating high leakage effects of low VTH circuits using high VTH devices

A scheme to emulate leakage current of low threshold voltage MOSFETs using high threshold voltage MOSFETs is proposed. The leakage current at any threshold voltage lower than the original threshold voltage can be emulated without any changes in the manufacturing process. Furthermore, a single test structure can be used to measure the subthreshold leakage current at various threshold voltages. The DIBL (Drain Induced Barrier Lowering), source control, and substrate bias effects can be reproduced by the scheme. A test chip is manufactured and measured to show the validity of the proposed leakage emulator.