Experimental Investigations into the Effects of Electrical Stress on Electromagnetic Emission from Integrated Circuits

Recent studies have shown that the aging of integrated circuits may modify electromagnetic emission significantly. This paper reports on an experiment to elucidate the origins of emission level changes in a test chip using 90-nm CMOS technology. Circuit analysis, combined with electromagnetic emission and on-chip power supply voltage bounce measurements made during the application of electric stress, have identified the role of intrinsic wear-out mechanisms, which contribute to a progressive change in the transient current produced by the circuit.