Semiconductor device including clock generating circuit and channel management circuit

• US 10,248,155 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2017
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Se Hun, Kim, Ah Chan, Choi, Youn Sik, Lee, Jae Gon
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nitin C
• Application Number:
  US15/415,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20170212549A1
• Time in Patent Office: 797 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/06 Clock generators producing several clock signals G06F1/08 - G06F1/14 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3237 by disabling clock generation or distribution
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A semiconductor device includes a first clock generating circuit including a first control circuit and a first clock gating circuit, a first channel management circuit which communicates with the first clock generating circuit according to a full handshake method, a second clock generating circuit including a second control circuit and a second clock gating circuit, and a second channel management circuit which communicates with the second clock generating circuit according to the full handshake method. The first clock gating circuit outputs a first clock, and the second clock gating circuit outputs a second clock different from the first clock.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device, comprising:

a first clock generating circuit including a first control circuit and a first clock gating circuit;

a first channel management circuit which communicates with the first clock generating circuit according to a full handshake method;

a second clock generating circuit including a second control circuit and a second clock gating circuit; and

a second channel management circuit which communicates with the second clock generating circuit according to the full handshake method,

wherein the first clock gating circuit outputs a first clock, and the second clock gating circuit outputs a second clock different from the first clock,

wherein the first channel management circuit transmits a second clock request signal to the first clock generating circuit in response to a first clock request signal, and the first clock generating circuit transmits a first clock acknowledgement signal to the first channel management circuit in response to the second clock request signal,

wherein the second channel management circuit transmits a fourth clock request signal to the second clock generating circuit in response to a third clock request signal, and the second clock generating circuit transmits a second clock acknowledgement signal to the second channel management circuit in response to the fourth clock request signal.

2. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the first control circuit deactivates the first clock gating circuit when the second clock request signal is activated, and the second control circuit deactivates the second clock gating circuit when the fourth clock request signal is activated.

3. The semiconductor device of claim 1, further comprising:

a first logic block which communicates with the first channel management circuit, and a second logic block which communicates with the second channel management circuit.

4. The semiconductor device of claim 3, wherein the first channel management circuit and the first logic block communicate using the full handshake method.

5. The semiconductor device of claim 3, wherein the first logic block is an intellectual property (IP) block, and the IP block activates the first clock request signal when the first clock is needed by the IP block.

6. The semiconductor device of claim 5, wherein the first clock generating circuit provides the first clock to the IP block in response to the first clock request signal.

7. The semiconductor device of claim 6, wherein the IP block deactivates the first clock request signal when the first clock is not needed by the IP block.

8. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the first clock generating circuit and the first channel management circuit communicate using a single clock domain.

9. The semiconductor device of claim 8, wherein the first control circuit and the first clock gating circuit use different clock domains.

10. A semiconductor device, comprising:

a first clock generating circuit including a first control circuit and a first clock gating circuit;

a first channel management circuit which communicates with the first clock generating circuit according to a full handshake method; and

a second clock generating circuit including a second control circuit and a second clock gating circuit,

wherein the second clock generating circuit communicates with the first channel management circuit according to the full handshake method, and

the first clock gating circuit outputs a first clock, and the second clock gating circuit outputs a second clock different from the first clock,

wherein the first channel management circuit transmits a first clock request signal to the first clock generating circuit, and a second clock request signal to the second clock generating circuit,

wherein the first clock generating circuit transmits a first clock acknowledgement signal to the first channel management circuit in response to the first clock request signal,

wherein the second clock generating circuit transmits a second clock acknowledgement signal to the first channel management circuit in response to the second clock request signal.

11. The semiconductor device of claim 10, wherein the first control circuit deactivates the first clock gating circuit when the first clock request signal is activated, and the second control circuit deactivates the second clock gating circuit when the second clock request signal is activated.

12. A semiconductor device, comprising:

a first clock generating circuit including a first control circuit and a first clock gating circuit;

a first channel management circuit which communicates with the first clock generating circuit according to a full handshake method; and

a second channel management circuit which communicates with the first clock generating circuit according to the full handshake method,

wherein the first channel management circuit transmits a first clock request signal to the first clock generating circuit, and the second channel management circuit transmits a second clock request signal to the first clock generating circuit,

wherein the first clock generating circuit transmits a first clock acknowledgment signal to the first channel management circuit in response to the first clock request signal, and transmits a second clock acknowledgment signal to the second channel management circuit in response to the second clock request signal.

13. The semiconductor device of claim 12, wherein the first clock generating circuit outputs a first clock when at least one of the first clock request signal or the second clock request signal is activated.

14. The semiconductor device of claim 13, further comprising:

a first logic block which communicates with the first channel management circuit using the full handshake method; and

a second logic block which communicates with the second channel management circuit using the full handshake method.

15. The semiconductor device of claim 14, wherein the first clock generating circuit provides the first clock to at least one of the first logic block or the second logic block.