3.3.4 Key Parameters and Informational Parameters

The primary performance parameters and the qualification parameters used for pass/fail decisions are listed in Table 3.4. The numbers in the ``source'' column refer to the required device simulations (cf. Table 3.3). It is important to note, that the threshold voltage does not appear in this list, nor is it needed in any other way. However, as the threshold voltage is a very vivid and popular parameter $\ensuremath{V_{\mathit{T,lin}}}\xspace$ has been added to a list of so-called informational parameters, i.e., quantities that are only indirectly linked to performance and sensitivity (cf. Table 3.5). For all parameter definitions that require arbitrary threshold currents (such as for $\ensuremath{V_{\mathit{T,sat}}}\xspace$ [A9]) one unique characteristic current $\ensuremath{I_{\mathit{T}}}\xspace$ is extracted from data set 5b by extrapolating log $(\ensuremath{I_{\mathit{D}}}\xspace )$ to $\ensuremath{V_{\mathit{D}}}\xspace = 0$V.

Table 3.4: System performance and qualification parameters

	parameter	source
	delay time	1, 3
	switching energy	1, 2, 3
	maximum clock frequency	1, 3
	minimum clock frequency	2, 3
	normalized noise margins	4
	normalized output voltage swing	2, 5a
	inverter gain	4

Table 3.5: Informational parameters

	parameter	source
	on-state current	1
	effective turn-on current	1, 4b
	off-state current	2
	linear threshold voltage	5
	saturation threshold voltage	4a
	threshold current	5
	unloaded-inverter delay	1, 3, 4b
	CV/I delay metric	1
	CV2 energy metric	N/A
	gate swing	4a
	surface DIBL parameter	2, 5a