Sequenced pulse-width adjustment in a resonant clocking circuit

• US 10,141,915 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2017
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bucelot, Thomas J., Restle, Phillip J., Shan, David Wen-Hao
• Primary Examiner(s): Tra, Quan
• Application Number:
  US15/479,420
• Publication Number:
  US 20170207772A1
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• Field of Search: 327291, 327295, 327108, 327112
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/08 Clock generators with changeable or programmable clock frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/10 Distribution of clock signals , e.g. skew
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/012 Modifications of generator to improve response time or to decrease power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 5/06 by the use of delay lines or other analogue delay elements
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 7/08 Duration or width modulation ; Duty cycle modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 9/08 of duration- or width-mudulated pulses or of duty-cycle modulated pulses

Abstract

A clock driver control scheme for a resonant clock distribution network provides robust operation by controlling a pulse width of the output of clock driver circuits that drive the resonant clock distribution network so that changes are sequenced. The clock driver control circuit controls the clock driver circuits in the corresponding sector according to a selected operating mode via a plurality of control signals provided to corresponding clock driver circuits. The pulse widths differ for at least some of the sectors during operation of digital circuits within the integrated circuit having clock inputs coupled to the resonant clock distribution network. The different pulse widths may be a transient difference that is imposed in response to a mode or frequency change of the global clock that provides an input to the clock driver circuits.

Claims

1. A method of operating an integrated circuit having a resonant clock distribution network, the method comprising:

generating a distributed clock signal within the resonant clock distribution network by driving the resonant clock distribution network with a plurality of clock driver circuits that receive a clock input from a global clock signal and have outputs connected to corresponding locations within sectors of the resonant clock distribution network;

controlling pulse widths of individual ones of the plurality of clock drivers according to a plurality of control signals provided to corresponding ones of the plurality of clock driver circuits, wherein the pulse widths of the individual clock drivers differ for at least some of the sectors during operation of digital circuits within the integrated circuit having clock inputs coupled to the resonant clock distribution network

from a first control logic, selecting an operating mode or frequency of the resonant clock distribution network; and

from a second control logic, generating the plurality of control signals such that, responsive to the selecting having selected a new operating mode or a new frequency, the pulse widths of the individual clock driver circuits are set to new pulse width values, wherein the individual clock driver circuits are operated at the new pulse width values, and wherein the new pulse width values differ for at least some of the sectors.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the resonant clock distribution network comprises a metal layer conductive grid forming the sectors, and further comprising sequencing the pulse widths of the individual clock driver circuits during the predetermined interval after the selecting selects the new operating mode or frequency, so that clock driver circuits in alternating sectors along rows or columns of the grid have a same pulse width, while clock driver circuits in adjacent sectors have the differing pulse width.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the changing changes the operating mode from a first pulsed clocking mode having a first pulse width to a second pulsed clocking mode having a second pulse width and wherein the controlling further controls pulse width of individual ones of the plurality of clock driver circuits by changing a pulse width of the clock driver circuits in the alternating sectors before changing the pulse width of the clock driver circuits in the adjacent sectors.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the changing changes the operating mode from a non-pulsed clocking mode to a pulsed clocking mode and wherein the controlling further controls the pulse width of individual ones of the plurality of clock driver circuits by increasing an average pulse width of the plurality of clock driver circuits during the predetermined interval, whereby the pulse width of the plurality of clock driver circuits is decreased gradually to reach a predetermined pulse width for the selected pulsed operating mode.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the controlling controls the pulse width of the plurality of clock driver circuits so that a first set of the plurality of clock driver circuits corresponding to the alternating sectors along rows or columns is enabled to pulse in response to the selected pulsed clocking mode with a maximum pulse width during a first portion of the predetermined interval and wherein a second set of the plurality of clock driver circuits remains in non-pulsed clocking mode, and wherein during a second portion of the predetermined interval subsequent to the first predetermined interval, the second set of the plurality of clock driver circuits corresponding to sectors other than the first set of clock driver circuits is enabled and the first set of driver circuits is set to a reduced pulse width.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling a pulse width of individual ones of the plurality of clock driver circuits, so that the pulse width of clock driver circuits in a same sector may differ.

7. An integrated circuit including a resonant clock distribution network, comprising:

a plurality of clock driver circuits having outputs for driving drive points of sectors of the resonant clock distribution network and having a clock input coupled to a global clock signal, wherein the clock driver circuits include pulse width controls responsive to a pulse width control input;

a clock driver control circuit that controls pulse widths of individual ones of the plurality of clock drivers according to a plurality of control signals provided to the pulse width control inputs of corresponding ones of the plurality of clock driver circuits, wherein the pulse widths of the individual clock drivers differ for at least some of the sectors during operation of digital circuits within the integrated circuit having clock inputs coupled to the resonant clock distribution network

first control logic for selecting an operating mode or a frequency of the resonant clock distribution network; and

second control logic for generating the plurality of control signals such that, responsive to the selecting having selected a new operating mode or a new frequency, the pulse widths of the individual clock driver circuits are set to new pulse width values, wherein the individual clock driver circuits are operated at the new pulse width values, and wherein the new pulse width values differ for at least some of the sectors.

