Inputs and outputs

In the previous module you came up with the pin numbering scheme and identified power and ground. Now we'll go a little deeper to figure out data flow.

• Identify the circle containing ESD protection
  • Detail
    • 
  1. A
  2. B
  3. C
  4. D
  5. E
  • [1]
  • (1)
  • Many chips use large parallel diodes for ESD protection and so this ones a little different. However, ESD protection can often be identified by virtue of a component that attaches to both VDD and VSS. While some of the transistors do this, they have logical connections that indicate they have a higher purpose. ESD protection on the other hand tends to be very simple and regular. Looking at the components in A I believe they are resistors as seen with NMOS logic (ex: see Intel 4004 die photos and Flylogic analysis). Presumably this provides a more favorable conductive path and shunts away from the input gates.
    • B is a transistor
    • C is a transistor
    • D is a bond wire (ball bond)
    • E just has more metal and metal doesn't typically help ESD. It can on larger chips when its used as a capacitor between VDD and VSS

• Identify inputs
  • Detail
    • 
    • ie not outputs or power/ground
  1. A
  2. B
  3. C
  4. D
  5. E
  • [1|4|5]
  • (1)
  • Anything with a fat transistor near the pad not connected to a gate is a pretty clear output or possibly tri-state. I highlighted a gate on each questioned input, although keep in mind that simply having a gate attached to a pin doesn't make it an input as the circuit can have feedback or tri-state (necessary but not sufficient). Going through each pin you see that each is either connected to only gates or only source/drain. We can now identify all pins as either power, input or output. D had to be traced to the other side of the die and is the lowest circled gate.
    •