Semiconductor device, semiconductor system and method for operating semiconductor device

• US 10,303,203 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2017
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jeon, Ho Yeon, Kim, Ah Chan, Lee, Jae Gon
• Primary Examiner(s): Stoynov, Stefan
• Application Number:
  US15/414,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20170212567A1
• Time in Patent Office: 853 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/10 Distribution of clock signals , e.g. skew
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3237 by disabling clock generation or distribution

Abstract

A semiconductor device includes a first control circuit controlling a first child clock source to receive a clock signal from a parent clock source, a first channel management (CM) circuit transmitting a first clock request to the first control circuit in response to a second clock request received from a first IP block, a second control circuit controlling a second child clock source to receive the clock signal from the parent clock source, a second CM circuit transmitting a third clock request to the second control circuit in response to a fourth clock request received from a second IP block, and a power management unit transmitting a power control command to the first CM circuit and the second CM circuit to control a power state of the first IP block and the second IP block. The first CM circuit and the second exchange signals to maintain a master-slave relationship.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

a first clock control circuit which controls a first child clock source to receive a clock signal from a parent clock source;

a first channel management circuit which transmits a first clock request to the first clock control circuit in response to a first intellectual property (IP) block clock request received from a first IP block;

a second clock control circuit which controls a second child clock source to receive the clock signal from the parent clock source;

a second channel management circuit which transmits a second clock request to the second clock control circuit in response to a second IP block clock request received from a second IP block; and

a power management unit (PMU) which transmits a power control command to the first channel management circuit and the second channel management circuit to control a power state of the first IP block and the second IP block,

wherein the first channel management circuit transmits a third clock request to the second channel management circuit and the second channel management circuit transmits an acknowledgement of receipt of the third clock request to the first channel management circuit, to maintain a master-slave relationship.

2. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the first channel management circuit transmits a grant signal to the second channel management circuit and the second channel management circuit operates based on the power control command and the grant signal.

3. The semiconductor device of claim 2, wherein the second channel management circuit controls the power state of the second IP block, based on a result signal obtained by performing an AND logic operation on the power control command and the grant signal.

4. The semiconductor device of claim 2, wherein the first channel management circuit transmits an acknowledgement of receipt of the power control command to the power management unit.

5. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the second channel management circuit receives a first active signal transmitted to the first channel management circuit by the first IP block, wherein the first active signal indicates whether the first IP block has woken up.

6. The semiconductor device of claim 5, wherein the second channel management circuit controls the power state of the second IP block, based on a result signal obtained by performing an OR logic operation on the first active signal and a second active signal transmitted to the second channel management circuit by the second IP block, wherein the second active signal indicates whether the second IP block has woken up.

7. The semiconductor device of claim 5, wherein the first channel management circuit and the second channel management circuit transmit an acknowledgement of receipt of the power control command to the power management unit.

8. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the first IP block is a master device, and the second IP block is a slave device.

9. The semiconductor device of claim 8, wherein the second IP block enters a sleep mode only when the first IP block is already in a sleep mode, and the first IP block wakes up only after the second IP block has woken up.

10. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the power management unit transmits the power control command to a clock management unit controller, and the clock management unit controller controls the first channel management circuit or the second channel management circuit based on the power control command and then transmits an acknowledgement of receipt of the power control command to the power management unit.

18. A semiconductor system comprising:

a system-on-chip (SoC) comprising the semiconductor device of claim 1;

the first IP block; and

the second IP block.

19. The semiconductor system of claim 18, further comprising an external device, wherein the external device includes at least one of a memory device, a display device, a network device, a storage device, and an input/output device, and the SoC controls the external device.

20. The semiconductor system of claim 19, wherein the first IP block or the second IP block comprises one of a memory controller which controls the memory device, a display controller which controls the display device, a network controller which controls the network device, a storage controller which controls the storage device, and an input/output controller which controls the input/output device.

11. A semiconductor device comprising:

a first channel management circuit which controls output of a clock signal to a first intellectual property block (IP block);

a second channel management circuit which receives a clock request from the first channel management circuit and controls output of a clock signal to a second IP block in accordance with the clock request; and

a power management unit (PMU) which transmits a power control command to the first channel management circuit and the second channel management circuit to control power states of the first IP block and the second IP block.

12. The semiconductor device of claim 11, wherein the second channel management circuit transmits an acknowledgement of receipt of the clock request to the first channel management circuit.

13. The semiconductor device of claim 11, wherein the first channel management circuit transmits a grant signal to the second channel management circuit and the second channel management circuit operates based on the power control command and the grant signal.

14. The semiconductor device of claim 13, wherein the second channel management circuit controls the power state of the second IP block, based on a result signal obtained by performing an AND logic operation on the power control command and the grant signal.

15. The semiconductor device of claim 13, wherein the first channel management circuit transmits an acknowledgement of receipt of the power control command to the power management unit.

16. The semiconductor device of claim 11, wherein the second channel management circuit receives a first active signal transmitted to the first channel management circuit by the first IP, wherein the first active signal indicates whether the first IP block has woken up.

17. The semiconductor device of claim 11, wherein the power management unit transmits the power control command to a clock management unit controller, and the clock management unit controller controls the first channel management circuit or the second channel management circuit based on the power control command, and then transmits an acknowledgement of receipt of the power control command to the power management unit.