US20010049588A1 - Voltage control of integrated circuits - Google Patents
Voltage control of integrated circuits Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20010049588A1 US20010049588A1 US09/905,595 US90559501A US2001049588A1 US 20010049588 A1 US20010049588 A1 US 20010049588A1 US 90559501 A US90559501 A US 90559501A US 2001049588 A1 US2001049588 A1 US 2001049588A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- effective channel
- channel mobility
- supply voltage
- integrated circuit
- individual
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
- G06F1/26—Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof
Definitions
- This invention relates to a voltage control system for an integrated circuit (IC). More particularly, it relates to a voltage control system that selects the voltage of the IC based on the detection of the effective channel mobility of the IC.
- the personal computer has continued its trend of delivering better performance at a lower cost.
- new methods of designing computers need to be developed.
- the power consumed by the processors increases dramatically. This increased power is dissipated in the computer as excess heat.
- the excess heat is not properly controlled or removed from the computer, the user of the computer may experience erratic behavior, system failure, or extremely hot surfaces which may burn, possibly causing injury.
- a parameter of the IC is measured and used to adjust the supply voltage of the IC.
- the measured parameter is indicative of the effective channel mobility of the IC.
- One purpose of adjusting the voltage is to modify the effective channel mobility such that the individual channel currents are substantially constant over a predetermined operating temperature range of the IC.
- the modification of channel mobility is chosen to set the individual channel currents at levels that substantially either maximizes operating speed, minimizes power consumption, extends the range of operating temperature, or increases the operational reliability of the IC.
- FIG. 1 is a graph illustrating the characterized and published operating regions of a typical integrated circuit with respect to voltage and temperature.
- FIG. 2 is a graph illustrating possible voltage tracks within the characterized operating region for different benefits made possible by the invention.
- FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an alternative embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an electronic device incorporating an embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 6A illustrates an effective channel mobility sensor (ECMS) using a thermistor and a feed forward integrator circuit.
- ECMS effective channel mobility sensor
- FIG. 6B illustrates a first alternative ECMS circuit using a diode and a thermal sensor with a digital output.
- FIG. 6C illustrates a second alternative ECMS circuit which measures a time delay on an IC.
- FIG. 6D illustrates a third alternative ECMS circuit which measures the gate threshold voltage of a field-effect transistor on the IC.
- FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary screen interface which allows a user of an electronic device to select a desired operating mode.
- the invention relates to a novel method of controlling the power supply to an integrated circuit (IC) used in an electronic device, such as a microprocessor, a graphics display controller, a communications IC, or other high speed and power consuming ICs used in electronic devices. While particularly useful for these types of ICs, the apparatus and method disclosed within can be used with any IC in general and still meet the spirit and scope of the invention.
- One aspect of the invention is to monitor a parameter of the IC.
- the parameter is indicative of the effective channel mobility of the charge carriers within the IC.
- the effective channel mobility defines the channel conductance of the semiconductor components within the IC: g ⁇ Z L ⁇ ⁇ eff ⁇ ⁇ Q n ⁇
- g channel conductance
- Z width of channel
- L length of channel
- ⁇ eff effective channel mobility
- Q n charge per unit area
- the effective channel mobility is also dependent on the power supply voltage; that is, as the power supply voltage increases, the effective channel mobility also increases due to the increased velocity of the charge carriers.
- the gate threshold of individual transistors declines, thus tending to increase the individual channel current.
- the gate threshold of individual transistors declines as the power supply voltage increases.
- the rise and fall times of the outputs of the IC are also kept substantially constant thus maintaining comparable performance. Maintaining individual channel current levels at a substantially constant value over a selected predetermined temperature range allows for several possible benefits that can be achieved depending on the effective channel mobility level chosen.
- FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram showing a typical temperature operating region for an IC versus the supply voltage applied to the IC.
- the characterized region of operation 200 is that area where all of the parts testing during device characterization passed the functional electrical tests.
- the published region of operation 210 is a smaller region within the characterized region of operation 200 , which the manufacturer of the IC guarantees operation of the IC. This published region of operation 210 is bounded by the published supply voltage operating V min and V max specifications, and by the published T min and T max specifications that limit the region of temperature operation.
- the power consumed by the IC is minimized.
- the operating speed of the IC is maximized.
- a further benefit that can be achieved is that by selecting a region such that the semiconductor devices on the IC's channel conductance is maintained within a level that is substantially within the middle of the characterized region of operation of the IC (region III in FIG. 1); the voltage and timing margins of the device are maintained consistently throughout the operating temperature range of the IC. Using this latter method allows use of ICs that have reduced timing margins thus increasing the yieldability of the ICs from the semiconductor wafer. Alternately, it also allows for extending the operating temperature region of the IC.
- FIG. 2 is a graph showing exemplary relationships (voltage tracks) of how the supply voltage to the IC is changed with respect to the IC temperature based on the desired benefit to be achieved by the invention.
- a conventional voltage track 220 of a conventional power supply design for an IC is shown for reference.
- the conventional voltage track 220 illustrates that the supply voltage to the IC is kept constant at a V typ level over the operating temperature range of an IC in conventional systems.
- the exemplary performance voltage track 230 illustrates the supply voltage to operating temperature relationship for a system implementing one aspect of the invention to derive substantially maximum performance.
- the performance voltage track 230 is chosen to keep the individual channel currents of the IC constant at a predetermined level.
- the IC is operated at its V max at T min and the supply voltage is increased as the temperature rises to keep the IC within its characterized region of operation 200 while keeping the individual channel currents constant.
- the exemplary voltage track 240 illustrates how the supply voltage to the IC can be regulated to either maximize the voltage and timing margins of the IC over temperature or to extend the operating temperature range of the IC without going outside of the characterized region of operation 200 .
- the exemplary low power voltage track 250 illustrates regulating the supply voltage to keep the power consumed by the IC substantially to a minimum while operating within the characterized region of operation 200 . This is done by setting the voltage to the IC at V in at T max and lowering the voltage to the IC as the temperature drops. This action keeps the individual channels currents at substantially a fixed level, thus keeping the IC within the characterized region of operation.
- a suitable voltage track can be chosen to only operate within the published region of operation to maximize a desired benefit while observing the IC manufacturers published specification and still meet the spirit and scope of the invention. What is preferred is that the voltage track be chosen such that the effective channel mobility of the IC is modified to keep the individual channel currents substantially constant over the predetermined operating temperature range selected for the IC in its intended application.
- a voltage track that is chosen to keep the IC within the characterized region of operation within a desired region can provide sub-optimized performance while still meeting the spirit and scope of the invention.
- the actual voltage track for a particular IC may be curvilinear due to the actual voltage to individual channel current relationship for a particular IC.
- the actual voltage track can be approximated using piece-wise linear approximations of a curvilinear function and still keep the individual channel currents substantially constant over the predetermined operating temperature range.
- Another aspect of the invention is to extend this concept to use with more than one IC used in an electronic device; a computer being a particular example. Because the core voltage of each IC using the invention would then operate a different supply voltage levels, a second bus supply voltage is provided to allow the IC's to communicate over a common bus. Those skilled in the art are aware that several voltage translation methods exist to provide the core voltage to bus voltage interface within the IC. In this approach, each IC that utilizes the invention can be optimized for a given purpose; i.e. reduced power consumption, maximized performance, or system integrity.
