Lsi Corporation

International Business Machines Corporation

Lsi Logic Corporation

Jonathan W Byrn

Gary Scott Delp

Mark Franklin Turner

Gary Paul McClannahan

Kevin Gerard Plotz

Jeffrey Scott Brown

Albert Alfonse Slane

Philip Lynn Leichty

Mark William Branstad

Chad Balling McBride

Matthew Scott Wingren

George Wayne Nation

Robert Neal Carlton Broberg, Iii

Paul Gary Reuland

Lee Anton Sendelbach

Todd Edwin Leonard

Jeffrey James Lynch

Michael K Eneboe

Jeff S Brown

Brian Andrew Schuelke

John Emery Nordman

John Handley Shaffer

James Arnold Jensen

Daniel James Murray

Donald Gabrielson

Fadi-Christian E Safi

Robert N Broberg, Iii

Thomas Sandoval

Baiju V Patel

Frank Andre Schaffa

Brad L Brech

Juergen K Lahner

Steven Mark Emerson

Gary Michael Lippert

Marc Hubert Willebeek-LeMair

Arthur J Meyer, Iii

Jerry A Blades

Grant A Lindberg

Robert John Manulik

Srinivas Adusumalli

Rafael M Montalvo

Paul Dorweiler

Richard Allan Auerbach

Robert M Biglow

Roy Perrigo

Phillip L Leichty

Richard A Auerbach

An apparatus for monitoring at least supply voltage in an IC includes a plurality of monitor circuits distributed throughout the integrated circuit. Each of the monitor circuits is operative to receive the supply voltage, or a signal representative thereof, and to generate an output signal indicative of a comparison between the supply voltage and a reference voltage. The apparatus further includes a control circuit coupled to the plurality of monitor circuits. The control circuit is operative to receive the respective output signals from the plurality of monitor circuits and to generate an output of the apparatus which is a function of information conveyed in the respective output signals from the plurality of monitor circuits.

On-chip power supply monitoring using a network of modulators

Programmable nanotube interconnect is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes forming a interconnect layer using a plurality of nanotube structures, and automatically altering a route of an integrated circuit based on an electrical current applied to at least one of the plurality of nanotube structures in the interconnect layer. Neighboring interconnect layers separated by planar vias may include communication lines that are perpendicularly oriented with respect to each of the neighboring interconnect layers. The nanotube structure may be chosen from a group comprising a polymer, carbon, and a composite material. A carbon nanotube film may be patterned in a metal layer to form the plurality of nanotube structures. A sputtered planar process may be performed across a trench of electrodes to create the carbon nanotube structures.

Programmable nanotube interconnect

A global power distribution network in an integrated circuit comprising a first layer of conductive material and a second layer of conductive material. The first layer of conductive material may be (i) coupled to one or more power supplies and (ii) configured to form a plurality of first rails of a mesh. The first rails may (a) supply power to one or more components of a core logic of the integrated circuit, (b) be aligned with a first axis of the integrated circuit, and (c) have one or more parameters configured such that the mesh has a uniform voltage gradient from a perimeter of the integrated circuit to a center of the integrated circuit along the first axis. The second layer of conductive material may be (i) coupled to the one or more power supplies and (ii) configured to form a plurality of second rails of the mesh. The second rails may (a) supply power to one or more components of the core logic, (b) be aligned with a second axis of the integrated circuit, and (c) have one or more parameters configured such that the mesh comprises a uniform voltage gradient from the perimeter of the integrated circuit to the center of the integrated circuit along the second axis.

Power grid optimization

A sequential element having a master stage and a slave stage and a method of testing an IC having a scan chain and an IC. In one embodiment, the sequential element includes an input scan multiplexor configured to place the sequential element in a functional mode or a scan mode in response to a scan enable input and a scan out driver coupled to the slave stage and configured to provide a scan out signal when the sequential element is in the scan mode, the scan out driver coupled to an inverted scan enable input for a negative voltage supply.

Sequential element low power scan implementation

A storage medium recording a cell library having one or more cells that may be readable by a computer and may be used by the computer to design an integrated circuit. The one or more cells may have a physical dimension parameter and a channel width parameter. The physical dimension parameter may be a footprint of the one or more cells. The channel width parameter may have a minimum driver size and a maximum driver size. The channel width parameter may define a range within which a tool varies the channel width between the maximum driver size and the minimum driver size during a design flow of the integrated circuit based upon one or more power criteria without changing the footprint.

