公开(公告)号：US11670548B2

公开(公告)日：2023-06-06

申请号：US17080609

申请日：2020-10-26

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Vidhya Ramachandran ,  Jun Zhai ,  Chonghua Zhong ,  Kunzhong Hu ,  Shawn Searles ,  Joseph T. DiBene, II ,  Mengzhi Pang

IPC: H01L21/77 ,  H01L25/16 ,  H01L25/03 ,  H01L25/18 ,  H01L21/66 ,  H01L23/00

CPC classification number: H01L21/77 ,  H01L22/20 ,  H01L24/32 ,  H01L24/73 ,  H01L25/03 ,  H01L25/16 ,  H01L25/18 ,  H01L24/17 ,  H01L2224/12105 ,  H01L2224/1403 ,  H01L2224/16145 ,  H01L2224/16227 ,  H01L2224/16235 ,  H01L2224/16265 ,  H01L2224/1703 ,  H01L2224/17181 ,  H01L2224/24195 ,  H01L2924/12 ,  H01L2924/1205 ,  H01L2924/1206 ,  H01L2924/1427 ,  H01L2924/1432 ,  H01L2924/1433 ,  H01L2924/1436 ,  H01L2924/15192 ,  H01L2924/15311 ,  H01L2924/18161 ,  H01L2924/18162 ,  H01L2924/19041 ,  H01L2924/19042 ,  H01L2924/19103 ,  H01L2924/19104

Abstract: Systems that include integrated circuit dies and voltage regulator units are disclosed. Such systems may include a voltage regulator module and an integrated circuit mounted in a common system package. The voltage regulator module may include a voltage regulator circuit and one or more passive devices mounted to a common substrate, and the integrated circuit may include a System-on-a-chip. The system package may include an interconnect region that includes wires fabricated on multiple conductive layers within the interconnect region. At least one power supply terminal of the integrated circuit may be coupled to an output of the voltage regulator module via a wire included in the interconnect region.

公开(公告)号：US20230086364A1

公开(公告)日：2023-03-23

申请号：US17934648

申请日：2022-09-23

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Alberto Alessandro Angelo Puggelli ,  Hubert Attah ,  Hao Zhou ,  Shawn Searles

IPC: H02M3/158 ,  H02M1/00

Abstract: An apparatus includes a control circuit and a voltage regulator circuit coupled to a regulated power supply node. The voltage regulator circuit is configured to generate a power signal on the regulated power supply node using a reference voltage level. The apparatus further includes a control circuit that is configured to determine an operating mode using results of a comparison of a threshold value and a load current being drawn from the regulated power supply node by a load circuit. The control circuit may be further configured to set, in a first operating mode, the reference voltage level independently of the load current, and set, in a second operating mode, the reference voltage level using the load current.

公开(公告)号：US20230080624A1

公开(公告)日：2023-03-16

申请号：US17476186

申请日：2021-09-15

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Shawn Searles ,  Preethi Damodaran ,  Ofir Gilad ,  Michele De Fazio ,  Inder M. Sodhi ,  Enrico Zanetti ,  Olivier Girard ,  Lothar Münch ,  Andrea Barsanti ,  Andrea Lazzeri

IPC: G06F1/324 ,  G06F1/3296

Abstract: A power management subsystem included in a computer system may include a host device and a power circuit group. The power circuit group includes multiple power circuits arranged in a tree-like structure. The resources of the multiple power circuits are mapped to corresponding addresses within a common address space. The host device sends, via a first communication bus, commands to a branch power circuit of the multiple power circuits, which, in turn, relays the commands, using a second communication bus, to corresponding ones of the other power circuits based on respective power resources specified in the commands received from the host device.

公开(公告)号：US11456670B2

公开(公告)日：2022-09-27

申请号：US16791773

申请日：2020-02-14

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Alberto Alessandro Angelo Puggelli ,  Hubert Attah ,  Hao Zhou ,  Shawn Searles

IPC: H02M3/158 ,  H02M1/00

Abstract: An apparatus includes a control circuit and a voltage regulator circuit coupled to a regulated power supply node. The voltage regulator circuit is configured to generate a power signal on the regulated power supply node using a reference voltage level. The apparatus further includes a control circuit that is configured to determine an operating mode using results of a comparison of a threshold value and a load current being drawn from the regulated power supply node by a load circuit. The control circuit may be further configured to set, in a first operating mode, the reference voltage level independently of the load current, and set, in a second operating mode, the reference voltage level using the load current.