- the adjustable core power supplies within the electronic device can link the adjustable core power supplies within the electronic device to enable the electronic devices to operate at either a minimum power for maximized battery life, maximized speed for maximized performance, or high reliability mode depending on a selection by the user from a configuration screen (see FIG. 7).
- the high reliability mode allows for the electronic device to operate outside of the IC manufacturer's specified range of operating temperature.
- the effective channel mobility control apparatus can exist external to the integrated circuit.
- the effective channel mobility control apparatus be incorporated within the IC itself. This latter approach allows the IC manufacturer the ability to increase yields by allowing more ICs on a semiconductor wafer to operate over a wider temperature range. The former approach allows designers of electronic devices flexibility in determining the operation of the products to meet the end-user's needs.
- other conventional temperature control devices such as heat pipes, heat sinks, fans, and blowers to name a few, can be incorporated within the electronic device to further optimize an electronic device for a particular market or need.
- FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the invention.
- An integrated circuit (IC) 10 has a supply input 12 which accepts a voltage from a power supply 40 .
- An effective channel mobility sensor (ECMS) 20 is used to measure a parameter of the IC 10 that is indicative of the effective channel mobility of the IC 10 .
- the output of the ECMS 20 is coupled to a control circuit 30 which processes the output of ECMS 20 such that a resultant control signal is fed to a control input 42 of the power supply 40 .
- the processing performed by the control circuit 30 keeps the individual channel currents of the IC 10 substantially constant over a predetermined operating temperature range by monitoring the effective channel mobility of IC 10 with EMCS 20 and adjusting the power supply 40 accordingly.
- FIG. 4 is a block diagram of another exemplary embodiment of the invention that has multiple ICs: a memory 10 A, a microprocessor 10 B, a graphics controller 10 C, and a communications IC 10 D. Each of these ICs, except memory 10 A, are provided with a bus power supply voltage from bus power supply 50 .
- the memory 10 A and microprocessor 10 B share a common memory bus 60 and a memory power supply 80 that is used to operate the memory bus 60 .
- a data bus 70 connects the microprocessor 10 B, graphics controller 10 C, and communications IC 10 D.
- Each of the ICs, 10 A- 10 D have a respective core supply input 12 A- 12 D that is provided a supply voltage from a respective power supply 40 A- 40 D.
- An ECNIS 20 A- 20 D is coupled to each respective IC 10 A- 10 D to sense the respective effective channel mobility of the respective IC and provide an output to a respective control circuit 30 A- 30 D.
- Each control circuit 30 A - 30 D manipulates the received respective EMCS 20 A- 20 D signal and provides an output to the respective control input 42 A- 42 D of the respective power supply 40 A- 40 D.
- Each respective control circuit 30 A- 30 D is designed to operate their respective IC 10 A- 10 D at predetermined individual channel current levels to achieve one of the desired benefits of minimized power, maximized performance, extended temperature range, or increased reliability.
- Each IC 10 A- 10 D can be separately optimized for one of the benefits or all of the ICs 10 A- 10 D can be chosen to perform the same optimization of benefits depending on the system designer's choice.
- a user can provide input by way of a utility program (see FIG. 7) that then controls a mode control signal 90 .
- FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary electronic device 100 such as a personal computer, a notebook computer, a personal data assistant, a calculator, or personal information appliance, to name a few.
- a microprocessor 10 ′ is connected by way of a data bus 70 to DRAM memory 112 , a display controller 116 , and an input/output (I/O) interface 122 .
- the microprocessor 10 ′ is also connected to L2 cache memory 110 by way of an L2 bus 130 .
- a bus power supply 50 supplies power to the microprocessor 10 ′, L2 cache 110 , DRAM memory 112 , display controller 116 and I/O interface 122 .
- An I/O power supply 114 supplies power to display controller 116 , a display device 118 , mass storage 120 , I/O ports 124 , I/O interface 122 and input device 126 .
- the I/O interface 122 allows the microprocessor 10 ′ to access mass storage 120 , I/O ports 124 , and input device 126 .
- the display controller 116 allows the microprocessor 10 ′ to present graphical or alphanumeric data to the user using display device 118 .
- the microprocessor 10 ′ has a core supply input 12 which receives a voltage from core power supply 40 .
- An effective channel mobility sensor (ECMS) 20 measures a parameter of the microprocessor 10 ′ that is indicative of the channel mobility of microprocessor 10 ′.
- ECMS effective channel mobility sensor
- the output of the ECMS sensor 20 is then used by a control circuit 30 which adjusts the core power supply 40 to substantially maintain predetermined individual channel current levels of microprocessor 10 ′ over a predetermined operating temperature range of the microprocessor 10 ′.
- the control circuit 30 is also able to control an air moving device 18 , such as a fan or blower, or alternatively another cooling apparatus such as a multi-mode heat pipe. This air moving device 18 circulates air across a heat sink 17 which is thermally coupled to microprocessor 10 ′ by way of a heat pipe 16 .
- the air moving device 18 , heat sink 17 , and heat pipe 16 provide additional cooling of the microprocessor 10 ′ in order to maintain thermal temperature of the microprocessor 10 ′ if the elevated voltage to the microprocessor 10 causes the electronic device 100 to become too warm such as for safety to the user or to prevent too much heat to spread to other circuits in the system.
- FIGS. 6 A- 6 D illustrate several different methods of sensing and presenting the effective channel mobility of an IC.
- the effective channel mobility can be sensed by measuring the temperature (T) of the IC.
- the effective channel mobility typically has a T ⁇ 3/2 power dependence within an IC for a fixed voltage (See Sze, pp. 512-515).
- FIG. 6A illustrates an embodiment of an EMCS 20 for measuring the temperature of an integrated circuit 10 using a thermistor 300 and an integrator with a feed-forward circuit 310 in control circuit 30 .
- Conventional thermistor temperature detection circuits typically exhibit a long time delay lag due thermal conductivity delays through the package of IC 10 and the time integration of the thermistor signal. This time delay is typically on the order of seconds. Since the IC 10 may be operating at a much higher speed than the rate at which the temperature can be sensed, the IC 10 may fail to operate properly before the control circuit 30 adjusting the supply voltage to the IC 10 can respond.
- the integrator with a feed-forward circuit 310 can be used within control circuit 30 to cancel the delay of the integrator. See commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/955478, filed Oct. 22, 1997, for one technique that increases the response time of a thermistor using a feed forward circuit. However, even with the integrator delay cancelled, there is still a potential time delay due to thermal packaging of the IC 10 if an external thermistor 300 is used to detect the temperature of the IC 10 .
- An alternative to an external sensor is to integrate the thermistor 300 within the IC 10 package to reduce the thermal delay from the IC 10 to the thermistor 300 .
- Several different methods are known to those skilled in the art to create this thermistor integration within the IC 10 package.
- FIG. 6B illustrates a first alternative embodiment for an ECMS 21 for measuring the temperature of an IC 11 using a internal diode 32 , such as that found on some of Intel's Pentium IITM processors, and an analog to digital converter 330 .
- the diode 320 or base-emitter junction of a transistor is embedded in the IC 11 on the silicon substrate to detect heat.
- the diode 320 junction's forward voltage drop is dependent on temperature.
- the diode's 320 forward voltage can be processed by way of analog processing similar to the thermistor, or it can be sampled by an analog to digital converter 330 within control circuit 31 and a digital output presented to the rest of control circuit 31 .
