International Business Machines Corporation

Mathew I Ringler

Thomas Pflueger

Gerard M Salem

Vinod Ramadurai

Miles G Canada

Cedric Lichtenau

David Howard Allen

Peter Anthony Sandon

Paul David Kartschoke

Lew G Chua-Eoan

Robert Maurice Houle

Christopher J Gonzalez

Ulrich Weiss

Jay Gerald Heaslip

Stephen Frank Geissler

Cédric Lichtenau

Rolf B Hilgendorf

Jens Kuenzer

Erwin B Cohen

Dana J Thygesen

Timothy J Vonreyn

Dongho Lee

Method and systems for dynamically recovering from voltage droops are disclosed. In one embodiment, a microprocessor coupled to a plurality of voltage sensing circuits is provided. The microprocessor includes an instruction sequencing unit and pipeline including a first series of instructions. A central voltage droop detection processor may be coupled to each of the voltage sensing circuits and the microprocessor. Voltage droop is detected using a voltage sensing circuit, after which processing of the microprocessor is interrupted. The pipeline may then be cleared. Subsequently, a second series of instructions including the first series of instructions, and additional instructions are issued. The additional instructions may include stall instructions that cause a delay in processing of the first series of instructions, which prevents re-occurrence of the voltage droop. The interruption and re-issuing also signals the microprocessor that all the data in a particular instruction stream might not be valid and allows recovery.

Voltage droop dynamic recovery

A supply switch circuit is provided for implementing a switchable on-chip high voltage supply. A stack of transistors is coupled between an on-chip high voltage supply and a circuit node. A control signal is coupled to the stack of transistors for selectively switching the high voltage supply to the circuit node. The control signal is coupled to a voltage divider included with the stack of transistors to limit a maximum node voltage within the stack of transistors.

Supply switch circuit for implementing a switchable on-chip high voltage supply

A system and method of shifting a clock frequency of an integrated circuit device from a first frequency to a second frequency, including alternating between the first frequency and the second frequency according to a dithering pattern, the alternating occurring for a predetermined number of cycles; and setting the clock frequency to the second frequency after the predetermined number of cycles.

Clock dithering system and method during frequency scaling

A method and circuit for adjusting the read margin of a self-timed memory array. The electronic circuit, including: a memory cell array including a sense amplifier self-timed decode circuit adapted to set a base read time delay of the memory cell array; and a read delay adjustment circuit coupled to the memory cell array, the read delay adjustment circuit adapted to adjust the base read time delay of the memory array based on an operating frequency of the memory cell array.

Method and circuit for dynamic read margin control of a memory array

A synchronization system capable of simultaneously resetting frequency divide-by counters () of multiple processors (A, B) to zero regardless of the divide-by frequency signal (Mclk/n signal ()) and regardless of the magnitude of the clock mesh delays experienced by the Mclk/n signals in the processors. The synchronization system includes a mesh delay circuit () for each processor that simulates in the undivided signal (Mclk/1 signal ()) the clock mesh delay experienced by the Mclk/n signal in that processor so as to provide an Lclk signal (). A phase detector detects the phase offset between the Mclk/n signal and the Sysclk signal () and sends an asynchronous offset signal () to a counter re-setter () that resets the divide-by counter to zero based on the offset signal.

System and method for synchronizing divide-by counters

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Burlington, VT, United States of America

Mathew I Ringler