Patent ID: 6496022
Filing Date: 2002-12-17
Classification: G01R

Abstract:
A reverse engineering system comprising:a PICA system for monitoring optical emissions from a circuit in an integrated circuit chip (IC chip) under test, the PICA system including an electrical circuit tester for injecting a triggering signal into the IC chip to exercise the circuit under test, a PICA detector; and a timing data capture means, electrically coupled to the electrical circuit tester and to the PICA detector, for capturing light emissions patterns from the circuit being exercised to collect space and time information from the circuit under test; a database memory including at least one reference pattern for comparing a captured light emission pattern thereto to identify at least one circuit element in the circuit under test; and a PICA data analyzer, electrically coupled to the database memory and to the PICA system, for determining whether the circuit under test comprises a circuit element with a light emission pattern that matches one of the at least one reference pattern in the database memory.