Intel Corporation

Hung-Piao Ma

Keng L Wong

Alon Naveh

Stephen H Gunther

Robert J Greiner

Gregory F Taylor

Jorge Pedro Rodriguez

Edward R Stanford

Joseph T Dibene, Ii

Tawfik Arabi

Gregory M Iovino

Gil Schwarzband

Shai Rotem

Kosta Luria

Annabelle Pratt

Avner Kornfeld

Sean M Welch

Xia Dai

Roman Surgutchik

Kevin Dai

Benson D Inkley

Stefan Rusu

Nasser A Kurd

Edward Allyn Burton

James G Hermerding, Ii

Javed Sabir Barkatullah

Rachael Jade Parker

Tawfik M Rahal-Arabi

Michael T Zhang

James S Dinh

Songmin Kim

Ishmael F Santos

Peter T Li

Kent R Callahan

Chi-Yeu Chao

Douglas R Parker

Ravishankar Kuppuswamy

Matthew C Reilly

Xia Dia

The operating voltage of an integrated circuit (e.g., a processor) is changed in response to one or more conditions (e.g., a laptop computer is connected to an AC power source). Both the operating frequency and the operating voltage of the integrated circuit are changed. The voltage regulator providing the operating voltage to the integrated circuit is caused to transition between voltage levels using one or more intermediate steps. The integrated circuit continues to operate in the normal manner both at the new voltage and throughout the voltage transition.

Dynamic voltage transitions

Methods and mechanisms to simultaneously regulate two or more supply voltages provided to an integrated circuit by a voltage regulator. In an embodiment of the invention, a voltage regulation message exchanged between the integrated circuit and the voltage regulator includes an identifier indicating two or more supply voltages selected from a plurality of supply voltages provided to the integrated circuit by the voltage regulator, where the voltage regulation message relates to the indicated two or more supply voltages. In another embodiment, the voltage regulation message indicates a desired supply voltage level to which the indicated two or more supply voltages are to transition.

Simultaneous multi-voltage rail voltage regulation messages

Systems and method for providing a regulated voltage supply to an integrated circuit. In an embodiment of the invention, a voltage regulator in a system provides an integrated circuit in the system with information related to the voltage regulator providing a supply voltage to the integrated circuit. In another embodiment of the invention, the integrated circuit makes determinations about the operating characteristic of the system using information from the voltage regulator.

Systems and methods for communicating voltage regulation information between a voltage regulator and an integrated circuit

In one embodiment, there is provided a method comprising determining a target operating point for an electronic device, the target operating point including a target operating frequency and a target operating voltage; and dynamically changing a current operating point for the electronic device including a current operating frequency and a current operating voltage by non-contemporaneously changing the current operating frequency to the target operating frequency and a current operating voltage to the target operating voltage, wherein during the changing the electronic device is in an active state.

Method and apparatus to dynamically change an operating frequency and operating voltage of an electronic device

Systems for testing a plurality of integrated circuits at a plurality of frequencies and voltages is disclosed. In one embodiment, a plurality of integrated circuits is tested at least once within a predetermined set of combinations of frequencies and voltages. If the integrated circuit fails testing within any combination of a frequency and voltage within the predetermined set, the integrated circuit is retested at a different predetermined set of combinations of frequencies and voltages. If the integrated circuit fails testing within any combination of a frequency and voltage within the different predetermined set, the integrated circuit is discarded.

Arrangements having IC voltage and thermal resistance designated on a per IC basis

An on-die temperature control variable is provided to throttle a thermal actuator for cooling an integrated circuit. The integrated circuit includes a storage element to hold the temperature control variable. A temperature sensor is thermally coupled to the integrated circuit to sense an operating temperature of the integrated circuit. A thermal controller is communicatively coupled to the storage element and to the temperature sensor. The thermal controller throttles the thermal actuator when the temperature sensor indicates that the operating temperature of the integrated circuit is below the temperature control variable.

On-die temperature control data for communicating to a thermal actuator

Arrangements having integrated circuit (IC) voltage and thermal resistance designated on a per IC basis.

Testing arrangement to distribute integrated circuits

A system and method for automatically adjusting microprocessor activity following thermal stress of a voltage regulator is disclosed. A thermal monitoring circuit determines whether the voltage regulator has exceeded a predetermined temperature. The thermal monitoring circuit may employ a temperature-sensing component such as a thermistor to determine the temperature or may derive the temperature indirectly, based on the average input (or output) current. When the over-temperature condition occurs, a signal activates the PROCHOT#, or similar, pin on a microprocessor, throttling the microprocessor clock. Where the microprocessor includes no internal power-reducing feature, the signal throttles an external clock coupled to the microprocessor. In either case, execution of the microprocessor is slowed down. At all times, the voltage regulator maintains the ability to supply continuous current to the microprocessor.

Control of voltage regulator thermal condition

A method and apparatus for optimizing clock distribution in a circuit to reduce the effect of power supply noise. Parameters are determined including: a response curve of a power source for a circuit, a delay sensitivity of a clock net in the circuit to the power source, a delay sensitivity of a data net in the circuit to the power source, a data delay for the data net, and a clock delay for the clock net. The clock delay is adjusted to reduce the effect of power supply noise on the data net. The adjusting is based on the response curve of the power source, the delay sensitivity of the clock net, the delay sensitivity of the data net, the data delay, and the clock delay. The adjusting includes adding a pre-distribution clock delay.

Method and apparatus for optimizing clock distribution to reduce the effect of power supply noise

An integrated circuit includes a first circuit, a second circuit, at least one test pad and multiplexing circuitry. The second circuit is coupled to the first circuit and has substantially the same design as the first circuit to emulate an electrical characteristic of the first circuit. The multiplexing circuitry selectively couples the test pad(s) to the second circuit to selectively measure the electrical characteristic.

Measuring a characteristic of an integrated circuit

Growing community of inventors

Portland, OR, United States of America

Hung-Piao Ma