Graphics Controller Integrated Circuit without Memory Interface

• US 20050180225A1
• Filed: 05/04/2005
• Published: 08/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/1994
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Neomagic Corporation
• Inventors: Ranganathan, Ravi, Puar, Deepraj S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,106,619 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 365/189.90
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/153 using cathode-ray tubes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 1/167 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a CRT details suitable for both CRT and flat panel G09G5/006, specific for a flat panel G09G3/2096
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/363 Graphics controllers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/39 Control of the bit-mapped memory

Abstract

A graphics controller system which has a graphics engine and video memory together with some interface blocks, a PCMCIA host adapter, an infrared interface for generating video images on a LCD or CRT display unit, and a video stream interface for receiving video signals, all in the form of a CMOS integrated circuit. The video memory is integrated on the same integrated circuit as the graphics controller; no package pins are required for the memory interface. Simultaneous performance improvement and power dissipation reduction is achieved because of the wide memory interface and the elimination of the large parasitic capacitances associated with a package pin connection.

Claims

1-11. -11. (canceled)

12. An integrated circuit comprising:

a first dopant-type semiconductor substrate having a logic portion and a memory portion thereon, the logic portion having at least 30K logic gates and having a layout on the substrate that need not be constrained by the physical dimensions of the layout of the memory portion on the substrate, the memory portion coupled to the logic portion through a data interface, the memory portion having a capacity of at least 2 megabits and the data interface being at least 128 bits wide, and

a capacitor having a first dopant-type transistor in a second dopant-type well in the first dopant-type semiconductor substrate, the first dopant-type transistor having a gate, first and second source/drains, the first source/drain connected in common to the second source/drain to form a first terminal of the capacitor, the gate forming a second terminal of the capacitor, the second dopant-type well connected to a first voltage supply line, and the substrate connected to a second voltage supply line, different voltages applied to the first voltage supply line and to the second voltage supply line, such that the semiconductor junction between the second dopant-type well and the substrate is reverse-biased;

whereby the capacitor is isolated from electrical noise in the substrate.

13. The integrated circuit of claim 12, further comprising a voltage supply supplying voltage to the second voltage supply line, the voltage supply comprising a substrate bias generator.

14. The integrated circuit of claim 12, wherein the first dopant-type transistor comprises a PMOS transistor, the second dopant-type well comprises an N-well, the first dopant-type semiconductor substrate comprises a P-type substrate and the voltage applied to the P-type substrate by the second voltage supply line is negative with respect to the voltage applied to the N-well.

15. The integrated circuit of claim 14, further comprising a voltage supply supplying voltage to the second voltage supply line, the voltage supply comprising a substrate bias generator.

16. The integrated circuit of claim 12, wherein the logic portion has at least 40K logic gates;

and the memory portion has a capacity of at least 7.3 megabits.

17. The integrated circuit of claim 16, further comprising a voltage supply supplying voltage to the second voltage supply line, the voltage supply comprising a substrate bias generator.

18. The integrated circuit of claim 16, wherein the first dopant-type transistor comprises a PMOS transistor, the second dopant-type well comprises an N-well, the first dopant-type semiconductor substrate comprises a P-type substrate and the voltage applied to the P-type substrate by the second voltage supply line is negative with respect to the voltage applied to the N-well.

19. The integrated circuit of claim 18, further comprising a voltage supply supplying voltage to the second voltage supply line, the voltage supply comprising a substrate bias generator.

20. An integrated circuit comprising:

a first dopant-type semiconductor substrate having a logic portion and a memory portion thereon, the logic portion having at least 30K logic gates and a layout on the substrate that need not be constrained by the physical dimensions of the layout of the memory portion on the substrate, the memory portion coupled to the logic portion through a data interface, the memory portion having a capacity of at least 2 megabits and the data interface being at least 128 bits wide, and

an analog circuit having a capacitor, the capacitor comprising a first dopant-type transistor in a second dopant-type well in the first dopant-type semiconductor substrate, the first dopant-type transistor having a gate, first and second source/drains, the first source/drain connected in common to the second source/drain to form a first terminal of the capacitor, the gate forming a second terminal of the capacitor, the second dopant-type well connected to a first voltage supply line, and the substrate connected to a second voltage supply line, different voltages applied to the first voltage supply line and to the second voltage supply line, such that the semiconductor junction between the second dopant-type well and the substrate is reverse-biased;

whereby the capacitor is isolated from electrical noise in the substrate.

21. The integrated circuit of claim 20, further comprising a voltage supply supplying voltage to the second voltage supply line, the voltage supply comprising a substrate bias generator.

22. The integrated circuit of claim 20, wherein the first dopant-type transistor comprises a PMOS transistor, the second dopant-type well comprises an N-well, the first dopant-type semiconductor substrate comprises a P-type substrate and the voltage applied to the P-type substrate by the second voltage supply line is negative with respect to the voltage applied to the N-well.

23. The integrated circuit of claim 22, further comprising a voltage supply supplying voltage to the second voltage supply line, the voltage supply comprising a substrate bias generator.

24. The integrated circuit of claim 20, wherein the logic portion has at least 40K logic gates;

and the memory portion has a capacity of at least 7.3 megabits.

25. The integrated circuit of claim 24, further comprising a voltage supply supplying voltage to the second voltage supply line, the voltage supply comprising a substrate bias generator.

26. The integrated circuit of claim 24, wherein the first dopant-type transistor comprises a PMOS transistor, the second dopant-type well comprises an N-well, the first dopant-type semiconductor substrate comprises a P-type substrate and the voltage applied to the P-type substrate by the second voltage supply line is negative with respect to the voltage applied to the N-well.

27. The integrated circuit of claim 26, further comprising a voltage supply supplying voltage to the second voltage supply line, the voltage supply comprising a substrate bias generator.

28. A complementary MOS integrated circuit, containing NMOS transistors and PMOS transistors on a semiconductor substrate, comprising:

circuitry for processing data associated with graphics information for display by an electronic system in which the complementary MOS integrated circuit resides, the circuitry including at least 30K logic gates in a layout on the substrate;

a memory for storing and retrieving at least a portion of data associated with the graphics information for display by the electronic system in which the complementary MOS integrated circuit resides, the memory having a capacity of at least 2 megabits in a layout on the substrate, the circuitry for processing data having a layout on the substrate that need not be constrained by the physical dimensions of the layout of the memory portion on the substrate; and

a data interface between the circuitry and the memory, the data interface being at least 128 bits wide;

whereby integration of the circuitry, the memory and the data interface in the complementary MOS integrated circuit results in a lower number of integrated circuit packages, and lower power dissipation, in the electronic system in which the complementary MOS integrated circuit resides.

29. The complementary MOS integrated circuit of claim 28, in which the circuitry, the memory and the data interface are configured in such a way as to communicate with a CPU.

30. The complementary MOS integrated circuit of claim 28, in which the circuitry, the memory and the data interface are configured in such a way as to communicate with a CPU through a CPU interface.

31. The complementary MOS integrated circuit of claim 28, in which the circuitry contains analog circuits.

32. The complementary MOS integrated circuit of claim 31, in which the circuitry, the memory and the data interface are configured in such a way as to communicate with a CPU.

33. The complementary MOS integrated circuit of claim 31, in which the circuitry, the memory and the data interface are configured in such a way as to communicate with a CPU through a CPU interface.

34. The complementary MOS integrated circuit of claim 28, wherein the logic portion has at least 40K logic gates and the memory portion has a capacity of at least 7.3 megabits.

35. The complementary MOS integrated circuit of claim 34, in which the circuitry, the memory and the data interface are configured in such a way as to communicate with a CPU.

36. The complementary MOS integrated circuit of claim 34, in which the circuitry, the memory and the data interface are configured in such a way as to communicate with a CPU through a CPU interface.

37. The complementary MOS integrated circuit of claim 34, in which the circuitry contains analog circuits.

38. The complementary MOS integrated circuit of claim 37, in which the circuitry, the memory and the data interface are configured in such a way as to communicate with a CPU.

39. The complementary MOS integrated circuit of claim 37 in which the circuitry, the memory and the data interface are configured in such a way as to communicate with a CPU through a CPU interface.

40. A complementary MOS integrated circuit, containing NMOS transistors and PMOS transistors on a semiconductor substrate, comprising:

circuitry for processing, controlling or manipulating video data for display by an electronic system in which the complementary MOS integrated circuit resides, the circuitry including at least 30K logic gates in a layout on the substrate;

a memory for storing and retrieving at least a portion of the video data for display by the electronic system in which the complementary MOS integrated circuit resides, the memory having a capacity of at least 2 megabits in a layout on the substrate; and

a data interface between the circuitry and the memory, the data interface being at least 128 bits wide in a layout on the substrate, and wherein the layout on the substrate for the circuitry for processing, controlling or manipulating video data need not be constrained by the physical dimensions of the layout of the memory on the substrate;

whereby integration of the circuitry, the memory and the data interface in the complementary MOS integrated circuit results in a lower number of integrated circuit packages, and lower power dissipation, in the electronic system in which the complementary MOS integrated circuit resides.

41. The complementary MOS integrated circuit of claim 40, in which the circuitry, the memory and the data interface are configured in such a way as to communicate with a CPU.

42. The complementary MOS integrated circuit of claim 40, in which the circuitry, the memory and the data interface are configured in such a way as to communicate with a CPU through a CPU interface.

43. The complementary MOS integrated circuit of claim 40, in which the circuitry contains analog circuits.

44. The complementary MOS integrated circuit of claim 43, in which the circuitry, the memory and the data interface are configured in such a way as to communicate with a CPU.

45. The complementary MOS integrated circuit of claim 43, in which the circuitry, the memory and the data interface are configured in such a way as to communicate with a CPU through a CPU interface.

46. The complementary MOS integrated circuit of claim 40, wherein the logic portion has at least 40K logic gates and the memory portion has a capacity of at least 7.3 megabits.

47. The complementary MOS integrated circuit of claim 46, in which the circuitry, the memory and the data interface are configured in such a way as to communicate with a CPU.

48. The complementary MOS integrated circuit of claim 46, in which the circuitry, the memory and the data interface are configured in such a way as to communicate with a CPU through a CPU interface.

49. The complementary MOS integrated circuit of claim 46, in which the circuitry contains analog circuits.

50. The complementary MOS integrated circuit of claim 49, in which the circuitry, the memory and the data interface are configured in such a way as to communicate with a CPU.

51. The complementary MOS integrated circuit of claim 49, in which the circuitry, the memory and the data interface are configured in such a way as to communicate with a CPU through a CPU interface.