- FIG. 6C illustrates a second alternative embodiment for an EMCS 22 for detecting the effective channel mobility of an IC 12 using a time delay path 340 and a time integrator 350 .
- a time delay path 340 within the IC 12 can be measured and this time delay path 340 is indicative of the effective channel mobility.
- the length of the time delay path 340 can be measured by integrating the start to stop time of the delay with a time integrator 350 using a gate signal within control circuit 32 .
- One advantage of this approach is that the time delay path 340 on the IC 12 can be chosen to be routed about the entire IC 12 surface area thus effectively averaging any thermal differences across the IC 12 .
- the time delay path 340 can also be focused on a specific area of the IC 12 which may be thermally sensitive.
- the output of the time integrator 350 can be either analog or digital, depending on the type of control circuit 32 implemented.
- FIG. 6D illustrates a third alternative embodiment for an ECMS 23 detecting the effective channel mobility of an IC 13 .
- the voltage threshold of a field effect transistor (FET) 370 is measured.
- the voltage threshold is linearly related to temperature (See Sze, p. 543). Therefore, this voltage threshold is indicative of channel conductivity within IC 13 and thus the effective channel mobility of IC 13 .
- a constant current 360 within control circuit 33 is supplied to the drain of the FET 370 on the IC 13 .
- a reference voltage 390 is applied to an operational amplifier 380 within control circuit 33 that adjusts the voltage on the gate of the FET 370 accordingly to keep the drain of the FET 3 70 at the reference voltage 390 level.
- the output of the operational amplifier 380 represents the FET's 370 gate threshold valve.
- This operational amplifier 380 output can be an analog signal or converted to a digital signal for processing in the control circuit 33 to control the supply voltage to IC 13 .
- FIGS. 6 A- 6 D illustrate some effective channel mobility sensors other methods for detecting the effective channel mobility on an IC, such as measuring the resistance of a diffusion resistor, are known to those skilled in the art and still meet the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the ECMS and control circuit may be located external to the IC or integrated onto the IC itself and still meet the spirit and scope of the invention.
- FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary screen interface used by the user of an electronic device to select his desired efficient operating mode.
- the user can select to optimize performance, maximize battery life, extend the temperature operation, or use a default mode.
- the default mode is used to select an option where the power supply inputs to ICs controlled in the manner of the invention are kept at a constant voltage, thus effectively disabling the invention from operating.
- the microprocessor 10 B uses the user's selection to configure the mode control 90 signals to the control circuits 30 A, 30 B, 30 C, and 30 D. Having this feature allows the user of an electronic device to efficiently optimize his electronic device for a particular task and environment.
Abstract
A method and apparatus for operating an integrated circuit in an electronic device by controlling the supply voltage to the integrated circuit (IC). A parameter of the IC is measured and used to adjust the supply voltage of the IC. The measured parameter is indicative of the effective channel mobility of the IC. One purpose of adjusting the voltage is to modify the effective channel mobility such that the individual channel currents are substantially constant over a predetermined operating temperature range of the IC. The modification of channel mobility is chosen to set the individual channel currents at levels that either maximizes operating speed, minimizes power consumption, extends the range of operating temperature, or increases the operational reliability of the IC.
Description
- This invention relates to a voltage control system for an integrated circuit (IC). More particularly, it relates to a voltage control system that selects the voltage of the IC based on the detection of the effective channel mobility of the IC.
- The personal computer has continued its trend of delivering better performance at a lower cost. However, in order to continue delivering these features, new methods of designing computers need to be developed. When the processors inside computers are operating at high clock speeds, the power consumed by the processors increases dramatically. This increased power is dissipated in the computer as excess heat. When the excess heat is not properly controlled or removed from the computer, the user of the computer may experience erratic behavior, system failure, or extremely hot surfaces which may burn, possibly causing injury.
- This increase in power is especially a concern in the design of other portable electronic devices such as handheld personal data assistants, calculators, and notebook computers, to name a few. This concern is due not only to the increased chance of physical contact with hot areas on the device but also due to the fact that increasing the power reduces the battery operating time of the device. Users of notebook computers, in particular, do not want to sacrifice performance for longer battery life. They insist on both. Indeed, for a marketable product, a notebook computer should deliver substantial parity with desktop computer performance and provide adequate battery life, preferably greater than two hours.
- New models of processors for notebook computers, however, will be consuming more power themselves than the power consumed by an entire notebook computer of previous generations. One proposal to address this increased power is to allow desktop performance when a notebook computer is attached to a “docking station” which has additional heat dissipation capabilities such as larger fans or heat sinks. When the notebook computer is removed from the docking station, the processor in the notebook is operated at a lower speed to reduce power, notwithstanding, this also reduces performance. Previous market data has shown that users do not wish to lose their performance while operating their notebook remotely. The proponents of this proposal assert that with the increased performance capability of the processor, even reducing the performance by 50%, there is adequate performance at this slower speed for most tasks. However, this assertion is true even with current generation notebook computers and users simply have chosen not to operate their notebook computers in this fashion. Since the trend in computers is for ever higher clock speeds in processors, this problem of meeting both performance and providing adequate battery life is just going to get worse.
- Additionally, in order to keep the cost of portable electronic devices acceptably low in to the consumer marketplace, manufacturers of the devices have typically designed them to operate at substantially indoor environmental conditions. The aforementioned need to meet increased performance goals has also required the manufactures to tighten the design specification tolerances, such as temperature, to insure reliable operation. Many users, however, are needing to use their electronic devices, such as notebook computers, remotely in environments which may exceed the design specifications of the device. Such examples are data collection tasks in hot, dry deserts, rainforests, and also frigid ice and snow covered mountains. One solution is to provide a special case in which to enclose the product in order to maintain an adequate operating environment. This solution, however, increases the cost and restricts the operational convenience.
- A method and apparatus for efficiently operating an integrated circuit in an electronic device by controlling the supply voltage to the integrated circuit (IC). A parameter of the IC is measured and used to adjust the supply voltage of the IC. The measured parameter is indicative of the effective channel mobility of the IC. One purpose of adjusting the voltage is to modify the effective channel mobility such that the individual channel currents are substantially constant over a predetermined operating temperature range of the IC. The modification of channel mobility is chosen to set the individual channel currents at levels that substantially either maximizes operating speed, minimizes power consumption, extends the range of operating temperature, or increases the operational reliability of the IC.
- FIG. 1 is a graph illustrating the characterized and published operating regions of a typical integrated circuit with respect to voltage and temperature.
- FIG. 2 is a graph illustrating possible voltage tracks within the characterized operating region for different benefits made possible by the invention.
- FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an alternative embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an electronic device incorporating an embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 6A illustrates an effective channel mobility sensor (ECMS) using a thermistor and a feed forward integrator circuit.
- FIG. 6B illustrates a first alternative ECMS circuit using a diode and a thermal sensor with a digital output.
- FIG. 6C illustrates a second alternative ECMS circuit which measures a time delay on an IC.
- FIG. 6D illustrates a third alternative ECMS circuit which measures the gate threshold voltage of a field-effect transistor on the IC.
- FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary screen interface which allows a user of an electronic device to select a desired operating mode.