Granular channel width for power optimization

A modulated clock, a method of providing a modulated clock signal, an integrated circuit including a modulated clock and a library of cells including a modulated clock. In one embodiment, the modulated clock includes (1) a clock controller configured to generate a digital control stream and (2) clock logic circuitry having a first input configured to receive a clock signal and a second input configured to receive the digital control stream. The clock logic circuitry is configured to provide a modulated clock signal in response to the clock signal and the digital control stream, wherein the modulated clock signal has an effective frequency that differs from the first frequency.

Modulated clock, an IC including the modulated clock and a method of providing a modulated clock signal for power control

Efficient power management method in integrated circuit through a nanotube structure is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes patterning a nanotube structure adjacent to a transistor layer of an integrated circuit. The transistor layer may be above a semiconductor substrate. The transistor layer above the semiconductor substrate may comprise a plurality of transistors. The method also includes supplying power to the plurality of transistors through one or more power sources. In addition, the method includes coupling the plurality of transistors in the transistor layer to the one or more power sources based on a state of the nanotube structure.

Efficient power management method in integrated circuit through a nanotube structure

A method to analyze timing in a circuit, generally including (A) simulating reception of an input signal and a clock signal at a first flip-flop, wherein (i) the input signal has a latest transition, (ii) the input signal arrives through a first path and (iii) the clock signal has an active edge, (B) calculating a value of a time difference between the latest transition and the active edge, (C) calculating a delay between the active edge and the latest transition appearing in an output signal, wherein (i) the delay is based on a model responding to the value, (ii) the model characterizes a clock-to-output delay as a function of the time difference and (iii) the characterization covering a range of values, (D) calculating an arrival time of the latest transition at a second flip-flop through a second signal path and (E) storing the arrival time in a recording medium.

Dual path static timing analysis

Configurable power segmentation using a nanotube structure is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes patterning a nanotube structure adjacent to a transistor layer in an integrated circuit, and coupling a power region in the transistor layer to at least one power source based on a state of the nanotube structure. Nanotube material may be sputtered over a plurality of layers to form the nanotube structure. The nanotube structure may be curved to flex to a conductive surface when a current is applied to the nanotube structure. The power region may be coupled with at least two power sources that are concatenated together to provide cascaded current to the power region. One or more power regions in the integrated circuit may be enable based on the patterning the nanotube structure and the coupling of the power region to at least one power source.

Configurable power segmentation using a nanotube structure

A method to redistribute current demand is presented. The method includes a first step of determining timing arc data for one or more timing arcs of a circuit design. The method includes a second step of checking the timing arc data for delay shift target cells. The method includes a further step of swapping a delay shift target cell with a delay shift cell.

Redistribution of current demand and reduction of power and DCAP

A memory device using a plurality of enhanced row decode drivers for activating wordlines in a memory array is disclosed. Circuit design attributes of the enhanced row decode drivers are varied as a function of proximity to a source of a row address signal applied to each decode driver. The circuit variations are operable to reduce the leakage power of the driver by degrading performance thereof while maintaining required worst case timing. The worst case timing being defined by the timing and performance requirements for the most distant of the row decode driver circuits relative to the source of the applied row address signals.

Row decode driver gradient design in a memory device

Programmable power management using a nanotube structure is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes coupling a nanotube structure of an integrated circuit to a conductive surface when a command is processed, and enabling a group of transistors of the integrated circuit based on the coupling the nanotube structure to the conductive surface. A current may be applied to the nanotube structure to couple the nanotube structure to the conductive surface. The nanotube structure may be formed from a material chosen from one or more of a polymer, carbon, and a composite material. The group of transistors may be enabled during an activation sequence of the integrated circuit. In addition, one or more transistors of the group of transistors may be disengaged from the one or more power sources (e.g., to minimize leakage) when the nanotube structure is decoupled from the conductive surface.

Programmable power management using a nanotube structure

A method and apparatus for floor-plan region creation and placement is provided. Design information may be received. Module area may be estimated for each module in an integrated circuit. Individual module may be selected for regioning, and region size and dimensions for module may be determined. Region parameters may be adjusted prior to final placement and placement may be verified.

Method and apparatus for automatic creation and placement of a floor-plan region

A method of managing a cell library regarding power optimization is disclosed. The method generally includes the steps of (A) reading a plurality of first modules within a first region of a circuit design stored in a design file, (B) calculating a first merit value indicating a relative sensitivity of the first region to a power consumption, the first merit value having a range from a static power dominated value to a dynamic power dominated value and (C) creating a constraint file configured to limit a design tool to a first subset of a plurality of replacement modules based on the first merit value such that the design tool automatically optimizes the power consumption of the first region by replacing at least one of the first modules with at least one of the replacement modules within the first subset, the replacement modules residing in a library file.

Cell library management for power optimization

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, MN, United States of America

Jonathan W Byrn