Qualcomm Incorporated

Harshat Pant

Lipeng Cao

Ramaprasath Vilangudipitchai

Rajeev Jain

Divjyot Bhan

Shih-Hsin Jason Hu

Parissa Najdesamii

Mohammed Yousuff Shariff

Byron Murphy

Ravindraraj Ramaraju

Chulmin Jung

Keith Alan Bowman

Yeshwant Nagaraj Kolla

Dipti Ranjan Pal

Giby Samson

Abinash Roy

Sassan Shahrokhinia

Mohammad Tamjidi

Lam Ho

Hanil Lee

Xiao Chen

Keyurkumar Karsanbhai Kansagra

Luis Filipe Brochado Reis

Vinayak Nana Mehetre

Ramprasath Vilangudipitchai

Srijith Nair

Tuck Boon Chan

Aditya Vummannagari

Mayank Sen Sharma

Sai Pradeep Kochuri

Christol Barnes

A system includes a comparator having a first input, a second input, and an output. The system also includes a first voltage divider having an input and an output, wherein the input of the first voltage divider is coupled to a first power rail, and the output of the first voltage divider is coupled to the first input of the comparator. The system also includes a second voltage divider having an input and an output, wherein the input of the second voltage divider is coupled to a second power rail, and the output of the second voltage divider is coupled to the second input of the comparator. The system further includes a power multiplexer coupled to the first power rail, the second power rail, and a first circuit, and a control circuit coupled to the output of the comparator and the power multiplexer.

Power multiplexer

A system on chip (SOC) includes a power distribution network (PDN) that has two different types of power multiplexers. The first power multiplexer type includes a lower resistance switching logic, and the second type includes a higher resistance switching logic as well as digital logic to provide an enable signal to the first type of power multiplexer. A given first-type power multiplexer may have multiple power multiplexers of the second type in a loop, the loop including communication paths for the enable signal and feeding the enable signal back to an enable input of the first-type power multiplexer.

Systems and methods for adaptive power multiplexing with a first type of power multiplexer and a second type of power multiplexer

In certain aspects, a system includes a voltage controller, wherein the voltage controller includes switches coupled between a voltage supply rail and an output of the voltage controller, each of the switches having a control input, and a control circuit coupled to the control inputs of the switches. The system also includes a timing circuit coupled to the control circuit, wherein the timing circuit includes a delay line, and flops, each of the flops having an input and an output, wherein the input of each of the flops is coupled to a respective node on the delay line, and the outputs of the flops are coupled to the control circuit.

Adaptive voltage controller

A glitch absorbing buffer reduces glitch power in digital circuits. The glitch absorbing buffer includes a logic element configured to identify a digital logic glitch and a delay circuit configured to selectively delay one input to a logic element. The amount of delay imposed is equivalent to a pulse width of the glitch. A Schmitt trigger may amplify the low pass behavior on the input.

Reducing glitch power in digital circuits

A floorplan independent and cross-current free distributed adaptive power multiplexer (APM) is disclosed. In some implementations, an APM includes a first switch path coupled between a first voltage supply rail and an output terminal, the first switch path including a first switch; a second switch path coupled between a second voltage supply rail and the output terminal, the second switch path including a second switch, wherein the first switch and the second switch are configured to select one of a first voltage supply and a second voltage supply as an output voltage supply to be output at the voltage output terminal; and a comparator coupled to the first and the second voltage supply rails, and the voltage output terminal, wherein the comparator is configured to compare the output voltage supply with one of the first and the second voltage supplies and to output a control signal.

Floorplan independent and cross-current-free distributed power switch

Aspects of the disclosure are directed to saving always on (AON) routing of signals across chips, the disclosure includes turning ON a first power signal in a system on a chip (SOC) when a Power ON Reset (PoR) signal is asserted and a clamp control signal is asserted; turning ON a second power signal in the SOC after the first power signal is turned ON; de-asserting the PoR signal after the second power signal is turned ON; latching a logic signal with a LOW clamp keeper cell if the logic signal is at a LOW logic level or with a HIGH clamp keeper cell if the signal is at a HIGH logic level; and de-asserting the second power signal while a first section of the SOC routes the logic signal through a second section of the SOC.

