Ensuring latch-up guard rings ESDA rules using Calibre PERC

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can lead to devastating latch-up events in integrated circuits, potentially causing permanent damage and compromising device reliability. This paper highlights the critical role of guard rings in mitigating latch-up risks and introduces the Calibre PERC ESDA latch-up packaged checks as a powerful verification solution.

In this paper, we outline 14 comprehensive checks across 5 key categories that Calibre PERC performs to ensure the effectiveness of latch-up guard rings. These include verifying the existence, width, spacing, and connectivity of the guard rings, as well as checking for unprotected victims in the aggressor's danger zone. By leveraging this automated verification approach, designers can identify and resolve latch-up issues early in the design cycle, improving product reliability, compliance, and time-to-market. The detailed debugging capabilities of Calibre PERC further streamline the design iteration process, enabling faster and more efficient development of robust integrated circuits.

What you’ll learn:

• The importance of latch-up prevention in integrated circuit design and the risks posed by ESD-induced latch-up events
• The critical role of guard rings as a key technique for mitigating latch-up by absorbing minority carriers and isolating different regions of the IC
• An overview of the five categories of Calibre PERC ESDA latch-up checks that can be used to comprehensively verify the effectiveness of the guard ring implementation
• How the Calibre PERC tool runs these ESDA latch-up checks, provides detailed debugging information, and helps designers identify and resolve latch-up issues early in the design process to improve reliability and time-to-market

Who should read this:

• IC design engineers
• Design verification engineers
• IC reliability engineers
• Engineering managers/directors