IP Library Granted Patent US 10,162,373
Granted Patent B1
US 10,162,373 · App. 15/444,478 · Granted Dec 25, 2018

Variation immune on-die voltage droop detector

Inventors: Yan Chong (San Jose, CA); Luca Ravezzi (San Francisco, CA); Alfred Yeung (Fremont, CA); Hamid Partovi (Menlo Park, CA)
Assignee: Ampere Computing LLC
G05F1/56G01R19/16552H03K5/24H03L7/00
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,162,373
App. No.
15/444,478
Granted
Dec 25, 2018
Kind
B1
Abstract

Various aspects provide for detecting voltage droops. For example, a system can include a voltage calibrator component and a comparator component. The voltage calibrator component can convert a first supply voltage associated with a power distribution network of an integrated circuit to a second supply voltage via a resistance ladder circuit. The comparator component can generate a comparison output signal in response to a determination that a comparison between the second supply voltage and a reference voltage satisfies a defined criterion.

Claims (34)

1. A system for detecting voltage droops, comprising:

a voltage calibrator component configured for converting a first supply voltage associated with a power distribution network of an integrated circuit to a second supply voltage via a resistance ladder circuit, the resistance ladder circuit configured for generating a bus of voltages comprising a plurality of selectable voltages, the voltage calibrator component comprising a decoder and a pass-gate calibration circuit configured for receiving a select signal and enabling a pass-gate of the calibration circuit corresponding to the select signal in order to select a selectable voltage value based on a detected voltage droop; and

a comparator component configured for generating a comparison output signal in response to a determination that a comparison between the second supply voltage and a reference voltage satisfies a defined criterion.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the resistance ladder circuit comprises a voltage divider circuit configured for reducing the first supply voltage to the second supply voltage.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second supply voltage corresponds to the selectable voltage value.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the comparator component is configured for generating the comparison output signal in response to a determination that the second supply voltage has deviated from the reference voltage in excess of a margin.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a voltage reference generator component configured for generating the reference voltage based on one selectable voltage of a plurality of selectable voltages generated by the resistance ladder circuit.

6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a sampling component configured for synchronously sampling the comparison output signal and for generating a droop detection signal in response to detection of the comparison output signal.

7. The system of claim 6 , further comprising a logic control component configured to modify a frequency of a system clock signal in response to detection of the droop detection signal.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the voltage calibrator component and the comparator component are on-die components of the integrated circuit.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the pass-gate calibration circuit comprises one or more of a set of hardware transmission gates, a set of hardware logic gates, a set of electronic switches, and a set of transistor components.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the selectable voltage value is selected as a target voltage droop.

11. A method of detecting droops in supply voltage, comprising:

converting, via a resistance ladder circuit, a first supply voltage associated with a power distribution network of an integrated circuit to a second supply voltage, wherein the converting comprises:

generating, via the resistance ladder circuit, a bus of voltages comprising a plurality of selectable voltages; and

receiving, via a decoder and a pass-gate calibration circuit, a select signal and enabling a pass-gate of the calibration circuit corresponding to the select signal in order to select a selectable supply voltage value based on a detected voltage droop; and

generating, via a comparator device, a comparison output signal in response to a determination that a comparison between the second supply voltage and a reference voltage satisfies a defined criterion.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the converting comprises reducing the first supply voltage to the second supply voltage.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

providing, via a voltage selection circuit, the selectable voltage value to the comparator device as the second supply voltage.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the generating the comparison output signal comprises generating the comparison output signal in response to a determination that the second supply voltage has deviated from the reference voltage in excess of a margin.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

sampling, via a sampler circuit, the comparison output signal; and

generating, via the sampler circuit, a droop detection signal in response to detection of the comparison output signal.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

modifying, via a logic control circuit, a frequency of a system clock signal in response to detection of the droop detection signal.

17. An integrated circuit, comprising:

a power distribution network that provides a first supply voltage;

a voltage calibrator component configured for converting the first supply voltage to a second supply voltage via a resistance ladder circuit, the resistance ladder circuit configured for generating a bus of voltages comprising a plurality of selectable voltages, the voltage calibrator component comprising a decoder and a pass-gate calibration circuit configured for receiving a select signal and enabling a pass-gate of the calibration circuit corresponding to the select signal in order to select a selectable voltage value based on a detected voltage droop;

a comparator component configured for generating a comparison output signal in response to a determination that a comparison between the second supply voltage and a reference voltage satisfies a defined criterion; and

a sampling component configured to synchronously sample the comparison output signal and to output a droop detection signal in response to detecting the comparison output signal.

18. The integrated circuit of claim 17 , wherein the second supply voltage corresponds to the selectable voltage value.

19. The integrated circuit of claim 17 , further comprising a voltage reference generator component configured for generating the reference voltage based on one selectable voltage of a plurality of selectable voltages generated by the resistance ladder circuit.

20. The integrated circuit of claim 17 , further comprising a logic control component configured to adjust a frequency of a system clock signal in response to detecting of the droop detection signal.

Assignments (5)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Dec 6, 2017
From: PROJECT DENVER INTERMEDIATE HOLDINGS LLC
To: AMPERE COMPUTING LLC
Reel/Frame 044717/0683 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 21, 2017
From: MACOM CONNECTIVITY SOLUTIONS, LLC
To: PROJECT DENVER INTERMEDIATE HOLDINGS LLC
Reel/Frame 044798/0599 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Oct 31, 2017
From: GOLDMAN SACHS BANK USA, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MACOM CONNECTIVITY SOLUTIONS, LLC (SUCCESSOR TO APPLIED MICRO CIRCUITS CORPORATION)
Reel/Frame 044652/0609 →
MERGER AND CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Apr 6, 2017
From: APPLIED MICRO CIRCUITS CORPORATION; MACOM CONNECTIVITY SOLUTIONS, LLC; MACOM CONNECTIVITY SOLUTIONS, LLC
To: MACOM CONNECTIVITY SOLUTIONS, LLC
Reel/Frame 042176/0185 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 28, 2017
From: CHONG, YAN; RAVEZZI, LUCA; YEUNG, ALFRED; PARTOVI, HAMID
To: MACOM CONNECTIVITY SOLUTIONS, LLC
Reel/Frame 041394/0672 →
Cited By (3)
US 12,271,215 US 12,306,228 US 12,519,476