On-chip circuit for monitoring frequency degradation due to NBTI

This work describes the design and characterization of a unique circuit which can be easily integrated into a microprocessor product in order to determine the degradation of circuit speed caused by negative bias temperature instability (NBTI)-induced shifts under typical product operating voltage and temperature. These data can subsequently be compared to models for circuit degradation in order to assess the validity of the models. ©2008 IEEE.