Methods and apparatus for saving always on (AON) routing of signals across chips

An integrated circuit (IC) is disclosed with clock glitch prevention for a retention operational mode. In an example aspect, the IC includes a clock signal source that generates a source value for a clock signal, which is distributed by a clock tree along a downstream direction. The IC further includes a deviant clock signal generator, a clock signal controller, and a retention storage device. The deviant clock signal generator is disposed along the clock tree downstream from the clock signal source and generates a deviant value for the clock signal. The clock signal controller prevents downstream propagation of the deviant value of the clock signal responsive to a retention signal. The retention storage device is disposed downstream from the clock signal controller. The retention storage device processes data responsive to the clock signal and retains a data value during a power collapse event responsive to the retention signal.

Clock glitch prevention for retention operational mode

An integrated circuit is disclosed for power multiplexing with an active load. In an example aspect, the integrated circuit includes a first power rail, a second power rail, a load power rail, multiple power-multiplexer tiles, and power-multiplexer control circuitry. The first power rail is at a first voltage, and the second power rail is at a second voltage. The multiple power-multiplexer tiles are coupled in series in a chained arrangement and jointly perform a power-multiplexing operation responsive to a power-rail switching signal. Each power-multiplexer tile switches between coupling the load power rail to the first power rail and the second power rail. The power-multiplexer control circuitry is coupled to the first and second power rails and includes a comparator to produce a relative voltage signal based on the first and second voltages. The power-multiplexer control circuitry generates the power-rail switching signal based on the relative voltage signal.

Power multiplexing with an active load

In an aspect of the disclosure, a MOS device for reducing routing congestion caused by using split n-well cells in a merged n-well circuit block is provided. The MOS device may include a first set of cells adjacent to each other in a first direction. The MOS device may include a second set of cells adjacent to each other in the first direction and adjacent to the first set of cells in a second direction. The second set of cells each may include a first n-well, a second n-well, and a third n-well separated from each other. The MOS device may include an interconnect extending in the first direction in the second set of cells. The interconnect may provide a voltage source to the first n-well of each of the second set of cells.

Methods and apparatus for using split N-well cells in a merged N-well block

A power on reset circuit including an inverter powered by a first power domain, the inverter including a data input coupled to a power rail of a second power domain; logic circuitry coupled with an output of the inverter, the logic circuitry having a control signal output; and wherein, during a power up operation, the first power domain powers up before the second power domain powers up. Upon power up of the first power domain, the inverter can output a high signal to the logic circuitry and output a low signal to the logic circuitry in response to power up of the second power domain. The logic circuitry is further configured to output a first value for a control signal in response to the first power domain powering up and configured to output a second value for the control signal in response to the second power domain powering up.

Circuits and methods providing power on reset signals

An integrated circuit (IC) is disclosed having a unified control scheme and a unifying architecture for different types of retention flip-flops (RFFs). In an example aspect, an IC includes a constant power rail to provide power during a power collapse period and a collapsible power rail to cease providing power during the power collapse period. The IC also includes a positive-edge-triggered (PET) RFF and a negative-edge-triggered (NET) RFF. The PET RFF includes a master portion and a slave portion, with the slave portion coupled to the constant power rail and the master portion coupled to the collapsible power rail. The NET RFF includes master and slave portions, with the master portion coupled to the constant power rail and the slave portion coupled to the collapsible power rail. In another example aspect, a control signal based on a clock and a retention signal may be routed to both RFFs.

Unified retention flip-flop architecture and control

An integrated circuit (IC) is disclosed herein for managing power with flip-flops having a retention feature. In an example aspect, an IC includes a constant power rail, a collapsible power rail, multiple flip-flops, and power management circuitry. Each flip-flop of the multiple flip-flops includes a master portion that is coupled to the collapsible power rail and a slave portion that is coupled to the constant power rail. The power management circuitry is configured to combine a clock signal and a retention signal into a combined control signal and to provide the combined control signal to each flip-flop of the multiple flip-flops.

Growing community of inventors

San Diego, CA, United States of America

Harshat Pant