- The invention relates to a novel method of controlling the power supply to an integrated circuit (IC) used in an electronic device, such as a microprocessor, a graphics display controller, a communications IC, or other high speed and power consuming ICs used in electronic devices. While particularly useful for these types of ICs, the apparatus and method disclosed within can be used with any IC in general and still meet the spirit and scope of the invention. One aspect of the invention is to monitor a parameter of the IC. The parameter is indicative of the effective channel mobility of the charge carriers within the IC. The effective channel mobility defines the channel conductance of the semiconductor components within the IC:
-
- where Vds=drain to source voltage and Vgs=gate to source voltage, i.e. both are typically set at the power supply voltage in a digital circuits when enabled. Therefore, to keep the individual channel current constant with temperature, the power supply voltage can be adjusted to compensate. Since each transistor on the IC has an individual channel current dependent on the width and length of the channel, it is desirable to monitor the effective channel mobility using some parameter of the IC which is indicative of the effective channel mobility. The monitored parameter is then used to adjust the power supply voltage delivered to the IC over a predetermined operating temperature range. By adjusting the power supply voltage to the IC, the effective channel mobility can be compensated to keep the individual channel currents at a substantially constant level or value over the predetermined operating temperature range for the IC. In keeping the individual channel currents constant, the rise and fall times of the outputs of the IC are also kept substantially constant thus maintaining comparable performance. Maintaining individual channel current levels at a substantially constant value over a selected predetermined temperature range allows for several possible benefits that can be achieved depending on the effective channel mobility level chosen.
- FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram showing a typical temperature operating region for an IC versus the supply voltage applied to the IC. The characterized region of
operation 200 is that area where all of the parts testing during device characterization passed the functional electrical tests. The published region ofoperation 210, is a smaller region within the characterized region ofoperation 200, which the manufacturer of the IC guarantees operation of the IC. This published region ofoperation 210 is bounded by the published supply voltage operating Vmin and Vmax specifications, and by the published Tmin and Tmax specifications that limit the region of temperature operation. By selecting a region wherein the channel currents of the individual semiconductor devices on the IC are substantially minimized within the characterized operating parameters of the IC (region I in FIG. 1); the power consumed by the IC is minimized. When selecting a region wherein the channel currents of the individual semiconductor devices on the IC are substantially maximized within the characterized operating parameters of the IC (region II in FIG. 1); the operating speed of the IC is maximized. A further benefit that can be achieved is that by selecting a region such that the semiconductor devices on the IC's channel conductance is maintained within a level that is substantially within the middle of the characterized region of operation of the IC (region III in FIG. 1); the voltage and timing margins of the device are maintained consistently throughout the operating temperature range of the IC. Using this latter method allows use of ICs that have reduced timing margins thus increasing the yieldability of the ICs from the semiconductor wafer. Alternately, it also allows for extending the operating temperature region of the IC. - FIG. 2 is a graph showing exemplary relationships (voltage tracks) of how the supply voltage to the IC is changed with respect to the IC temperature based on the desired benefit to be achieved by the invention. Also shown is a
conventional voltage track 220 of a conventional power supply design for an IC. The characterized region ofoperation 200 and the published region ofoperation 210 are shown for reference. Theconventional voltage track 220 illustrates that the supply voltage to the IC is kept constant at a Vtyp level over the operating temperature range of an IC in conventional systems. The exemplaryperformance voltage track 230 illustrates the supply voltage to operating temperature relationship for a system implementing one aspect of the invention to derive substantially maximum performance. Here theperformance voltage track 230 is chosen to keep the individual channel currents of the IC constant at a predetermined level. In this exemplary embodiment, the IC is operated at its Vmax at Tmin and the supply voltage is increased as the temperature rises to keep the IC within its characterized region ofoperation 200 while keeping the individual channel currents constant. Theexemplary voltage track 240 illustrates how the supply voltage to the IC can be regulated to either maximize the voltage and timing margins of the IC over temperature or to extend the operating temperature range of the IC without going outside of the characterized region ofoperation 200. This is done by operating the IC at Vmin at lower temperatures than specified and increasing the voltage of the IC up to Vmax with increasing temperature beyond that specified by the manufacturer of the IC such that the IC is still operated within the characterized region of operation. The exemplary lowpower voltage track 250 illustrates regulating the supply voltage to keep the power consumed by the IC substantially to a minimum while operating within the characterized region ofoperation 200. This is done by setting the voltage to the IC at Vin at Tmax and lowering the voltage to the IC as the temperature drops. This action keeps the individual channels currents at substantially a fixed level, thus keeping the IC within the characterized region of operation. While each of the previously described exemplary voltage tracks illustrate operation of the IC outside of the published region ofoperation 210, a suitable voltage track can be chosen to only operate within the published region of operation to maximize a desired benefit while observing the IC manufacturers published specification and still meet the spirit and scope of the invention. What is preferred is that the voltage track be chosen such that the effective channel mobility of the IC is modified to keep the individual channel currents substantially constant over the predetermined operating temperature range selected for the IC in its intended application. However, a voltage track that is chosen to keep the IC within the characterized region of operation within a desired region can provide sub-optimized performance while still meeting the spirit and scope of the invention. Although the voltage tracks illustrated in FIG. 2 are shown as straight lines, the actual voltage track for a particular IC may be curvilinear due to the actual voltage to individual channel current relationship for a particular IC. Also, the actual voltage track can be approximated using piece-wise linear approximations of a curvilinear function and still keep the individual channel currents substantially constant over the predetermined operating temperature range. - Another aspect of the invention is to extend this concept to use with more than one IC used in an electronic device; a computer being a particular example. Because the core voltage of each IC using the invention would then operate a different supply voltage levels, a second bus supply voltage is provided to allow the IC's to communicate over a common bus. Those skilled in the art are aware that several voltage translation methods exist to provide the core voltage to bus voltage interface within the IC. In this approach, each IC that utilizes the invention can be optimized for a given purpose; i.e. reduced power consumption, maximized performance, or system integrity. It is also possible to link the adjustable core power supplies within the electronic device to enable the electronic devices to operate at either a minimum power for maximized battery life, maximized speed for maximized performance, or high reliability mode depending on a selection by the user from a configuration screen (see FIG. 7). The high reliability mode allows for the electronic device to operate outside of the IC manufacturer's specified range of operating temperature.
- While one aspect of the invention is that the effective channel mobility control apparatus can exist external to the integrated circuit. Another aspect is that the effective channel mobility control apparatus be incorporated within the IC itself. This latter approach allows the IC manufacturer the ability to increase yields by allowing more ICs on a semiconductor wafer to operate over a wider temperature range. The former approach allows designers of electronic devices flexibility in determining the operation of the products to meet the end-user's needs. In addition to the invention, other conventional temperature control devices such as heat pipes, heat sinks, fans, and blowers to name a few, can be incorporated within the electronic device to further optimize an electronic device for a particular market or need.
- FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the invention. An integrated circuit (IC)10 has a
supply input 12 which accepts a voltage from apower supply 40. An effective channel mobility sensor (ECMS) 20 is used to measure a parameter of theIC 10 that is indicative of the effective channel mobility of theIC 10. The output of theECMS 20 is coupled to acontrol circuit 30 which processes the output ofECMS 20 such that a resultant control signal is fed to acontrol input 42 of thepower supply 40. The processing performed by thecontrol circuit 30 keeps the individual channel currents of theIC 10 substantially constant over a predetermined operating temperature range by monitoring the effective channel mobility ofIC 10 withEMCS 20 and adjusting thepower supply 40 accordingly. - FIG. 4 is a block diagram of another exemplary embodiment of the invention that has multiple ICs: a memory10A, a
microprocessor 10B, agraphics controller 10C, and acommunications IC 10D. Each of these ICs, except memory 10A, are provided with a bus power supply voltage frombus power supply 50. In this exemplary embodiment, the memory 10A andmicroprocessor 10B share a common memory bus 60 and amemory power supply 80 that is used to operate the memory bus 60. A data bus 70 connects themicroprocessor 10B,graphics controller 10C, andcommunications IC 10D. Each of the ICs, 10A-10D have a respectivecore supply input 12A-12D that is provided a supply voltage from arespective power supply 40A-40D. AnECNIS 20A-20D is coupled to each respective IC 10A-10D to sense the respective effective channel mobility of the respective IC and provide an output to arespective control circuit 30A-30D. Eachcontrol circuit 30A -30D, manipulates the receivedrespective EMCS 20A-20D signal and provides an output to the respective control input 42A-42D of therespective power supply 40A-40D. Eachrespective control circuit 30A-30D is designed to operate their respective IC 10A-10D at predetermined individual channel current levels to achieve one of the desired benefits of minimized power, maximized performance, extended temperature range, or increased reliability. Each IC 10A-10D can be separately optimized for one of the benefits or all of the ICs 10A-10D can be chosen to perform the same optimization of benefits depending on the system designer's choice. Alternatively, a user can provide input by way of a utility program (see FIG. 7) that then controls amode control signal 90. - FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary
electronic device 100 such as a personal computer, a notebook computer, a personal data assistant, a calculator, or personal information appliance, to name a few. Amicroprocessor 10′ is connected by way of a data bus 70 toDRAM memory 112, adisplay controller 116, and an input/output (I/O)interface 122. Themicroprocessor 10′ is also connected toL2 cache memory 110 by way of anL2 bus 130. Abus power supply 50 supplies power to themicroprocessor 10′,L2 cache 110,DRAM memory 112,display controller 116 and I/O interface 122. An I/O power supply 114 supplies power to displaycontroller 116, adisplay device 118,mass storage 120, I/O ports 124, I/O interface 122 andinput device 126. The I/O interface 122 allows themicroprocessor 10′ to accessmass storage 120, I/O ports 124, andinput device 126. Thedisplay controller 116 allows themicroprocessor 10′ to present graphical or alphanumeric data to the user usingdisplay device 118. Themicroprocessor 10′ has acore supply input 12 which receives a voltage fromcore power supply 40. An effective channel mobility sensor (ECMS) 20 measures a parameter of themicroprocessor 10′ that is indicative of the channel mobility ofmicroprocessor 10′. The output of theECMS sensor 20 is then used by acontrol circuit 30 which adjusts thecore power supply 40 to substantially maintain predetermined individual channel current levels ofmicroprocessor 10′ over a predetermined operating temperature range of themicroprocessor 10′. Thecontrol circuit 30 is also able to control anair moving device 18, such as a fan or blower, or alternatively another cooling apparatus such as a multi-mode heat pipe. Thisair moving device 18 circulates air across aheat sink 17 which is thermally coupled tomicroprocessor 10′ by way of aheat pipe 16. Theair moving device 18,heat sink 17, andheat pipe 16 provide additional cooling of themicroprocessor 10′ in order to maintain thermal temperature of themicroprocessor 10′ if the elevated voltage to themicroprocessor 10 causes theelectronic device 100 to become too warm such as for safety to the user or to prevent too much heat to spread to other circuits in the system. - FIGS.6A-6D illustrate several different methods of sensing and presenting the effective channel mobility of an IC. The effective channel mobility can be sensed by measuring the temperature (T) of the IC. The effective channel mobility typically has a T−3/2 power dependence within an IC for a fixed voltage (See Sze, pp. 512-515).
- FIG. 6A illustrates an embodiment of an
EMCS 20 for measuring the temperature of anintegrated circuit 10 using athermistor 300 and an integrator with a feed-forward circuit 310 incontrol circuit 30. Conventional thermistor temperature detection circuits typically exhibit a long time delay lag due thermal conductivity delays through the package ofIC 10 and the time integration of the thermistor signal. This time delay is typically on the order of seconds. Since theIC 10 may be operating at a much higher speed than the rate at which the temperature can be sensed, theIC 10 may fail to operate properly before thecontrol circuit 30 adjusting the supply voltage to theIC 10 can respond. In order to speed up the response time of the thermistor signal, the integrator with a feed-forward circuit 310 can be used withincontrol circuit 30 to cancel the delay of the integrator. See commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/955478, filed Oct. 22, 1997, for one technique that increases the response time of a thermistor using a feed forward circuit. However, even with the integrator delay cancelled, there is still a potential time delay due to thermal packaging of theIC 10 if anexternal thermistor 300 is used to detect the temperature of theIC 10. An alternative to an external sensor is to integrate thethermistor 300 within theIC 10 package to reduce the thermal delay from theIC 10 to thethermistor 300. Several different methods are known to those skilled in the art to create this thermistor integration within theIC 10 package. - FIG. 6B illustrates a first alternative embodiment for an
ECMS 21 for measuring the temperature of anIC 11 using ainternal diode 32, such as that found on some of Intel's Pentium II™ processors, and an analog todigital converter 330. Thediode 320 or base-emitter junction of a transistor is embedded in theIC 11 on the silicon substrate to detect heat. Thediode 320 junction's forward voltage drop is dependent on temperature. The diode's 320 forward voltage can be processed by way of analog processing similar to the thermistor, or it can be sampled by an analog todigital converter 330 withincontrol circuit 31 and a digital output presented to the rest ofcontrol circuit 31. For an exemplary diode to digital signal converter which creates a digital readout see Maxim's 1671A specification. This digital output is then processed by a microcontroller,IC 11, or adigital signal processor 332 within thecontrol circuit 31 to perform the necessary filtering and conversions to derive a signal that adjusts the core power supply to theIC 11. - FIG. 6C illustrates a second alternative embodiment for an
EMCS 22 for detecting the effective channel mobility of anIC 12 using atime delay path 340 and atime integrator 350. Since the effective channel mobility controls the conductance of the semiconductor devices on theIC 12, atime delay path 340 within theIC 12 can be measured and thistime delay path 340 is indicative of the effective channel mobility. Thus the length of thetime delay path 340 can be measured by integrating the start to stop time of the delay with atime integrator 350 using a gate signal withincontrol circuit 32. One advantage of this approach is that thetime delay path 340 on theIC 12 can be chosen to be routed about theentire IC 12 surface area thus effectively averaging any thermal differences across theIC 12. Thetime delay path 340 can also be focused on a specific area of theIC 12 which may be thermally sensitive. The output of thetime integrator 350 can be either analog or digital, depending on the type ofcontrol circuit 32 implemented. - FIG. 6D illustrates a third alternative embodiment for an
ECMS 23 detecting the effective channel mobility of anIC 13. In this technique, the voltage threshold of a field effect transistor (FET) 370 is measured. The voltage threshold is linearly related to temperature (See Sze, p. 543). Therefore, this voltage threshold is indicative of channel conductivity withinIC 13 and thus the effective channel mobility ofIC 13. In this exemplary diagram, a constant current 360 withincontrol circuit 33 is supplied to the drain of theFET 370 on theIC 13. Areference voltage 390 is applied to anoperational amplifier 380 withincontrol circuit 33 that adjusts the voltage on the gate of theFET 370 accordingly to keep the drain of the FET3 70 at thereference voltage 390 level. The output of theoperational amplifier 380 represents the FET's 370 gate threshold valve. Thisoperational amplifier 380 output can be an analog signal or converted to a digital signal for processing in thecontrol circuit 33 to control the supply voltage toIC 13. - While FIGS.6A-6D illustrate some effective channel mobility sensors other methods for detecting the effective channel mobility on an IC, such as measuring the resistance of a diffusion resistor, are known to those skilled in the art and still meet the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the ECMS and control circuit may be located external to the IC or integrated onto the IC itself and still meet the spirit and scope of the invention.
- FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary screen interface used by the user of an electronic device to select his desired efficient operating mode. The user can select to optimize performance, maximize battery life, extend the temperature operation, or use a default mode. The default mode is used to select an option where the power supply inputs to ICs controlled in the manner of the invention are kept at a constant voltage, thus effectively disabling the invention from operating. For example, in FIG. 4, the
microprocessor 10B uses the user's selection to configure themode control 90 signals to thecontrol circuits
Claims (23)
1. A method for operating an integrated circuit (IC) having an effective channel mobility, a parameter indicative of the effective channel mobility of the IC, a plurality of individual channel current levels, a predetermined operating temperature range, and a supply voltage input, the method comprising the steps of:
measuring the parameter of the IC, said; and
adjusting the supply voltage input to the IC to modify said effective channel mobility of the IC such that the plurality of predetermined individual channel current levels are substantially constant over the predetermined operating temperature range of the IC.
2. The method of wherein the plurality of predetermined individual channel current levels are chosen such that the power consumed by the IC is minimized.
claim 1
3. The method of wherein the plurality of predetermined individual channel current levels are chosen such that the operating speed of the IC is maximized.
claim 1
4. The method of wherein the IC has a characterized region of operation and wherein the plurality of predetermined individual channel current levels are chosen such that voltage and timing margins of the IC are maintained within substantially the middle of the characterized region of operation of the IC.
claim 1
5. The method of wherein the IC has a characterized region of operation and wherein the step of adjusting the supply voltage input to the IC to modify said effective channel mobility can be selected during operation of the IC to choose the levels of the plurality of predetermined individual channel currents which provide a desired benefit from the benefit group consisting of keeping the supply voltage input constant, minimizing the power consumed by the IC, maximizing the operating speed of the IC, and maintaining the voltage and timing margins substantially within the middle of the characterized region of operation of the IC.
claim 1
6. A method for operating a plurality of integrated circuits (ICs), each integrated circuit having a core supply voltage input, a bus supply voltage input, a parameter indicative of the effective channel mobility, and a plurality of predetermined individual channel current levels, the method comprising the steps of:
supplying a first voltage to the bus supply voltage input of said plurality of ICs, wherein said bus supply voltage input of said plurality of ICs is used on each IC to power input and outputs pads used to interconnect said plurality of ICs; and
for each of said plurality of ICs,
measuring the parameter of the IC, and
adjusting the core supply voltage input to the individual IC to monitor said effective channel mobility of the individual IC core such that the plurality of predetermined individual channel current levels are substantially constant throughout the operating temperature range of the individual IC.
7. A method of determining a mode of operation of an electronic device having at least one integrated circuit (IC), a power supply coupled to the at least one IC, a display screen, and a predetermined operating temperature range, comprising the steps of:
displaying a choice of options on the display screen, the options capable of allowing for the selection of maximizing performance, maximizing battery life, and extending the temperature operation for the electronic device;
selecting an option on the display screen; and
adjusting the power supply over the predetermined operating temperature range such that the selected option of mode of operation is essentially obtained on the electronic device.
8. An electronic device capable of using the method of .
claim 7
9. An electronic device, comprising:
at least one integrated circuit having a supply voltage input;
a power supply coupled to said supply voltage input of said at least one integrated circuit, said power supply having a control input; and
a control circuit coupled to said control input of said power supply, said control circuit having an effective channel mobility sensor for detecting the effective channel mobility of said at least one integrated circuit;
wherein said at least one integrated circuit operates such that individual channel current levels are substantially constant over a predetermined operating temperature range of the IC.
10. The electronic device of , wherein said electronic device is selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, a notebook computer, a personal data assistant, a calculator, and personal information appliance.
claim 9
11. An effective channel mobility control apparatus for an integrated circuit (IC) having a supply voltage input connected to a power supply having a control input, a plurality of individual channel current levels, and a predetermined temperature range, the apparatus comprising:
an effective channel mobility sensor coupled to the IC, the effective channel mobility sensor having an output; and
means for adjusting said input of said power supply using the output of said effective channel mobility sensor wherein the individual channel current levels of the IC are substantially constant over the predetermined operating temperature range of the IC.
12. An integrated circuit (IC) comprising at least one effective channel mobility apparatus of , the apparatus incorporated within the IC.
claim 11
13. An electronic device comprising at least one effective channel mobility apparatus of .
claim 11
14. The effective channel mobility control apparatus of wherein said effective channel mobility sensor comprises at least one element selected from the group of effective channel mobility sensors consisting of a thermistor, a diode, a diffusion resistor, a time delay path, and a gate threshold voltage level.
claim 11
15. The effective channel mobility control apparatus of wherein said IC is a microprocessor.
claim 11
16. The effective channel mobility control apparatus of wherein said IC is a graphics controller.
claim 11
17. The effective channel mobility control apparatus of wherein said IC is dynamic random access memory circuit.
claim 11
18. The effective channel mobility control apparatus of wherein said IC is a communication processing IC.
claim 11
19. The effective channel mobility control apparatus of wherein said means for adjusting comprises a feed-forward circuit.
claim 11
20. The effective channel mobility control apparatus of wherein said means for adjusting comprises a digital signal processor.
claim 11
21. The effective channel mobility control apparatus of wherein said effective channel mobility sensor detects a digital readout from the IC.
claim 11
22. The effective channel mobility control apparatus of , further comprising a cooling apparatus for the IC, said cooling apparatus coupled to said control circuit.
claim 9
23. The effective channel mobility control apparatus of , wherein said cooling apparatus is selected from the group consisting of a fan, a blower, and a multi-mode heat pipe.
