Online monitoring of NBTI and HCD in beta-multiplier circuits

Abstract

Scaled down analog integrated circuits are prone to degradation. This necessitates an online degradation monitoring and sophisticated analysis of degradation for this circuitry. Voltage reference sources such as beta-multiplier are commonly used circuits to set the operating points for downstream circuitry. Thus, the degradation of these sources are crucial for the overall degradation. In this paper the simulation results of the degradation analysis of a beta-multiplier circuit including the startup circuit, implemented in a 65nm CMOS technology, considering the temperature, are shown. A new approach for online degradation monitoring is introduced, utilizing startup circuit components to ensure minimal area and power overhead.