公开(公告)号：US20220107680A1

公开(公告)日：2022-04-07

申请号：US17499723

申请日：2021-10-12

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Jay B. Fletcher ,  Karthik Manickam ,  Bo Yang ,  Vincent R. von Kaenel ,  Shawn Searles ,  Hubert Attah ,  Nir Dahan ,  Olivier Girard

IPC: G06F1/3296 ,  G01R31/28 ,  G06F1/3206

Abstract: A voltage regulator circuit included in a computer system may generate a voltage level on a power supply signal using a source power supply signal and based initial values of one or more operation parameters derived from wafer-level test data. One or more operation characteristics of the voltage regulator circuit may be sampled, by a measurement circuit, at multiple time points to generated measurement data. A control circuit may adapt operation of the voltage regulator circuit based on the measurement data.

公开(公告)号：US20220099712A1

公开(公告)日：2022-03-31

申请号：US17033505

申请日：2020-09-25

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Michele De Fazio ,  Shawn Searles

IPC: G01R19/15 ,  G01R19/257

Abstract: A current measurement circuit is disclosed. The current measurement circuit includes first and second circuit branches coupled to a circuit node through which current is to be measured. During a first period, the first circuit branch converts the current into a first voltage. During a second period, the second circuit branch converter the current into a second voltage. An analog-to-digital converter is configured to convert the first and second voltages into digital values indicative of the measured current. A control circuit is configured to alternately select one of the first and second branches during the generation of the digital values.

公开(公告)号：US20220066490A1

公开(公告)日：2022-03-03

申请号：US17006707

申请日：2020-08-28

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Shawn Searles ,  Victor Zyuban ,  Mohamed Abu-Rahma

IPC: G05F1/575 ,  H03K17/22

Abstract: A voltage regulator circuit may generate a regulated voltage level using a voltage level of a feedback node. The regulated voltage level may be distributed, via a power distribution network, to package power supply node of a package, into which an integrated circuit has been mounted. Power switches included in the integrated circuit may couple the package power supply node to respective local power supply nodes in the integrated circuit. A particular power switch may selectively couple different ones of the local power supply nodes to the feedback node, allowing the voltage regulator circuit to compensate for reductions in the regulated voltage level due to the power distribution network, as well as adjust the regulated voltage level based on power consumptions of load circuits coupled to the local power supply nodes.

公开(公告)号：US11144110B2

公开(公告)日：2021-10-12

申请号：US16039842

申请日：2018-07-19

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Jay B. Fletcher ,  Karthik Manickam ,  Bo Yang ,  Vincent R. von Kaenel ,  Shawn Searles ,  Hubert Attah ,  Nir Dahan ,  Olivier Girard

IPC: G06F1/32 ,  G06F1/3296 ,  G01R31/28 ,  G06F1/3206

Abstract: A voltage regulator circuit included in a computer system may generate a voltage level on a power supply signal using a source power supply signal and based initial values of one or more operation parameters derived from wafer-level test data. One or more operation characteristics of the voltage regulator circuit may be sampled, by a measurement circuit, at multiple time points to generated measurement data. A control circuit may adapt operation of the voltage regulator circuit based on the measurement data.

公开(公告)号：US11063046B2

公开(公告)日：2021-07-13

申请号：US16529043

申请日：2019-08-01

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Jared L. Zerbe ,  Emerson S. Fang ,  Jun Zhai ,  Shawn Searles

IPC: H01L27/10 ,  H01L23/13 ,  H01L23/64 ,  H01L23/00 ,  H01L25/065 ,  H01L25/16 ,  H01L25/18 ,  H01L23/498 ,  H01G4/228 ,  H01L49/02 ,  H01L23/48 ,  H01L25/10 ,  H01L23/50

Abstract: A semiconductor device package is described that includes a power consuming device (such as an SOC device). The power consuming device may include one or more current consuming elements. A passive device may be coupled to the power consuming device. The passive device may include a plurality of passive elements formed on a semiconductor substrate. The passive elements may be arranged in an array of structures on the semiconductor substrate. The power consuming device and the passive device may be coupled using one or more terminals. The passive device and power consuming device coupling may be configured in such a way that the power consuming device determines functionally the way the passive device elements will be used.

公开(公告)号：US10520970B2

公开(公告)日：2019-12-31

申请号：US14870661

申请日：2015-09-30

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Jay B. Fletcher ,  Shawn Searles ,  Fabio Gozzini ,  Sanjay Pant

IPC: H02M3/158 ,  G05F3/08 ,  H02M1/00

Abstract: A system that includes a regulator unit is disclosed. The regulator unit includes first and second phase units whose outputs are coupled to a common output node. Each of the phase units may be configured to source current to the output node in response to the assertion of a respective clock signal in order to generate a regulated supply voltage. Each phase unit includes a respective transconductance amplifier configured to generate a respective demand current dependent upon a reference voltage and the regulated supply voltage.