claim 20
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US09/905,595 US6449575B2 (en) | 1999-04-21 | 2001-07-13 | Voltage control of integrated circuits |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US09/296,703 US6304824B1 (en) | 1999-04-21 | 1999-04-21 | Voltage control of integrated circuits |
US09/905,595 US6449575B2 (en) | 1999-04-21 | 2001-07-13 | Voltage control of integrated circuits |
Related Parent Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US09/296,703 Division US6304824B1 (en) | 1999-04-21 | 1999-04-21 | Voltage control of integrated circuits |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20010049588A1 true US20010049588A1 (en) | 2001-12-06 |
US6449575B2 US6449575B2 (en) | 2002-09-10 |
Family
ID=23143188
Family Applications (3)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US09/296,703 Expired - Lifetime US6304824B1 (en) | 1999-04-21 | 1999-04-21 | Voltage control of integrated circuits |
US09/841,781 Expired - Lifetime US6393371B1 (en) | 1999-04-21 | 2001-04-24 | Voltage control of integrated circuits |
US09/905,595 Expired - Lifetime US6449575B2 (en) | 1999-04-21 | 2001-07-13 | Voltage control of integrated circuits |
Family Applications Before (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US09/296,703 Expired - Lifetime US6304824B1 (en) | 1999-04-21 | 1999-04-21 | Voltage control of integrated circuits |
US09/841,781 Expired - Lifetime US6393371B1 (en) | 1999-04-21 | 2001-04-24 | Voltage control of integrated circuits |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (3) | US6304824B1 (en) |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20040199923A1 (en) * | 2003-04-07 | 2004-10-07 | Russek David J. | Method, system and software for associating atributes within digital media presentations |
US20090157334A1 (en) * | 2007-12-14 | 2009-06-18 | Kenneth Joseph Goodnow | Measurement of power consumption within an integrated circuit |
US7715995B2 (en) * | 2007-12-14 | 2010-05-11 | International Business Machines Corporation | Design structure for measurement of power consumption within an integrated circuit |
Families Citing this family (53)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US7301313B1 (en) * | 1999-03-23 | 2007-11-27 | Intel Corporation | Multiple voltage regulators for use with a single load |
JP3606138B2 (en) * | 1999-11-05 | 2005-01-05 | セイコーエプソン株式会社 | Driver IC, electro-optical device and electronic apparatus |
US7100061B2 (en) | 2000-01-18 | 2006-08-29 | Transmeta Corporation | Adaptive power control |
US6968469B1 (en) | 2000-06-16 | 2005-11-22 | Transmeta Corporation | System and method for preserving internal processor context when the processor is powered down and restoring the internal processor context when processor is restored |
US7032119B2 (en) | 2000-09-27 | 2006-04-18 | Amphus, Inc. | Dynamic power and workload management for multi-server system |
US7260731B1 (en) | 2000-10-23 | 2007-08-21 | Transmeta Corporation | Saving power when in or transitioning to a static mode of a processor |
US20020138159A1 (en) * | 2001-03-26 | 2002-09-26 | Atkinson Lee W. | Temperature responsive power supply to minimize power consumption of digital logic without reducing system performance |
US20030196126A1 (en) | 2002-04-11 | 2003-10-16 | Fung Henry T. | System, method, and architecture for dynamic server power management and dynamic workload management for multi-server environment |
US20030076154A1 (en) * | 2001-10-17 | 2003-04-24 | Kaveh Shakeri | Controlling circuit power consumption through supply voltage control |
US6947865B1 (en) * | 2002-02-15 | 2005-09-20 | Nvidia Corporation | Method and system for dynamic power supply voltage adjustment for a semiconductor integrated circuit device |
US7112978B1 (en) | 2002-04-16 | 2006-09-26 | Transmeta Corporation | Frequency specific closed loop feedback control of integrated circuits |
US7941675B2 (en) * | 2002-12-31 | 2011-05-10 | Burr James B | Adaptive power control |
US7336090B1 (en) | 2002-04-16 | 2008-02-26 | Transmeta Corporation | Frequency specific closed loop feedback control of integrated circuits |
US7886164B1 (en) | 2002-11-14 | 2011-02-08 | Nvidia Corporation | Processor temperature adjustment system and method |
US7849332B1 (en) | 2002-11-14 | 2010-12-07 | Nvidia Corporation | Processor voltage adjustment system and method |
US7882369B1 (en) | 2002-11-14 | 2011-02-01 | Nvidia Corporation | Processor performance adjustment system and method |
US6996730B2 (en) * | 2002-11-25 | 2006-02-07 | Texas Instruments Incorporated | Adjusting voltage supplied to a processor in response to clock frequency |
US7786756B1 (en) | 2002-12-31 | 2010-08-31 | Vjekoslav Svilan | Method and system for latchup suppression |
US7642835B1 (en) * | 2003-11-12 | 2010-01-05 | Robert Fu | System for substrate potential regulation during power-up in integrated circuits |
US7953990B2 (en) * | 2002-12-31 | 2011-05-31 | Stewart Thomas E | Adaptive power control based on post package characterization of integrated circuits |
US7949864B1 (en) | 2002-12-31 | 2011-05-24 | Vjekoslav Svilan | Balanced adaptive body bias control |
US7228242B2 (en) | 2002-12-31 | 2007-06-05 | Transmeta Corporation | Adaptive power control based on pre package characterization of integrated circuits |
US7205758B1 (en) | 2004-02-02 | 2007-04-17 | Transmeta Corporation | Systems and methods for adjusting threshold voltage |
US7148755B2 (en) * | 2003-08-26 | 2006-12-12 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | System and method to adjust voltage |
US7646835B1 (en) | 2003-11-17 | 2010-01-12 | Rozas Guillermo J | Method and system for automatically calibrating intra-cycle timing relationships for sampling signals for an integrated circuit device |
US7692477B1 (en) | 2003-12-23 | 2010-04-06 | Tien-Min Chen | Precise control component for a substrate potential regulation circuit |
US7129771B1 (en) | 2003-12-23 | 2006-10-31 | Transmeta Corporation | Servo loop for well bias voltage source |
US7012461B1 (en) | 2003-12-23 | 2006-03-14 | Transmeta Corporation | Stabilization component for a substrate potential regulation circuit |
US7649402B1 (en) | 2003-12-23 | 2010-01-19 | Tien-Min Chen | Feedback-controlled body-bias voltage source |
US7816742B1 (en) * | 2004-09-30 | 2010-10-19 | Koniaris Kleanthes G | Systems and methods for integrated circuits comprising multiple body biasing domains |
US7859062B1 (en) * | 2004-02-02 | 2010-12-28 | Koniaris Kleanthes G | Systems and methods for integrated circuits comprising multiple body biasing domains |
US7479753B1 (en) | 2004-02-24 | 2009-01-20 | Nvidia Corporation | Fan speed controller |
US7562233B1 (en) | 2004-06-22 | 2009-07-14 | Transmeta Corporation | Adaptive control of operating and body bias voltages |
US7774625B1 (en) | 2004-06-22 | 2010-08-10 | Eric Chien-Li Sheng | Adaptive voltage control by accessing information stored within and specific to a microprocessor |
US7205805B1 (en) | 2004-11-02 | 2007-04-17 | Western Digital Technologies, Inc. | Adjusting power consumption of digital circuitry relative to critical path circuit having the largest propagation delay error |
US7129763B1 (en) | 2004-11-08 | 2006-10-31 | Western Digital Technologies, Inc. | Adjusting power consumption of digital circuitry by generating frequency error representing error in propagation delay |
DE102005051848B4 (en) * | 2005-10-28 | 2008-08-21 | Infineon Technologies Ag | Circuit arrangement for temperature drift compensated current measurement |
US7953991B2 (en) * | 2006-02-27 | 2011-05-31 | Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. | Processing system and methods for use therewith |
US7486060B1 (en) | 2006-03-30 | 2009-02-03 | Western Digital Technologies, Inc. | Switching voltage regulator comprising a cycle comparator for dynamic voltage scaling |
US7551383B1 (en) | 2006-06-28 | 2009-06-23 | Western Digital Technologies, Inc. | Adjusting voltage delivered to disk drive circuitry based on a selected zone |
