Advanced Micro Devices Corporation

Ati Technologies Ulc

Russell J Schreiber

John J Wuu

Keith Allen Kasprak

Eric W Busta

Arijit Banerjee

Michael K Ciraula

Martin Paul Piorkowski

Ryan Thomas Freese

Sahilpreet Singh

Samuel D Naffziger

Stephen Victor Kosonocky

Carl D Dietz

Tawfik Ahmed

James A Wingfield

William A Halliday

Srinivas R Sathu

Kyle David Whittle

Vikram B Suresh

Richard Martin Born

Donald R Weiss

Michael Estlick

Joel Thornton Irby

William McGee

Patrick J Shyvers

Michael L Golden

David Hugh McIntyre

John Reginald Riley

Donald A Priore

Amlan Ghosh

David M Newmark

Peter Normand Labrecque

Alexander W Schaefer

Sudha Thiruvengadam

Aaron Keiichi Horiuchi

Ravi T Jotwani

Ricardo Cantu

Samiul Haque Khan

Te-Hsuan Chen

Andrew J Robison

Donald A Clay

Kerrie Vercant Underhill

Atif Habib

Vance Threatt

Sean M O′Mullan

Stephen J Dussinger

William Edwin Laub, Jr

Kathryn E Wilcox

Ruochen Xie

Hye Jung Stanford

Michael Edward Griffith

Joe Spector

Ilango Jeyasubramanian

A system and method for efficiently designing a through silicon via (TSV) macro blocks are described. In various implementations, the circuitry of a processor executes instructions of a place and route tool that provides automatic placement of macro blocks and standard cells on an integrated circuit die based on a copy of a netlist of the integrated circuit being designed and a copy of a standard cell library that includes a variety of standard cells and macro blocks. The processor places two functional macros in the floorplan with a channel between them. In the channel, the processor places a TSV macro that includes at least one boundary cell inside of the TSV macro. The processor prevents placement of a boundary cell adjacent to at least one side of the TSV macro despite empty space exists due to no standard cells or macros about the at least one side.

Through silicon via macro with dense layout for placement in an integrated circuit floorplan

An integrated circuit includes a memory and a system management unit. The memory has a memory array operating according to a memory power supply voltage and access circuitry coupled to said memory array operating according to a logic power supply voltage. The system management unit activates a first control signal to control an operation of the memory selectively in response to a magnitude of a difference in voltage between the logic power supply voltage and the memory power supply voltage.

Control of dual-voltage memory operation

The disclosed device can include a bitcell array located on a first metal layer including a first subarray of bitcells and a second subarray of bitcells; a first write driver device coupled to the first subarray of bitcells from a first end of the first subarray; a second write driver device coupled to the second subarray of bitcells from a first end of the second subarray; a third write driver device coupled to the first subarray of bitcells from a second end of the first subarray; and a fourth write driver device coupled to the second subarray of bitcells from the second end of the second subarray. Various other devices, systems, and methods of manufacture are also disclosed.

Devices and systems for flying bitline with jumper cell

A static random-access memory (SRAM) circuit includes an SRAM bitcell coupled to a word line, a bit line and a complementary bit line. A precharge circuit is coupled to the bit line and the complementary bit line and includes a precharge input. A first keeper transistor is coupled to the bit line and a second keeper transistor is coupled to the complementary bit line. A write driver circuit includes a select input receiving a select signal, a write data input, and a write data compliment input, and is operable to write a data bit to the SRAM bitcell. A combinatorial logic circuit provides a precharge signal to the precharge circuit based on the select signal and a bit line precharge signal.

Wrong way read-before write solutions in SRAM

A multipurpose wordline underdrive circuit includes a wordline driver and a pulldown network. The pulldown network includes a first current-carrying terminal electrically coupled to the wordline driver and a second current-carrying terminal electrically coupled to a control signal. The pulldown network also includes a current-regulation terminal electrically coupled to an additional control signal. Various other devices, systems, and methods are also disclosed.

Multipurpose wordline underdrive circuits, devices, and systems

A technique reduces power consumption of a bit cell in a memory and provides write assistance to the bit cell. When the bit cell is active, a power-saving write-assist circuit coupled to the bit cell is selectively sized according to a type of memory access. When the bit cell is inactive, the virtual power supply node floats to a predetermined voltage between a first voltage on a first power supply node coupled to the bit cell and a second voltage on a second power supply node coupled to the bit cell. A method for controlling power consumption of a bit cell and assisting a write to the bit cell includes providing a reference voltage to a virtual power supply node coupled to the bit cell. The reference voltage is provided based on an operational state of the bit cell and a type of memory access to the bit cell.

SRAM power savings and write assist

An apparatus and method for providing efficient floor planning, power, and performance tradeoffs of memory accesses. A dual read port and single write port memory bit cell uses two asymmetrical read access circuits for conveying stored data on two read bit lines. The two read bit lines are pre-charged to different voltage reference levels. The layout of the memory bit cell places the two read bit lines on an opposed edge from the single write bit line. The layout uses a dummy gate placed over both p-type diffusion and n-type diffusion between the edges. The layout has a same number of p-type transistors as n-type transistors despite using asymmetrical read access circuits. The layout also has a contacted gate pitch that is one more than the number of p-type transistors.

Dual read port latch array bitcell

Memories that are configurable to operate in either a banked mode or a bit-separated mode. The memories include a plurality of memory banks; multiplexing circuitry; input circuitry; and output circuitry. The input circuitry inputs at least a portion of a memory address and configuration information to the multiplexing circuitry. The multiplexing circuitry generates read data by combining a selected subset of data corresponding to the address from each of the plurality of memory banks, the subset selected based on the configuration information, if the configuration information indicates a bit-separated mode. The multiplexing circuitry generates the read data by combining data corresponding to the address from one of the memory banks, the one of the memory banks selected based on the configuration information, if the configuration information indicates a banked mode. The output circuitry outputs the generated read data from the memory.

Dynamic banking and bit separation in memories

An apparatus and method for providing efficient floor planning, power, and performance tradeoffs of memory accesses. Adjacent bit cells in a column of an array use a split read port such that the bit cells do not share a read bit line while sharing a write bit line. The adjacent bit cells include asymmetrical read access circuits that convey data stored by latch circuitry of a corresponding bit cell to a corresponding read bit line. The layout of adjacent bit cells provides a number of contacted gate pitches per bit cell that is less than a sum of the maximum number of metal gates in layout of each of the adjacent bit cells divided by the number of adjacent bit cells.

Split read port latch array bit cell

A method for accessing a memory cell includes enabling precharging of a bit line of the memory cell before a next access of the memory cell. The method includes disabling the precharging after a first interval if the next access is a write. The method includes disabling the precharging after a second interval if the next access is a read. The first interval is shorter than the second interval.

Weak precharge before write dual-rail SRAM write optimization

A system and method for efficiently resetting data stored in a memory array are described. In various implementations, an integrated circuit includes a memory for storing data, and a processing unit that generates access requests for the data stored in the memory. When access circuitry of the memory array begins a reset operation, it reduces a power supply voltage level used by memory bit cells in a column of the array to a value less than a threshold voltage of transistors. Therefore, the p-type transistors of the bit cells do not contend with the write driver during a write operation. The access circuitry provides the reset data on the write bit lines, and asserts each of the write word lines of the memory array. To complete the write operation, the access circuitry returns the power supply voltage level from below the threshold voltage level to an operating voltage level.

Rapid tag invalidation circuit

An integrated circuit includes one or more processing units that execute instructions that employ a register file, control logic creates a pre-startup register free list, prior to normal operation of at least one of the processing units, that includes a list of registers devoid of defective registers. In some implementations, no column and row repair information is provided to register file repair logic. In certain examples, the register file is configured as a repair-less register file. During normal operation of the one or more processing units, the integrated circuit employs the pre-startup register free list to select registers in a register file for the executing instructions. Associated methods are also presented.

Methods and apparatus for managing register free lists

A sense amplifier is biased to reduce leakage current equalize matched transistor bias during an idle state. A first read select transistor couples a true bit line and a sense amplifier true (SAT) signal line and a second read select transistor couples a complement bit line and a sense amplifier complement (SAC) signal line. The SAT and SAC signal lines are precharged during a precharge state. An equalization circuit shorts the SAT and SAC signal lines during the precharge state. A differential sense amplifier circuit for latching the memory cell value is coupled to the SAT signal line and the SAC signal line. The precharge circuit and the differential sense amplifier circuit are turned off during a sleep state to cause the SAT and SAC signal lines to float. A sleep circuit shorts the SAT and SAC signal lines during the sleep state.

Sense amplifier sleep state for leakage savings without bias mismatch

A bit cell of an SRAM implemented using standard cell design rules includes a write portion and a read portion. The write portion includes a pass gate coupled to an input node of the bit cell and supplies data on the input node to a first node of the bit cell while write word line signals are asserted. An inverter is coupled to the first node and supplies inverted data. A keeper circuit that is coupled to the inverter maintains the data on the first node when the write word line signals are deasserted. The read portion of the bit cell receives read word line signals and the inverted data and is responsive to assertion of the read word line signals to supply an output node of the read portion of the bit cell with output data that corresponds to the data on the first node.

Latch bit cells

A handshake mechanism allows die discovery in a stacked die architecture that keeps inputs isolated until the handshake is complete. Power good indications are used as handshake signals between the die. A die keeps inputs isolated from above until a power good indication from the die above indicates presence of the die above. The die keeps inputs isolated from below until the die detects power is good and receives a power good indication from the die and the die below. In an implementation drivers and receivers, apart from configuration bus drivers and receivers are disabled until a fuse distribution done signal indicates that repairs have been completed. Drivers are then enabled and after a delay to ensure signals are driven, receivers are deisolated. A top die in the die stack never sees a power good indication from a die above and therefore keeps inputs from above isolated. That allows the height of the die stack to be unknown at power on.

Power on die discovery in 3D stacked die architectures with varying number of stacked die

Growing community of inventors

Austin, TX, United States of America

Russell J Schreiber