International Business Machines Corporation

Daniel Douriet

Anand Haridass

Roger Donell Weekly

Andreas Huber

Colm Brian O'Reilly

Bao G Truong

Lloyd Andre Walls

Francesco Preda

Brian Leslie Singletary

Matthew Stephen Doyle

Darryl John Becker

Andrew Benson Maki

Joel David Ziegelbein

Bao Gia-Harvey Truong

A circuit substrate uses post-fed top side power supply connections to provide improved routing flexibility and lower power supply voltage drop/power loss. Plated-through holes are used near the outside edges of the substrate to provide power supply connections to the top metal layers of the substrate adjacent to the die, which act as power supply planes. Pins are inserted through the plated-through holes to further lower the resistance of the power supply path(s). The bottom ends of the pins may extend past the bottom of the substrate to provide solderable interconnects for the power supply connections, or the bottom ends of the pins may be soldered to 'jog' circuit patterns on a bottom metal layer of the substrate which connect the pins to one or more power supply terminals of an integrated circuit package including the substrate.

Fabrication method for circuit substrate having post-fed die side power supply connections

A computer program product is provided for power delivery analysis and design for a hierarchical system. The product includes a storage medium, readable by a processing circuit, for storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for facilitating a method. The method includes building a model corresponding to each element of the hierarchical system, and compiling a repository that contains models corresponding to each element, where the repository includes a net list, a domain list, a component list, a pin list, and a layer list. The method also includes performing optimized gridding for each element, the net list, the domain list, the component list, the pin list, and the layer list; assembling a system model from the models contained in the repository; flattening the system model by converting the system model to a flattened system model that consists entirely of resistors; and running a simulation on the flattened system model.

Power delivery analysis and design

A circuit for detecting noise events in a system with time variable operating points is provided. A first voltage, which is averaged over time, is compared to a second voltage. A signal is generated to instruct circuits within a processor to initiate actions to keep a voltage from drooping further.

Method for detecting noise events in systems with time variable operating points

A method, apparatus, and computer program product are disclosed for automatically enhancing a power distribution system (PDS) in a ceramic integrated circuit package. The package includes multiple layers. The entire package is divided into a three-dimensional grid that includes multiple different grid cells. Information is associated with each one of the cells. For each one of the cells, the information included in the cell describes characteristics of the physical location of that cell relative to the other cells in the three-dimensional package. The information also describes any via or trace that already passes through said that cell. Potential new via and/or trace locations are automatically located throughout all of the entire package utilizing the information.

Enhancing a power distribution system in a ceramic integrated circuit package

Circuit substrate having post-fed die side power supply connections

A design method and system for minimizing blind via current loops provides for improvement of electrical interconnect structure design without requiring extensive electromagnetic analysis. Other vias in the vicinity of a blind via carrying a critical signal are checked for suitability to conduct return current corresponding to the critical signal that is disrupted by the transition from a layer between two metal planes to another layer. The distance to the return current via(s) is checked and the design is adjusted to reduce the distance if the distance is greater than a specified threshold. If the blind via transition is to an external layer, suitable vias connect the reference plane at the internal end of the blind via to an external terminal. If the transition is between internal layers, suitable vias are vias that connect the two reference planes surrounding the reference plane traversed by the blind via.

Design method and system for minimizing blind via current loops

The illustrative embodiments described herein provide an apparatus and method for facilitating signal transmission using differential transmission lines. The apparatus includes a first differential transmission line. The first differential transmission line includes a first plurality of conductors. The first plurality of conductors includes a set of conductors. The apparatus also includes a second differential transmission line. The second differential transmission line includes a second plurality of conductors. The second plurality of conductors includes a first conductor and a second conductor. A first noise produced by the first conductor on the set of conductors is balanced by a second noise produced by the second conductor on the set of conductors. The first differential transmission line and the second differential transmission line facilitate signal transmission.

Method and apparatus for facilitating signal transmission using differential transmission lines

A low inductance via arrangement for multilayer ceramic (MLC) substrates is provided. With the MLC substrate and via arrangement of the illustrative embodiments, the via-field inductance for a given contact pad array is reduced. This reduction is achieved by the introduction of T-jogs and additional vias. These T-jogs and additional vias form additional current paths that cause additional parallel inductances that reduce the via-field inductance. In one illustrative embodiment, the additional T-jogs and vias are added to a center portion of a contact pad array. The T-jogs are comprised of two jogs in a wiring layer of the MLC, each jog being toward a via associated with an adjacent contact pad in the contact pad array. These additional T-jogs and vias form additional current loops parallel to the existing ones which thus, reduce the total inductance of the via-field.

Fabricating substrates having low inductance via arrangements

A system for mitigating power supply and power distribution system noise response by throttling execution units based upon voltage sensing in a circuit is provided. A sensing unit senses the voltage of a circuit. The sensing unit determines if the execution of another execution unit will cause the circuit voltage to drop below a threshold level. In response to a determination that the execution of another execution unit will cause the circuit voltage to drop below the threshold level, the execution unit is throttled.

Mitigate power supply noise response by throttling execution units based upon voltage sensing

An apparatus and method are provided for monitoring the voltage available in each domain of multiple voltage domains of a partitioned electronic chip. The apparatus comprises a single conductive link coupled to the chip, and further comprises a domain selection network having a single output and a plurality of switchable inputs, the output being connected to the single conductive link, and two inputs being connected to monitor respective voltage levels of two of the plurality of voltage domains. A control mechanism is disposed to operate the selection network, in order to selectively connect one of the inputs to the single conductive link, and a sensor device external to the electronic chip is connected to measure the monitored respective voltage levels of two of the plurality of voltage domains using the single conductive link.

Apparatus and method for selectively monitoring multiple voltages in an IC or other electronic chip

A method is provided for power delivery analysis and design for a hierarchical system. The method includes building a model corresponding to each element of the hierarchical system, compiling a repository that contains the models corresponding to each element of the hierarchical system, where the repository includes a net list, a domain list, a component list, a pin list, and a layer list. The method further includes performing optimized gridding for each element of the hierarchial system, the net list, the domain list, the component list, the pin list, and the layer list and assembling a system model from the models contained in the repository. Also, the method includes flattening the system model by converting the system model to a flattened system model that consists entirely of resistors, and running a simulation on the flattened system model.

System DC Analysis Methodology

A method for designing a power distribution system including: receiving a cross section file that contains the layout of a PCB including a location of one or more power sinks and sources on the PCB; creating an initial power distribution system; evaluating the initial power distribution system against a cost function; creating a new power distribution system; evaluating the new power distribution system against the cost function; determining if the cost function associated with the new power distribution system is equal to or greater than a stop criterion; and creating another new power distribution system if the cost function associated with the new power distribution system is greater than the stop criterion.

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Round Rock, TX, United States of America

Daniel Douriet