US7330019B1 (en) | 2006-10-31 | 2008-02-12 | Western Digital Technologies, Inc. | Adjusting on-time for a discontinuous switching voltage regulator |
US9134782B2 (en) | 2007-05-07 | 2015-09-15 | Nvidia Corporation | Maintaining optimum voltage supply to match performance of an integrated circuit |
US7733189B1 (en) | 2007-09-14 | 2010-06-08 | Western Digital Technologies, Inc. | Oscillator comprising foldover detection |
US8370663B2 (en) | 2008-02-11 | 2013-02-05 | Nvidia Corporation | Power management with dynamic frequency adjustments |
US8085020B1 (en) | 2008-06-13 | 2011-12-27 | Western Digital Technologies, Inc. | Switching voltage regulator employing dynamic voltage scaling with hysteretic comparator |
US8074087B2 (en) * | 2008-06-24 | 2011-12-06 | Microsoft Corporation | Configuring processors and loads for power management |
US9256265B2 (en) | 2009-12-30 | 2016-02-09 | Nvidia Corporation | Method and system for artificially and dynamically limiting the framerate of a graphics processing unit |
US9830889B2 (en) | 2009-12-31 | 2017-11-28 | Nvidia Corporation | Methods and system for artifically and dynamically limiting the display resolution of an application |
US8839006B2 (en) | 2010-05-28 | 2014-09-16 | Nvidia Corporation | Power consumption reduction systems and methods |
US8937404B1 (en) | 2010-08-23 | 2015-01-20 | Western Digital Technologies, Inc. | Data storage device comprising dual mode independent/parallel voltage regulators |
JP5497196B2 (en) * | 2010-11-25 | 2014-05-21 | シャープ株式会社 | Power control apparatus, power control method, power control program, and recording medium |
JP5630453B2 (en) * | 2012-02-16 | 2014-11-26 | 日本電気株式会社 | Degradation detection circuit and semiconductor integrated device |
US11740941B2 (en) * | 2017-02-24 | 2023-08-29 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd | Method of accelerating execution of machine learning based application tasks in a computing device |
Family Cites Families (10)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5021679A (en) | 1989-06-30 | 1991-06-04 | Poqet Computer Corporation | Power supply and oscillator for a computer system providing automatic selection of supply voltage and frequency |
US5258662A (en) * | 1992-04-06 | 1993-11-02 | Linear Technology Corp. | Micropower gate charge pump for power MOSFETS |
US5440520A (en) * | 1994-09-16 | 1995-08-08 | Intel Corporation | Integrated circuit device that selects its own supply voltage by controlling a power supply |
US5613130A (en) * | 1994-11-10 | 1997-03-18 | Vadem Corporation | Card voltage switching and protection |
FR2731110B1 (en) * | 1995-02-23 | 1997-05-16 | Texas Instruments France | RECHARGEABLE BATTERY PROTECTION DEVICE AND MOSFET TRANSISTOR EQUIPPED WITH THIS DEVICE |
US5691870A (en) * | 1995-11-07 | 1997-11-25 | Compaq Computer Corporation | Circuit for monitoring and disabling power supply signals to a microprocessor in a computer system utilizing secondary voltage regulators |
US5694090A (en) * | 1996-04-18 | 1997-12-02 | Micron Technology, Inc. | Voltage and temperature compensated oscillator frequency stabilizer |
US5760636A (en) | 1996-06-28 | 1998-06-02 | Intel Corporation | Adjusting clock frequency and voltage supplied to a processor in a computer system |
US5919259A (en) * | 1997-04-18 | 1999-07-06 | Dahl; Nathaniel H. | Method and apparatus for supplying power to a CPU using an adaptor card |
US5912793A (en) * | 1997-12-01 | 1999-06-15 | Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. | Device and method for protecting a CPU from being damaged by overrating voltage or overrating current |
-
1999
- 1999-04-21 US US09/296,703 patent/US6304824B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
2001
- 2001-04-24 US US09/841,781 patent/US6393371B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 2001-07-13 US US09/905,595 patent/US6449575B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Cited By (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20040199923A1 (en) * | 2003-04-07 | 2004-10-07 | Russek David J. | Method, system and software for associating atributes within digital media presentations |
US20040267816A1 (en) * | 2003-04-07 | 2004-12-30 | Russek David J. | Method, system and software for digital media narrative personalization |
US8478645B2 (en) * | 2003-04-07 | 2013-07-02 | Sevenecho, Llc | Method, system and software for digital media narrative personalization |
US8856030B2 (en) | 2003-04-07 | 2014-10-07 | Sevenecho, Llc | Method, system and software for associating attributes within digital media presentations |
US10679255B2 (en) | 2003-04-07 | 2020-06-09 | 10Tales, Inc. | Method, system and software for associating attributes within digital media presentations |
US20090157334A1 (en) * | 2007-12-14 | 2009-06-18 | Kenneth Joseph Goodnow | Measurement of power consumption within an integrated circuit |
US7715995B2 (en) * | 2007-12-14 | 2010-05-11 | International Business Machines Corporation | Design structure for measurement of power consumption within an integrated circuit |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US6393371B1 (en) | 2002-05-21 |
US6304824B1 (en) | 2001-10-16 |
US20020029121A1 (en) | 2002-03-07 |
US6449575B2 (en) | 2002-09-10 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US6304824B1 (en) | Voltage control of integrated circuits | |
US7574321B2 (en) | Model predictive thermal management | |
JP2986381B2 (en) | Electronic chip temperature control device and method | |
US5929581A (en) | Proportional integral fan controller for computer | |
JP4575333B2 (en) | Heat sensing system | |
US7334418B2 (en) | Method and apparatus for microprocessor temperature control | |
US20050209740A1 (en) | Systems and methods for controlling fans | |
US6987370B2 (en) | Method and system for cooling electronic components | |
KR100651186B1 (en) | A method and apparatus for monitoring the temperature of a processor | |
JP2986384B2 (en) | Apparatus and method for actively cooling a semiconductor chip module | |
US7791301B2 (en) | Apparatus and method for fan auto-detection | |
US6880345B1 (en) | Cooling system for an electronic component | |
US6336592B1 (en) | Thermal control for a test and measurement instrument | |
US20080269954A1 (en) | Electronic device thermal management system and method | |
US20080004755A1 (en) | Apparatus and method for automatically configuring control of a fan to be exclusively performed by a motherboard | |
US7356426B2 (en) | Calibration of thermal sensors for semiconductor dies | |
US20050210905A1 (en) | Separate thermal and electrical throttling limits in processors | |
US20020138159A1 (en) | Temperature responsive power supply to minimize power consumption of digital logic without reducing system performance | |
US8756444B1 (en) | System and method for determining power consumption | |
US7902802B2 (en) | Systems and methods for on-chip power management | |
US20090128222A1 (en) | Apparatus and method for adjusting working frequency of vrd by detecting temperature | |
US7047756B2 (en) | Method for automatic thermal calibration of a cooling system | |
US6484117B1 (en) | Predictive temperature control system for an integrated circuit | |
CN100395553C (en) | Method for detecting load current by using signal in work cycle of pulsewidth modulation controller | |
US20080001647A1 (en) | Temperature stabilized integrated circuits |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
STCF | Information on status: patent grant |
Free format text: PATENTED CASE |
|
FPAY | Fee payment |
Year of fee payment: 4 |
|
FPAY | Fee payment |
Year of fee payment: 8 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P., TEXAS Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY;REEL/FRAME:026945/0699 Effective date: 20030131 |
|
FPAY | Fee payment |
Year of fee payment: 12 |