Arm Limited

Dipesh Ishwerbhai Patel

Krisztian Flautner

David Walter Flynn

Bruce James Mathewson

Robert Campbell Aitken

Antony John Harris

Andrew John Sowden

Harry Edward Oldham

Gary Robert Waggoner

Michael Peter Muller

Nicholas Andrew Salter

An integrated circuitincludes a plurality of circuit blockseach having an associated serial scan chain loopwhich extends from a converter, to the circuit blockin question and then back to the converter. Multiplexing circuitryassociated with each serial scan chain loopis used to either include that serial scan chain loopin a combined serial scan chain or to bypass that serial scan chain loop. The circuit blocksmay be bypassed in this way if they are defective or if they are powered-down.

Serial scan chain control within an integrated circuit

Voltage-binning of individual integrated circuits is achieved by operating those integrated circuits at a plurality of required clock frequencies and for each of those frequencies determining the minimum supply voltage level which produces a pass result for a series of applied test vectors.

Operating voltage determination for an integrated circuit

A diagnostic mechanism for an integrated circuituses a radio interface circuitto provide communication between an external diagnostic deviceand one or more diagnostic circuitswithin the integrated circuit. The use of a radio communication link for diagnostic data and control reduces the required pin count for the integrated circuit

Diagnostic mechanism for an integrated circuit

A data processing apparatus and method of configuration of such an apparatus are provided, the apparatus comprising a plurality of logic elements for processing data, a plurality of storage elements for temporarily storing data, and a plurality of connections from which data is passed between the logic elements. Each connection comprises one or more path portions separated by the storage elements. A number of the storage elements are selectable storage elements having a bypass path associated therewith, and a controller is provided for controlling the selection of each selectable storage element or its associated bypass path based on setup information, in order to enable a change in the number of path portions within one or more of the connections. This hence allows some configurability of the connections within the apparatus post-production, with operating conditions and other aspects affecting operating speed being taken into account when producing the setup information used by the controller to determine which selectable storage elements to use, and which ones to bypass.

Flexibility of use of a data processing apparatus

A data processing apparatus and method are provided for controlling level shifting. The data processing apparatus comprises a first component provided within a first voltage domain and operable to receive a first supply voltage, and a second component provided within a second voltage domain and operable to receive a second supply voltage. At least one of the first and second supply voltages are dynamically variable. The data processing apparatus further comprises an interface cell between the first and second voltage domains which is operable to receive a signal issued by the first component in the first voltage domain and destined for the second component. The interface cell comprises level shifting logic operable to convert the signal issued by the first component into a corresponding signal to be propagated to the second component in the second voltage domain. Further, bypass logic is provided which is operable in the event that the first supply voltage and second supply voltage are at the same voltage level to enable a bypass path around the level shifting logic such that the signal issued by the first component is propagated via the bypass path as the corresponding signal to the second component in the second voltage domain.

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Saffron Walden, United Kingdom

Dipesh Ishwerbhai Patel