Supply signal fluctuations due to chip power grid resonance — a new reliability concern

On-die measurements of V
_DD
and V
_SS
signals inside a 90 nm technology chip are presented. The results show fluctuations in the V
_DD
and V
_SS
signals, which might constitute an important new reliability concern. These fluctuations also indirectly affect other reliability mechanisms, such as NBTI, HCI and TDDB. Simulations predict aggravation of this phenomenon for future technologies, which may prove to be a show stopper for further scaling.