International Business Machines Corporation

Bernd Garben

Roland Frech

Erich Klink

Hubert Harrer

Stefano Sergio Oggioni

Wiren Dale Becker

Andreas Huber

Marian Briska

Thomas-Michael Winkel

Armin Bohg

Helmut H Weber

Dietmar Schmunkamp

Dierk Kaller

Hans J Bauer

An integrated circuit current regulator that compensates for variation in current required based on the switching activity of the integrated circuit. A first embodiment incorporates a voltage controlled on-chip bypass circuit with a scaling unit to divide an input voltage into n fractional voltages and an on-chip voltage monitor to compare a fraction of the on-chip supply voltage with a reference voltage and control a corresponding on-chip power supply bypass. At least one bypass resistor per comparator is switched between the supply voltage and ground potential according to the output signal of the corresponding comparator to dampen power supply noise. The value of the by-pass resistance R increases with decreasing on-chip supply voltage and decreases with increasing supply voltage. A resistance as a function of supply voltage R(Vdd) characteristic is realized to reduce or eliminate mid-frequency power supply noise, caused by on-chip switching activity variations while minimizing additional on-chip power dissipation.

Integrated circuit current regulator

A multi-layer module for packaging an electronic component comprises an uppermost electrically conductive layer for mounting the component, a plurality of electrically insulative layers, and a plurality of electrically conductive layers disposed between the insulative layers. The electrically conductive layers form staggered placements of at least three voltage and/or ground distribution layers close to the module surface without signal wiring layers in between, and signal distribution layers comprising signal conductors. Vias form conductive paths through the insulative layers and conductive layers; the corresponding signal, voltage and ground distribution layers are electrically connected with each other and with the uppermost layer.

Module power distribution network

A method, digital circuit system and program product for reducing delta-I noise in a plurality of activity units connected to a common DC-supply voltage. In order to smooth the fluctuations (delta-I) of a total current demand I, and a respective resulting fluctuation of the supply voltage, a signalling scheme between said activity units and a supervisor unit which holds a system-specific &ldquo;database&rdquo; containing at least the current demand of each activity unit device when operating regularly. Dependent of the quantity of calculated, imminent delta-I a subset of said activity units with a respective current I demand is selected and controlled, for either temporarily delaying their beginning of activity in case of an imminent supply voltage drop, or temporarily continuing their activity with a predetermined, activity-specific NO-OP phase in case of an imminent supply voltage rise.

Method for delta-noise reduction

Method for reducing a transient thermal mismatch

Mesh planes for multilayer module

Disclosed is a method of making ohmic and/or Schottky barrier contacts to a silicon semiconductor substrate in which before depositing the metal on silicon semiconductor substrates containing integrated circuits which are covered by a mask having contact windows, the metal is initially deposited on freshly cleaned blank silicon semiconductor substrates mounted in the same vacuum chamber. In this manner any traces of oxygen present in the vacuum chamber are chemisorbed by the blank substrate resulting in deposition of a high quality oxide-free metal contacts on the device substrates. The disclosed apparatus comprises a deposition chamber maintained at a predetermined low pressure, a substrate holder carrying a plurality of blank silicon substrates and silicon substrates containing integrated circuit structures covered by a mask having contact windows, a source of metal placed in the chamber for evaporation or sputtering and a shutter arranged in close proximity with said substrate holder for shielding selected substrates during the initial stages of metal deposition.

Method and apparatus for making ohmic and/or Schottky barrier contacts

A technique for providing interconnections between pairs of contact points associated with a conductive line pattern by the use of an interconnection defining tool which is selectively alignable with respect to the conductive line. The conductive line pattern comprises at least one conductive line which is either continuous or shows interruptions, and from which lines branch off to the contact points. The tool is adapted to the conductive line and consists of a row of elements, the distance between which is dimensionally related to the distance between the branch-offs. After the tool has been adjusted to the conductive line in accordance with the respective connections, the elements of the tool are used for interrupting or connecting the conductive line at predetermined positions. If a radiation mask is used as a tool, the elements of the tool consist of areas which differ from their surroundings in their radiation transparency, and the conductive line pattern may exist as a latent image on a substrate covered by a photoresist layer sensitive to radiation. The invention serves to provide, in a circuit arrangement with redundant elements, a single circuit, the final wiring of which excludes one or several defective redundant circuit elements.

Method for making connections between contacts

Growing community of inventors

Schoenaich, Germany

Bernd Garben