Well-known, the transistor in electronic system chip is met as time gradually ageing. They can become old slowly, reaction becomes logy, illness is increasing, break down suddenly even dead machine. Nevertheless everything has two sides sex, although transistor ageing is not meddlesome to electronic product, but its power comsumption is reduced as the elapse of time however.

 

In the time that consumes this fast rhythm, quickly, people always is in beg new, beg fast. Not only it is mobile phone, computer, car, join our self, want fashion, new government, not moss-grown. If I want to say to often have old good, old have old clever, you cannot be agreed with certainly. But the fact is such truly, we might as well see a few case.

 

We know the car has to adjust period, new car should notice to adjust inside first 2000 kilometers course, so that each components compare smooth be identical supplement, make car whole function, service life is mixed drive the experience is achieved optimal. Actually the person also is same, be not always is young good, we know, the knowledge that young moment learns people, must pass all previous refine of life, need time accumulate, ability becomes wisdom. So, whether does the electronic product such as smartphone, computer also have similar interesting pattern?

 

Average consumer perhaps does not care memory of computer CPU, smartphone and car the ageing problem of system of automatic turn off a machine. But design an engineer as electronic system stylist or chip, the transistor that we know these electronic system chip are medium is to meet gradually of ageing. As person and car, they can become old slowly, reaction becomes logy, illness is increasing, break down suddenly even dead machine.

 

Transistor BTI change is right positive effect of the system

 

Everything has two sides sex, although chip is medium,the ageing of transistor is not meddlesome to electronic product, but its power comsumption is reduced as the elapse of time however, this is the Anpudu austral England the conclusion that Bashir Al-Hashimi of professor of university electron engineering reachs after a series of emulation and experimenting. This professor and its group are right the temperature of bias voltage of a kind of characteristic — of transistor instability (Bias Temperature Instability, BTI) had a test, the change that discovers BTI has the front to affect to chip and systematic whole system.

 

What is BTI? Say simply, it is the effect of accumulation of a kind of charge when transistor is in “ to open ” position, charge is formed to accumulate between medium of transistor passageway and its door insulation, this meeting changes the voltage of condition of transistor switch commutation, the start of commutation of condition of elapse transistor switch as time will be slower and slower. Use tall K dielectric and metallic door data as chip manufacturer more, instability of this kind of bias voltage is more and more apparent.

 

What the group that Bashir Al-Hashimi teachs uses in emulation experiment is high-powered CMOS logistic transistor, BTI ageing makes the actual power comsumption of these parts of an apparatus is being reduced. The experiment makes clear, emulate the use of a month, static power comsumption is reduced about 50% , reduce 10 years 78% . Static power comsumption is the energy that when transistor does not work, wastes, because the voltaic leak on transistor passageway is caused,this is. And in the chip design in nowadays, transistor is to be in this kind of condition between greater part time-sharing, because this is reduced by the power comsumption that BTI brings,be more remarkable.

 

In actual chip test, electric current of the leak after using 5 years is reduced about 11% . Actual electronic system power comsumption is reduced whether the level that reachs expectation still does not know, but at least the correlation that transistor ageing and power comsumption reduce is theoretic make sense. Whether do this mean a smartphone to use time to grow more, is performance of batteries add boat better instead?

 

If we reach accordingly such conclusion, too arbitrary rather. After all the function of batteries add boat of the smartphone and service life depend on a variety of elements, the APP software that for instance the material of batteries itself and function, power source runs technology, operating system, installation and user use a habit to wait. Consumer demand and market competition all the time drive begins aircraft manufacturer and chip supplier update iteration ceaselessly, new product replaces cycle shorter and shorter, consumer and businessman fall to won’t pay close attention to the ageing effect of systematic chip in such environment. But, when our engineer is designing chip and intelligent equipment product, must consider its to affect however.

 

 

Bright Cheng teachs electrician of Ni Suda university Chris H. Kim is in early 10 begin to be opposite to transistor ageing before New Year more chip and the influence of electric subsystem begin to undertake consider and experimenting. He put forward “ chip odograph the earliest (the concept of Odometer For Silicon Chip)” , develop a kind of circuit to be used at measuring a likelihood to affect the transistor ageing index of chip function, he hopes to be able to plant this circuit is compositive in be being designed into microprocessor chip, detect automatically in order to assist microprocessor locomotive function, through balanced index of a few kinds of ageing will let chip be in optimum behavior condition from beginning to end. The research of Professor Kim and its group in chip odograph respect is already fruitful, semiconductor studies the company awards his prize of outstanding 2016 technology is the affirmation that semiconductor industry studies to its namely.

 

 

Chip odograph can measure 3 index of transistor ageing: Heat carries stream child infuse (instability of temperature of HCI) , bias voltage (puncture of the medium when BTI) , classics (TDDB) . BTI above paragraphs has explained, HCI is the ageing when showing transistor happening condition alternates, charge stops to go up in transistor door medium, the voltage that switch of such parts of an apparatus change can be changed. BTI and HCI perhaps work to was not affected apparently normally to chip, but TDDB can pose disastrous problem, as the ageing of transistor, all sorts of blemish can pile up on door medium, accumulation can cause short circuit to certain level, cause chip thereby whole even system breaks down. This follows a person same, as the addition of the age, body function begins ageing, all sorts of diseases begin to appear, serious when cause cancer even.

 

The idea of ” of “ chip odograph that Professor Kim advances and its corresponding measurement the attention that circuit design has caused semiconductor industry, include Intel, TI and IBM inside chip manufacturer has been in its chip development the impact that considers transistor ageing, the chip property that taking proper way to because ageing is brought about,be compensated drops. It is very fast perhaps in new chip, with respect to the functional module of ” of odograph of chip of can compositive similar “ .

 

As the development of chip design and workmanship, and the maturity of the operating system of intelligent equipment and software, intelligent equipment of future still can work continuously below finite power supply environment old, perhaps this should be attributed to ” of “ chip odograph partly. Change often to chase tide no longer when us when the mobile phone, we may use a mobile phone that admire in the heart more than 3 years, the add boat ability of the mobile phone does not fall to rise instead probably no wonder.