CIRCUIT FOR EVALUATING ELECTROMIGRATION

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a circuit for evaluating electromigration resistance of an element being evaluated with high accuracy. SOLUTION: Under a state where transfer gates 40, 41 are turned on and the end of an element 1 being evaluated is connected electrically with external measuring terminals 13, 14, resistance of the element 1 is determined. In a load test where an AC load current is fed to the element 1 being evaluated, the transfer gates 40, 41 are turned off and the end of the element 1 is disconnected electrically from the external measuring terminals 13, 14. Consequently, parasitic capacitance of the external measuring terminals has no effect on the load current and distortion in the waveform of the load current is suppressed. Upon finishing a load test, the transfer gates 40, 41 are turned on and the end of the element 1 is electrically connected again with external measuring terminals 13, 14. A resistance determined under that state is compared with a resistance determined previously thus checking the extent of deterioration of the element 1.