I’ve found that the worst corner for reading a bit cell is usually the fast corner. In the fast corner, the transistors in the bit cell operate at their highest speeds due to extreme variations in the manufacturing process. While this might seem beneficial at first, it actually poses challenges during the read operation. We need to be aware of these challenges to ensure reliable performance in our designs.
The fast transistors can quickly discharge the storage node, making it difficult to accurately detect the stored data. This can result in timing issues and potential errors when trying to read the correct data from the bit cell. As a result, the fast corner is considered the worst corner for bit cell read operations because it negatively affects the accuracy and reliability of the read operation.