摘要:
An integrated circuit includes a clock alignment circuit having a frequency synthesizer for receiving a reference clock signal at a lower frequency and for generating phases of an oscillator clock signal at a higher frequency. The oscillator clock signal phases drive a desired clock signal generating circuit that generates various phases of the desired clock signal. The desired clock signal phases are systematically compared to the reference clock signal. The phase of the desired clock signal that is determined to align with the reference clock signal is provided as the desired clock signal output from the integrated circuit such that there is no apparent time delay through the integrated circuit. In an alternate embodiment, a single phase of the desired clock signal is selected and a phase locked loop adjusts the oscillator in the frequency synthesizer to align the selected phase of the desired clock signal with the reference clock signal.
摘要:
An integrated circuit has an oscillator for generating a plurality of phases of an oscillator clock signal. Each phase of the oscillator clock clocks a respective one of a plurality of ring shift registers. The output of each stage of the ring shift registers is a phase of a desired clock signal and is an input to a multiplexer that can selectively provide one of the desired clock phases as the output of the multiplexer. In another embodiment of the invention the ring shift registers generate half of the phases of a desired clock signal at a multiple of the desired frequency. The multiplexer output clocks a divide by two circuit which is followed by another level of multiplexing to generate the other half of the phases and to divide down to the desired frequency.
摘要:
An electrically programmable fuse, a method of operating the same and an integrated circuit (IC) incorporating the fuse or the method. In one embodiment, the fuse includes: (1) at least one fuse element configured to be programmed with contents and (2) an inhibitor coupled to the at least one fuse element and configured to be activated to inhibit subsequent reprogramming of the at least one fuse element.
摘要:
Techniques for enhancing the performance of an IC are provided. A method of enhancing IC performance includes the steps of: associating at least one performance result of at least one performance monitor, formed on the IC, with deterministic combinations of IC performance and a processing parameter, a supply voltage, and/or a temperature of the IC; determining an IC processing characterization of the IC as a function of the performance result for at least one prescribed supply voltage and temperature of the IC, the IC processing characterization being indicative of a type of processing received by the IC during fabrication of the IC; and controlling a voltage supplied to at least a portion of the IC, the voltage being controlled as a function of the IC processing characterization and/or the temperature of the IC so as to satisfy at least one prescribed performance parameter of the IC.
摘要:
A PCB having fewer off-chip memories than chips, a MCM, and a method of accessing an off-chip shared memory space. In one embodiment, the method includes: (1) generating a memory request at a first chip of the printed circuit board, (2) transforming the memory request to a shared memory request and (3) directing the shared memory request to an off-chip shared memory space indirectly coupled to the first chip via a second chip of the printed circuit board.
摘要:
A computer peripheral device suitable for operation with a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) Bus or the like, has the ability to “wakeup” the bus from a cold state (e.g., D3cold) without the need to supply auxiliary power (e.g., 3.3 volts) to the entire device during the cold state. A modem in the preferred embodiment (although the invention is applicable to other peripheral devices), the device latches device status information from the main circuitry of the device (operating on 5 volts, for example) into a “keep alive” circuit connected to the auxiliary power supply upon the falling edge of a PCI reset signal (RST#). Additionally, the auxiliary power supply also powers a ring detect circuit for the detection of an incoming telephone call, which incoming call triggers a Power Management Event (PME#) signal for changing the state of the bus to an active state. Further, the auxiliary power supply powers a RST# detection circuit for indicating that a change in the power state of the bus is imminent.
摘要:
An adaptive voltage scaling system includes first and second devices. Each of the first and second devices includes at least one master serial interface port and at least one slave serial interface port. The first device is operatively coupled to a voltage regulator, and the slave serial interface port associated with the second device is operatively coupled to the master serial interface port associated with the first device. The first device controls the voltage regulator based on information obtained from the first and second devices using the master serial interface port associated with the first device and the slave serial interface port associated with the second device. The first and second devices receive voltage from the voltage regulator. A corresponding method and computer-readable medium are also disclosed.
摘要:
An adaptive voltage scaling system includes first and second devices. Each of the first and second devices includes at least one master serial interface port and at least one slave serial interface port. The first device is operatively coupled to a voltage regulator, and the slave serial interface port associated with the second device is operatively coupled to the master serial interface port associated with the first device. The first device controls the voltage regulator based on information obtained from the first and second devices using the master serial interface port associated with the first device and the slave serial interface port associated with the second device. The first and second devices receive voltage from the voltage regulator. A corresponding method and computer-readable medium are also disclosed.
摘要:
An integrated circuit having a monitor circuit for monitoring timing in a critical path having a target timing margin is disclosed. The monitor circuit has two shift registers, one of which includes a delay element that applies a delay value to a received signal. The inputs to the two shift registers form a signal input node capable of receiving an input signal. The monitor circuit also has a logic gate having an output and at least two inputs, each input connected to a corresponding one of the outputs of the two shift registers. The output of the logic gate indicates whether the target timing margin is satisfied or not satisfied.
摘要:
Techniques for enhancing the performance of an IC are provided. A method of enhancing IC performance includes the steps of: associating at least one performance result of at least one performance monitor, formed on the IC, with deterministic combinations of IC performance and a processing parameter, a supply voltage, and/or a temperature of the IC; determining an IC processing characterization of the IC as a function of the performance result for at least one prescribed supply voltage and temperature of the IC, the IC processing characterization being indicative of a type of processing received by the IC during fabrication of the IC; and controlling a voltage supplied to at least a portion of the IC, the voltage being controlled as a function of the IC processing characterization and/or the temperature of the IC so as to satisfy at least one prescribed performance parameter of the IC.