JP3348536B2 - Integrated circuit with self-heating suppression function - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an integrated circuit having a self-heating suppressing function which operates an integrated circuit while suppressing heat generation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As the integration of LSIs (large-scale integrated circuits) and the speed of clocks increase, there is a problem of how to suppress heat generation of the LSIs. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a large-scale computer using ECL, the LSI is forcibly cooled by a Freon or a fan.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional cooling system, if the fan stops due to some kind of failure or exceeds the design limit in a severe condition, the whole system is down and operation is fatal. There is a problem that has a negative effect. The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an integrated circuit with a self-heating suppressing function that operates while suppressing heat generation.

[0004]

According to the present invention, there is provided an integrated circuit having a self-heating suppressing function, an integrated circuit body having a built-in cache memory, temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the integrated circuit body, and the temperature detecting means. If the temperature detected in the above exceeds the upper limit of the predetermined set range, stop the function of the cache memory built in the integrated circuit body ,
Normal operation is performed when the temperature falls below the lower limit of the set range.
And control means for causing

[0005]

According to the present invention, the temperature detecting means detects the temperature of the integrated circuit main body, and when the temperature exceeds a predetermined set range, the control means restricts the operation of at least a part of the integrated circuit main body. Therefore, the integrated circuit operates to suppress heat generation by itself, and as a result, the temperature of the integrated circuit can be suppressed within a predetermined temperature range.

[0006]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an integrated circuit with a self-heating suppression function according to one embodiment of the present invention.
In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a CPU main body which is a target for suppressing heat generation, and a cache memory 2 and the like for realizing high-speed operation are connected to the CPU main body 1. A temperature sensor 3 is provided in the same integrated circuit as the CPU body 1. The temperature sensor 3 detects the temperature of the chip and supplies the detection result to the clock / peripheral circuit control circuit 4. On the other hand, the temperature setting circuit 5 holds an operating temperature upper limit value and a lower limit value set from outside the chip, and these set values are also supplied to the clock / peripheral circuit control circuit 4. Note that this set value is, for example,
M, nonvolatile RAM, fuse ROM, laser trimming, and the like.

Clock / peripheral circuit control circuit 4
Controls the operation of the integrated circuit such that the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 3 is controlled between the upper limit value and the lower limit value set by the temperature setting circuit 5. More specifically, the clock / peripheral circuit control circuit 4 instructs the PLL (phase locked loop) 6 to reduce the frequency of the clock signal CK when the temperature of the chip exceeds the upper limit,
The function of the cache memory 2 is stopped. This allows
Although the processing speed of the CPU body 1 is sacrificed, the amount of heat generated can be suppressed. In addition, the clock / peripheral control circuit 4 outputs a signal indicating that the operation is in a restricted state to an external circuit, an OS (operation system), and the CPU body 1. As a result, an interrupt or the like is interrupted in the external circuit or the CPU main unit 1, and the processing is switched to the operation-restricted processing in these circuits. When the temperature falls below the lower limit, the clock / peripheral circuit control circuit 4
Release the operation restriction and execute the normal operation.

The temperature sensor 3 has an integrated circuit of a bipolar L
In the case of SI, since the temperature / current characteristic has a positive characteristic, it is necessary to measure the current value of a specific portion or, for example, to measure the resistance value at both ends of the diffusion layer 11 as shown in FIG. Thus, the temperature can be detected. When the integrated circuit is a MOS, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, the output of an oscillation circuit 24 composed of cascade-connected inverter gates 21, 22, 23 is output to a counter 26 for a predetermined time defined by a timer 25. May be used. Note that the timer 25 is driven by the reference clock CK0 having a constant cycle regardless of the temperature.
In this case, the switching time of the transistor decreases as the temperature rises, and the oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuit 24 decreases. Therefore, the counter value becomes a value inversely proportional to the temperature. By forming the temperature sensor in the chip as described above, the temperature inside the chip can be accurately grasped.

According to the above integrated circuit, as shown in FIG. 4, the chip itself operates to keep its temperature between a preset upper limit value and a preset lower limit value. Therefore, the heat generation of the integrated circuit can be effectively suppressed without using any other cooling means or by using it in combination with another cooling means.

[0010]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The temperature detecting means detects the temperature of the integrated circuit main body, and if the temperature exceeds a predetermined set range, the control means restricts at least a part of the operation of the integrated circuit main body. As a result, the temperature of the integrated circuit can be suppressed within a predetermined temperature range.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an integrated circuit with a self-heating suppression function according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a temperature sensor in the circuit.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing another example of the temperature sensor in the same circuit.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing a temporal change in temperature of the circuit.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... CPU main body, 2 ... Cache memory, 3 ... Temperature sensor, 4 ... Clock / peripheral circuit control circuit, 5 ... Temperature setting circuit, 6 ... PLL, 21 ... Operating temperature measurement circuit, 2
2. Clock selection circuit 23: Change detection circuit

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] An integrated circuit body having a built-in cache memory; temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature of the integrated circuit body; and a case where the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means exceeds an upper limit value of a predetermined set range. Stops the function of the cache memory built in the integrated circuit body, and the temperature falls within the set range.
A control means for executing a normal operation when the value falls below a lower limit value of the box .