Use of an on-die temperature sensing scheme for thermal protection of DRAMS

• US 20030210505A1
• Filed: 05/13/2002
• Published: 11/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Polaris Innovations Limited (Wi-LAN Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies North America Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Partsch, Torsten, Huckaby, Jennifer, Edmonds, Johnathan T.
• Granted Patent: US 6,873,509 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/103
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/4076 Timing circuits for regeneration management G11C11/406
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/4078 Safety or protection circuits, e.g. for preventing inadvertent or unauthorised reading or writing; Status cells; Test cells protection of memory contents during checking or testing G11C29/52
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/04 with means for avoiding disturbances due to temperature effects
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/22 Read-write [R-W] timing or clocking circuits; Read-write [R-W] control signal generators or management
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/24 Memory cell safety or protection circuits, e.g. arrangements for preventing inadvertent reading or writing; Status cells; Test cells

Abstract

A method of protecting an integrated circuit that includes sensing a temperature of an integrated circuit, comparing the sensed temperature with a threshold temperature and controlling operation of the integrated circuit based on the comparing.

Claims

1. A thermal protection system for an integrated circuit, comprising:

an integrated circuit;

a temperature sensor that is positioned so as to sense a temperature of said integrated circuit and generates a signal representative of said sensed temperature;

a comparator connected to said temperature sensor so as to receive said signal representative of said sensed temperature, wherein said comparator compares said signal with a threshold temperature and generates a comparison signal; and

a control system that is connected to said integrated circuit and said comparator, wherein said control system receives said comparison signal and controls operation of said integrated circuit based on said comparison signal.

2. The thermal protection system of claim 1, further comprising a memory to store said threshold temperature.

3. The thermal protection system of claim 1, wherein said threshold temperature corresponds to a maximum tolerable temperature for said integrated circuit.

4. The thermal protection system of claim 1, wherein said temperature sensor is attached to said integrated chip.

5. The thermal protection system of claim 1, wherein said integrated circuit is a memory chip.

6. The thermal protection system of claim 5, wherein said temperature sensor is attached to a die of said memory chip.

7. The thermal protection system of claim 1, further comprising a register into which a value corresponding to said sensed temperature is stored.

8. The thermal protection system of claim 7, further comprising a clock that is connected to said register.

9. The thermal protection system of claim 8, wherein said clock is a system clock of said integrated circuit.

10. The thermal protection system of claim 1, wherein said control system shuts down said integrated circuit based on said comparison signal.

11. The thermal protection system of claim 10, wherein said control system shuts down said integrated circuit by disabling internal clock signals of said integrated circuit.

12. The thermal protection system of claim 10, wherein said control system shuts down said integrated circuit if said sensed temperature is above said threshold temperature.

13. The thermal protection system of claim 11, wherein said control system shuts down said integrated circuit if said sensed temperature is above said threshold temperature.

14. The thermal protection system of claim 1, wherein said control reduces power consumption by said integrated circuit based on said comparison signal.

15. The thermal protection system of claim 14, wherein said control system reduces power consumption by said integrated circuit by reducing a frequency of internal clock signals of said integrated circuit.

16. The thermal protection system of claim 14, wherein said control system reduces power consumption by said integrated circuit if said sensed temperature is above said threshold temperature.

17. The thermal protection system of claim 15, wherein said control system reduces power consumption by said integrated circuit if said sensed temperature is above said threshold temperature.

18. The thermal protection system of claim 1, wherein said control selects a particular memory based on said comparison signal.

19. The thermal protection system of claim 1, wherein said control changes a workload of a memory based on said comparison signal.

20. The thermal protection system of claim 1, wherein said control reduces a clocking frequency of said integrated circuit based on said comparison signal.

21. The thermal protection system of claim 5, wherein said memory chip comprises a DRAM memory.

22. A method of protecting an integrated circuit, comprising:

sensing a temperature of an integrated circuit;

comparing said sensed temperature with a threshold temperature; and

controlling operation of said integrated circuit based on said comparing.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising storing said threshold temperature.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein said threshold temperature corresponds to a maximum tolerable temperature for said integrated circuit.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein said controlling comprises shutting down said integrated circuit based on said comparing.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said shutting down comprising disabling internal clock signals of said integrated circuit.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein said shutting down is performed if said sensed temperature is above said threshold temperature.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein said shutting down is performed if said sensed temperature is above said threshold temperature.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein said controlling comprises reducing power consumption by said integrated circuit based on said comparing.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein said reducing power consumption by said integrated circuit comprises reducing a frequency of internal clock signals of said integrated circuit.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein said reducing power consumption by said integrated circuit is performed if said sensed temperature is above said threshold temperature.

32. The method of claim 22, wherein said reducing power consumption by said integrated circuit is performed if said sensed temperature is above said threshold temperature.

33. The method of claim 22, wherein said controlling comprises selecting a particular memory.

34. The method of claim 22, wherein said controlling comprises changing a workload of a memory.

35. The method of claim 22, wherein said controlling comprises reducing a clocking frequency of said integrated circuit.

36. The method of claim 22, wherein said integrated circuit is a memory chip.