8. The integrated circuit of claim 7, wherein the resonant clock distribution network comprises a metal layer conductive grid forming the sectors, and wherein the second control logic further sequences the pulse widths of the individual clock driver circuits during the predetermined interval after the first control logic selects the new operating mode or frequency, so that clock driver circuits in alternating sectors along rows or columns of the grid have a same pulse width, while clock driver circuits in adjacent sectors have the differing pulse width.

9. The integrated circuit of claim 8, wherein the first control logic changes the operating mode from a first pulsed clocking mode having a first pulse width to a second pulsed clocking mode having a second pulse width and wherein the second control logic further controls pulse width of individual ones of the plurality of clock driver circuits by changing a pulse width of the clock driver circuits in the alternating sectors before changing the pulse width of the clock driver circuits in the adjacent sectors.

10. The integrated circuit of claim 8, wherein the first control logic changes the operating mode from a non-pulsed clocking mode to a pulsed clocking mode, and wherein the second control logic further controls the pulse width of individual ones of the plurality of clock driver circuits by increasing an average pulse width of the plurality of clock driver circuits during the predetermined interval, whereby the pulse width of the plurality of clock driver circuits is decreased gradually to reach a predetermined pulse width for the selected pulsed operating mode.

11. The integrated circuit of claim 10, wherein the second control logic controls the pulse width of the plurality of clock driver circuits so that a first set of the plurality of clock driver circuits corresponding to the alternating sectors along rows or columns is enabled to pulse in response to the selected pulsed clocking mode with a maximum pulse width during a first portion of the predetermined interval and wherein a second set of the plurality of clock driver circuits remains in non-pulsed clocking mode, and wherein during a second portion of the predetermined interval subsequent to the first predetermined interval, the second set of the plurality of clock driver circuits corresponding to sectors other than the first set of clock driver circuits is enabled and the first set of driver circuits is set to a reduced pulse width.

12. The integrated circuit of claim 7, wherein the second control logic controls the pulse width of individual ones of the plurality of clock driver circuits, so that the pulse widths of clock driver circuits in a same sector may differ.

13. A resonant clock distribution network, comprising:

a conductive grid comprising sectors;

a plurality of clock driver circuits having outputs for driving drive points of sectors of the resonant clock distribution network and having a clock input coupled to a global clock signal, wherein the clock driver circuits include a pulse width control responsive to a pulse width control input;

a clock driver control circuit that controls the pulse width of individual ones of the plurality of clock drivers according to a plurality of control signals provided to the pulse width control input of corresponding ones of the plurality of clock driver circuits, wherein the pulse widths of the individual clock drivers differ for at least some of the sectors during operation of digital circuits within the integrated circuit having clock inputs coupled to the resonant clock distribution network;

first control logic for selecting an operating mode or frequency of the resonant clock distribution network; and

second control logic for generating the plurality of control signals such that, responsive to the selecting having selected a new operating mode or a new frequency, the pulse widths of the individual clock driver circuits are set to new pulse width values, wherein the individual clock driver circuits are operated at the new pulse width values, and wherein the new pulse width values differ for at least some of the sectors.

14. The resonant clock distribution network of claim 13, wherein the second control logic further sequences the pulse widths of the individual clock driver circuits during the predetermined interval after the first control logic selects the new operating mode or frequency, so that clock driver circuits in alternating sectors along rows or columns of the grid have a same pulse width, while clock driver circuits in adjacent sectors have the differing pulse width.

15. The resonant clock distribution network of claim 14, wherein the first control logic changes the operating mode from a first pulsed clocking mode having a first pulse width to a second pulsed clocking mode having a second pulse width and wherein the second control logic further controls pulse width of individual ones of the plurality of clock driver circuits by changing a pulse width of the clock driver circuits in the alternating sectors before changing the pulse width of the clock driver circuits in the adjacent sectors.

16. The resonant clock distribution network of claim 14, wherein the first control logic changing changes the operating mode from a non-pulsed clocking mode to a pulsed clocking mode and wherein the second control logic further controls the pulse width of individual ones of the plurality of clock driver circuits by increasing an average pulse width of the plurality of clock driver circuits during the predetermined interval, whereby the pulse width of the plurality of clock driver circuits is decreased gradually to reach a predetermined pulse width for the selected pulsed operating mode.

17. The integrated circuit of claim 16, wherein the second control logic controls the pulse width of the plurality of clock driver circuits so that a first set of the plurality of clock driver circuits corresponding to the alternating sectors along rows or columns is enabled to pulse in response to the selected pulsed clocking mode with a maximum pulse width during a first portion of the predetermined interval and wherein a second set of the plurality of clock driver circuits remains in non-pulsed clocking mode, and wherein during a second portion of the predetermined interval subsequent to the first predetermined interval, the second set of the plurality of clock driver circuits corresponding to sectors other than the first set of clock driver circuits is enabled and the first set of driver circuits is set to a reduced pulse width.