Structure for a Phase Locked Loop with Adjustable Voltage Based on Temperature

• US 20090021314A1
• Filed: 05/29/2008
• Published: 01/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GlobalFoundries, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Qi, Jieming, Hailu, Eskinder, Boerstler, David W., Chadwick, Nathaniel R., Peterson, Kirk D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,877,222 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 331/66
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 1/022 by indirect stabilisation, i.e. by generating an electrical correction signal which is a function of the temperature H03L1/021 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 1/04 Constructional details for maintaining temperature constant
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/0995 the oscillator comprising a ring oscillator

Abstract

A design structure for an apparatus for utilizing a single set of one or more thermal sensors, e.g., thermal diodes, provided on the integrated circuit device, chip, etc., to control the operation of the integrated circuit device, associated cooling system, and high-frequency PLLs, is provided. By utilizing a single set of thermal sensors to provide multiple functions, e.g., controlling the operation of the integrated circuit device, the cooling system, and the PLLs, silicon real-estate usage is reduced through combining circuitry functionality. Moreover, the integrated circuit device yield is improved by reducing circuitry complexity and increasing PLL robustness to temperature. Furthermore, the PLL circuitry operating range is improved by compensating for temperature.

Claims

1. A design structure embodied in a machine readable medium for designing, manufacturing, or testing an integrated circuit, the design structure comprising:

one or more first design structure elements representing one or more thermal sensors provided on an integrated circuit device;

a second design structure element representing a thermal monitoring mechanism coupled to the one or more thermal sensors; and

a third design structure element representing a phase locked loop (PLL) circuit coupled to the thermal monitoring mechanism, wherein the one or more thermal sensors are configured for use in controlling an operation of the integrated circuit device and an operation of the PLL circuit, and wherein the design structure is configured such that;

an operational temperature of the integrated circuit device associated with the PLL circuit is sensed with the one or more thermal sensors provided on the integrated circuit device, and

an operation of the PLL circuit is controlled based on the operational temperature sensed by the one or more thermal sensors.

2. The design structure of claim 1, wherein the design structure is configured such that an operation of the integrated circuit device is controlled, based on the operational temperature sensed by the one or more thermal sensors, to thereby reduce the operational temperature of the integrated circuit device.

3. The design structure of claim 2, wherein the design structure is configured such that the operation of the integrated circuit device is controlled by at least one of controlling a workload of the integrated circuit device, placing the integrated circuit device in a power saving mode of operation, shutting down operation of the integrated circuit device, or controlling an operation of a cooling system associated with the integrated circuit device.

4. The design structure of claim 1, wherein the design structure is configured such that the operation of the PLL circuit is controlled by generating a compensation voltage input signal to a voltage controlled oscillator of the PLL circuit based on the operational temperature, wherein the compensation voltage input signal modifies a lock frequency range of the PLL circuit.

5. The design structure of claim 1, wherein the design structure is configured such that the thermal monitoring mechanism:

retrieves calibration information for the integrated circuit device from a calibration information storage device of the integrated circuit device, the calibration information identifying temperature and voltage data for calibrating a thermal sensing monitoring mechanism;

determines a calibration curve based on the calibration information; and

compares measured conditions of the integrated circuit device to the calibration curve to generate the operational temperature of the integrated circuit device.

6. The design structure of claim 1, wherein the design structure is configured such that:

the one or more thermal sensors generate at least one voltage based on the operational temperature of the integrated circuit device;

the at least one voltage is provided, by the one or more thermal sensors, to the thermal monitoring mechanism;

the thermal monitoring mechanism generates at least one digital value based on the at least one voltage; and

the thermal monitoring mechanism generates an operational temperature value of the integrated circuit device based on the at least one digital value.

7. The design structure of claim 1, wherein the design structure comprises a netlist.

8. The design structure of claim 1, wherein the design structure resides on a storage medium as a data format used for the exchange of layout data of integrated circuits.

9. A design structure encoded on a machine-readable data storage medium, said design structure comprising elements that when processed in a computer-aided design system generates a machine-executable representation of a phase locked loop circuit, wherein said design structure comprises:

one or more first design structure elements representing one or more thermal sensors provided on an integrated circuit device;

a second design structure element representing a thermal monitoring mechanism coupled to the one or more thermal sensors; and

a third design structure element representing a phase locked loop (PLL) circuit coupled to the thermal monitoring mechanism, wherein the one or more thermal sensors are configured for use in controlling an operation of the integrated circuit device and an operation of the PLL circuit, and wherein the design structure is configured such that;

a fourth design structure element representing an operational temperature of the integrated circuit device associated with the PLL circuit is sensed with the one or more thermal sensors provided on the integrated circuit device, and

a fifth design structure element representing an operation of the PLL circuit is controlled based on the operational temperature sensed by the one or more thermal sensors.

