Case Study on Speed Failure Causes in a Microprocessor

In this article, we identify the underlying speed paths and perform a detailed analysis on the effects of multiple input switching, cross-coupling noise, and localized voltage drop on microprocessor. We employ cycle-wise clock shrinks on a tester combined with a CAD methodology to unintrusively identify and analyze these speed paths. Understanding the causes of speed failures can help designers make better power and performance tradeoffs.