International Business Machines Corporation

Hagen Schmidt

Cedric Lichtenau

William Vincent Huott

James Douglas Warnock

Thomas Pflueger

Otto Andreas Torreiter

Andreas H A Arp

Daniel Rodko

Ricardo H Nigaglioni

Thomas Gentner

Martin Padeffke

Daniel Kiss

Simon Büchsenstein

Knut Schuenemann

Disclosed are techniques for reducing voltage drooping in a microelectronic chip, including separating a scan data launch clock from a capture clock with a variable time delay depending on a delay of a succeeding scan path of the latches, where the scan data launch clock and the capture clock are based on a base clock signal. The techniques further include analyzing and categorizing the latches against the time delay into dedicated buffer group categories. The techniques further include assigning the at least two local clock buffers to the latches within the dedicated buffer group categories.

Reducing voltage drooping in a microelectronic chip

Clocks of two semiconductor circuit are set to a common clock source when both the first and second semiconductor circuits are in a slow clock speed at which an input/output (IO) at an interface between the first and second semiconductor circuit is capable of operating. Division counters of the two clocks are synchronized at the slow clock speed. The two semiconductor circuits are switched to a fast clock speed that is a multiple of the slow speed, wherein the IO is not capable of operating at the fast clock speed. Pulses from a division counter of the first circuit are sent to a spare division counter of the second circuit, and then a primary division counter of the second counter is aligned to this spare division counter to keep the two circuits synchronized at the fast clock speed.

Dual chip clock synchronization

An integrated circuit with a hardware-based controller enables a system for a set of clock cycles and selectively enables an aspect of the system for a subset of the set of clock cycles. The controller includes a clock cycle select circuit to output a test select signal that indicates the subset of the set of clock cycles during which to enable the aspect of the system, and a test start circuit to receive the test select signal and output a test signal to the system to enable the system for the set of clock cycles. The controller also includes an AND gate to output a gated signal to enable the aspect of the system for the subset of the set of clock cycles based on the test select signal.

On-chip hardware-controlled window strobing

Aspects include a computer-implemented method for initializing scannable and non-scannable latches from a clock buffer. The method includes receiving a clock signal; receiving control signals including a hold signal, a scan enable signal, and a non-scannable latch force signal; responsive to receiving a low input from the hold signal and the scan enable signal, outputting a high signal from a functional clock port on a next cycle; responsive to receiving a high input from the scan enable signal and a low input from the hold signal, outputting a high slave latch scan clock signal on the next cycle; responsive to receiving a high input from the hold signal and the scan enable signal, outputting a high master latch clock signal on the next clock cycle; and responsive to receiving a high input from the non-scannable latch force signal, outputting a low master latch clock signal on a current cycle.

Initializing scannable and non-scannable latches from a common clock buffer

Secure initialization of the state of an electronic circuit. A processor determines the trusted state of one or more architecture state registers of an intellectual property core. The processor clears entries in a memory of the intellectual property core. The processor verifies that state machines, included in execution logic of the intellectual property core, have not generated output.

Verification of intellectual property core trusted state

Growing community of inventors

Tuebingen, Germany

Hagen Schmidt