A failure-resilient xDSL line driver with on-chip degradation monitor

Continuous scaling to smaller CMOS nodes has introduced die-level degradation effects, reducing the reliability of integrated circuits. This paper presents a failure-resilient xDSL line driver with reconfigurable output-stage, on-chip degradation monitors and system controller, resulting in a guaranteed power efficiency in presence of degradation. Preservation of the power efficiency is verified using voltage-overstressing and temperature variation measurements.