US Patent 7603605 Performance control of an integrated circuit

An integrated circuit is provided with a test circuit element and one or more further circuit elements. The performance of the test circuit element at various settings of a performance controlling parameter is determined. That performance controlling parameter is then applied across the one or more further circuit elements. The integrated circuit may include memory banks and the performance controlling parameter can be sense amplifier timing, delay line length or another parameter such as operating voltage, operating frequency and circuit timing in general.