Work

Impact of Observation Time Window on RTN-Induced Jitter in CMOS Ring Oscillators

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: At nanometer scale device dimensions, factors that lead to integrated circuit performance variations from one instant in time to another become increasingly significant. Random Telegraph Noise (RTN) is one of the relevant time-dependent variability sources. We perform a simple, physically based analysis that illustrates the impact of RTN on CMOS ring oscillators. Time-domain jitter analysis is used to study the evolution of different jitter metrics over time. We clearly show that the observed jitter may strongly depend on the observation time window. Straightforward expressions for period jitter, cycle-to-cycle jitter and absolute jitter enable evaluation of design choices such as loading, number of stages and bias point on ring oscillator jitter performance. This is relevant not only for circuit design, but also for test and characterization procedures, because metrics such as measurement setup bandwidth and observation time window may impact the outcome of test and characterization procedures. We validate the analytical expressions through simulations and experimental data.

Source: IEEE Access

DOI: 10.1109/access.2025.3579295

Authors: Gilson Wirth, Caroline P. Garcia, Guillermo L. Nogueira

Institution: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul

Language: English

Topic: Low-power high-performance VLSI design

Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,075

Funders: Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico