Globalfoundries U.S. Inc.

Intel Corporation

Freescale Semiconductor,inc.

Shivraj Gurpadappa Dharne

Vivek Raj

Mahbub Rashed

Shahid Ali

Dzung T Tran

Uttam K Saha

Sunil Kumar

Shashank Nemawarkar

Ruchir Saraswat

Gregory Allen Northrop

Claude Moughanni

Christopher K Y Chun

Asif Iqbal

Ulrich Bretthauer

Chodimella Venkata Ramana

Pradeepkumar S Kuttuva

Vinayak Rajendra Ganji

Vinayak R Ganji

Bhuvan R Nandagopal

Andriy Gelman

Sunil Parmar

Rajashekar Manche

A reference circuit for an electronic device having a plurality of power supply voltages comprises a supply start-up circuit, a power-down start-up circuit, and a reference generating circuit. The supply start-up circuit comprising a resistive-capacitive (RC) circuit coupled between a first power supply voltage and a ground. The RC circuit includes a pulse node coupled between a first capacitor and a resistive element, and generates a power-up pulse signal at the pulse node. The power-down start-up circuit is powered by a second power supply voltage and comprises a pulse generation circuit that generates a first start-up signal. The reference generating circuit outputs a reference signal. The reference generating circuit exists a low-power mode when either of the power-up pulse signal and the first start-up signal is generated.

Circuit and method for start-up of reference circuits in devices with a plurality of supply voltages

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a circuit structure and related method to provide a radiation resistant memory cell. A circuit structure may include a first latch having an input node and an output node. A second latch has an input node and an output node, in which the output node of the second latch is coupled to the input node of the first latch, and the input node of the second latch is coupled to the output node of the first latch. A read/write (R/W) circuit includes a plurality of transistors coupling a word line, a bit line, and an inverted bit line to at least two outputs. One of the at least two outputs is coupled to the input node of the first latch and another of the outputs is coupled to the input node of the second latch.

Circuit structure and related method for radiation resistant memory cell

An apparatus includes a series of pipeline stages that have logic components connected to supply output data to latch components, timing correction blocks connected to the latch components, and a memory component connected to supply a correction pattern to the timing correction blocks. The timing correction blocks have a buffer connected to a multiplexor. The correction pattern controls whether the multiplexor receives an adjusted clock signal through the buffer to control whether the timing correction blocks supply an unadjusted clock signal or the adjusted clock signal to the latch components.

Post-manufacture latch timing control blocks in pipelined processors

The present disclosure relates to a structure including a level shifter circuit which receives an input signal and at least one voltage reference signal and outputs at least one level shifted output signal, a pre-driver circuit which receives the at least one level shifted output signal and outputs at least one pre-driver output signal, the pre-driver circuit including at least one delay circuit, and a main driver circuit which receives the at least one pre-driver output signal and outputs a main driver output signal.

Output buffer circuit

Disclosed is a memory structure that includes wordlines (WL) and cell supply lines (CSL) positioned between and parallel to voltage boost lines (VBLs). The VBLs enable capacitive coupling-based voltage boosting of the adjacent WL and/or CSL depending on whether a read or write assist is required. During a read operation, all VBLs for a selected row can be charged to create coupling capacitances with the WL and with the CSL and thereby boost both the wordline voltage (Vwl) and the cell supply voltage (Vcs) for a read assist. During a write operation, one VBL adjacent to the WL for a selected row can be charged to create a coupling capacitance with the WL only and thereby boost the Vwl for a write assist. The coupling capacitances created by charging VBLs in the structure is self-adjusting in that as the length of the rows increase so do the potential coupling capacitances.

Memory structure with self-adjusting capacitive coupling-based read and write assist

Disclosed are embodiments of a low-leakage row decoder and a memory circuit incorporating the row decoder. The row decoder includes wordline driver circuitry including first devices (pre-drivers) and second devices (wordline drivers). Each second device is connected in series between a first device and a wordline for a row in a memory array. The first devices can be directly connected to a positive supply voltage rail and connected to a ground rail through a footer. The second devices can be connected to the positive supply voltage rail through a header and directly connected to the ground rail. The on/off states of the header and footer are controlled by clock signal-dependent control signals so that they are either concurrently on or off. With this configuration, leakage power consumption of the wordline driver circuitry is minimized while the memory structures as idle and also while it operates in a normal active mode.

Low-leakage row decoder and memory structure incorporating the low-leakage row decoder

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a multi-port register file, including: a plurality of single-bit data registers for receiving and storing input data; a read path coupled to an output of each of the plurality of data registers; a plurality of AND gates, wherein an output of each of the plurality of data registers is coupled to an input of a respective AND gate of the plurality of AND gates; an input gating signal coupled to another input of each of the plurality of AND gates; a plurality of multi-bit registers, wherein an output of each of the plurality of AND gates is coupled to each of the plurality of multi-bit registers; and a write disable circuit coupled to the input gating signal for disabling a write signal applied to each of the plurality of multi-bit registers.

Multi-port register file for partial-sum accumulation

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a memory circuit structure including a transistor array for writing a plurality of bits to a memory element. The transistor array includes a first transistor having a first source/drain terminal for receiving a supply voltage. A first word line is coupled between a decoder and the first source/drain terminal of the first transistor. The first word line transmits a voltage output from the decoder to the first transistor as the supply voltage.

Memory circuit structure with supply voltage transmitted via word line

A disclosed sense circuit for a memory circuit includes sense amplifiers that detect differences in voltage levels on complementary bitlines during read operations. Instead of the sense amplifiers having built-in footer devices that lead to significant leakage, the sense circuit incorporates a common footer device for all sense amplifiers. To ensure that this footer device has sufficient drive strength to enable voltage differential detection by each sense amplifier, the sense circuit also includes a sense signal generation and boost circuit (SSG&B circuit) that generates a sense mode control signal (SEN) to control the on/off states of the footer device and that further boosts SEN, at the appropriate time, to increase the drive current. By using the common footer device and the SSG&B circuit, leakage from the sense circuit is reduced during a pre-charge operation mode without sacrificing performance during a read operation mode. Also disclosed are associated method embodiments.

Low-leakage sense circuit, memory circuit incorporating the low-leakage sense circuit, and method

A single-rail memory circuit includes an array of memory cells arranged in rows and columns and peripheral circuitry connected to the array for facilitating read and write operations with respect to selected memory cells. The peripheral circuitry includes, but is not limited to, boost circuits for the rows. Each boost circuit is connected to a wordline for a row and to a discrete voltage supply line for the same row. Each boost circuit for a row is configured to increase the voltage levels on the wordline and the voltage supply line for the row during a read of any selected memory cell within the row. Increasing the voltage levels on the wordline and on the voltage supply line during the read operation effectively boosts the read current. A method of operating the memory circuit reduces the probability of a read fail.

Single-rail memory circuit with row-specific voltage supply lines and boost circuits

Pipelining is included inside a register file memory. A register file memory device includes a static bitcell, and pipelined combinational logic. The combinational logic pipeline couples the I/O (input/output) node to the static bitcell. The pipeline includes multiple stages, where each stage includes a static logic element and a register element, where the operation of each stage transfers data through to a subsequent stage. The number of stages can be different for a read than a write. The multiple stages perform the operations to execute the read or write request.

High throughput register file memory with pipeline of combinational logic

The embodiments of the invention relate to apparatus and method for reducing electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI) in computer systems via a chaotic wide band frequency modulation. The chaotic noise modulator, in one embodiment, comprises: a master cell to generate a control voltage corresponding to an un-modulated reference signal; and a slave cell having a chaotic signal generator to generate a random noise signal, the slave cell coupled with the master cell and operable to generate a modulated output signal in response to the control voltage.

Chaotic wide band frequency modulator for noise reduction

An interface such a PCI-E interface may comprise a transmitter and a compensation circuit. In one embodiment, the transmitter may comprise a transmit driver, which may use a push-pull configuration. The transmit driver may require stable voltages such as (Vdd/2+0.25) and (Vdd/2&#x2212;0.25) Volts. The compensation circuit may comprise a voltage generator circuit and a dummy driver circuit. The dummy driver may be a replica of the transmit driver. A correction module may generate correction factors based on the deviation of the voltages generated by the dummy driver from the voltages generated by the voltage generator. The voltages provided to the transmit driver are corrected based on the correction factors to compensate for the deviation.

Compensating a push-pull transmit driver

A level shifter for an integrated circuit. In one embodiment, the level shifter is a bi-directional level shifter with a signal terminal located in each voltage domain that can be utilized as input or output terminal. In some embodiments, the level shifter includes transistors for cutting off the flow of current between domain power supplies when the input terminals are at a particular state. In one embodiment, only one signal line of the level shifter crosses a domain boundary.

Growing community of inventors

Bengaluru, India

Shivraj Gurpadappa Dharne