10. The design structure of claim 9, wherein the design structure is configured such that an operation of the integrated circuit device is controlled, based on the operational temperature sensed by the one or more thermal sensors, to thereby reduce the operational temperature of the integrated circuit device.

11. The design structure of claim 10, wherein the design structure is configured such that the operation of the integrated circuit device is controlled by at least one of controlling a workload of the integrated circuit device, placing the integrated circuit device in a power saving mode of operation, shutting down operation of the integrated circuit device, or controlling an operation of a cooling system associated with the integrated circuit device.

12. The design structure of claim 9, wherein the design structure is configured such that the operation of the PLL circuit is controlled by generating a compensation voltage input signal to a voltage controlled oscillator of the PLL circuit based on the operational temperature, wherein the compensation voltage input signal modifies a lock frequency range of the PLL circuit.

13. The design structure of claim 9, wherein the design structure is configured such that the thermal monitoring mechanism:

retrieves calibration information for the integrated circuit device from a calibration information storage device of the integrated circuit device, the calibration information identifying temperature and voltage data for calibrating a thermal sensing monitoring mechanism;

determines a calibration curve based on the calibration information; and

compares measured conditions of the integrated circuit device to the calibration curve to generate the operational temperature of the integrated circuit device.

14. The design structure of claim 9, wherein the design structure is configured such that:

the one or more thermal sensors generate at least one voltage based on the operational temperature of the integrated circuit device;

the at least one voltage is provided, by the one or more thermal sensors, to the thermal monitoring mechanism;

the thermal monitoring mechanism generates at least one digital value based on the at least one voltage; and

the thermal monitoring mechanism generates an operational temperature value of the integrated circuit device based on the at least one digital value.

15. The design structure of claim 9, wherein the design structure comprises a netlist.

16. The design structure of claim 9, wherein the design structure resides on a storage medium as a data format used for the exchange of layout data of integrated circuits.

17. A hardware description language (HDL) design structure encoded on a machine-readable data storage medium, said HDL design structure comprising elements that when processed in a computer-aided design system generates a machine-executable representation of a phase locked loop circuit, wherein said HDL design structure comprises:

one or more first design structure elements representing one or more thermal sensors provided on an integrated circuit device;

a second design structure element representing a thermal monitoring mechanism coupled to the one or more thermal sensors; and

a third design structure element representing a phase locked loop (PLL) circuit coupled to the thermal monitoring mechanism, wherein the one or more thermal sensors are configured for use in controlling an operation of the integrated circuit device and an operation of the PLL circuit, and wherein the design structure is configured such that;

an operational temperature of the integrated circuit device associated with the PLL circuit is sensed with the one or more thermal sensors provided on the integrated circuit device, and

an operation of the PLL circuit is controlled based on the operational temperature sensed by the one or more thermal sensors.

18. The design structure of claim 17, wherein the design structure is configured such that an operation of the integrated circuit device is controlled, based on the operational temperature sensed by the one or more thermal sensors, to thereby reduce the operational temperature of the integrated circuit device.

19. The design structure of claim 18, wherein the design structure is configured such that the operation of the integrated circuit device is controlled by at least one of controlling a workload of the integrated circuit device, placing the integrated circuit device in a power saving mode of operation, shutting down operation of the integrated circuit device, or controlling an operation of a cooling system associated with the integrated circuit device.

20. The design structure of claim 17, wherein the design structure is configured such that the operation of the PLL circuit is controlled by generating a compensation voltage input signal to a voltage controlled oscillator of the PLL circuit based on the operational temperature, wherein the compensation voltage input signal modifies a lock frequency range of the PLL circuit.

21. The design structure of claim 17, wherein the design structure is configured such that the thermal monitoring mechanism:

retrieves calibration information for the integrated circuit device from a calibration information storage device of the integrated circuit device, the calibration information identifying temperature and voltage data for calibrating a thermal sensing monitoring mechanism;

determines a calibration curve based on the calibration information; and

compares measured conditions of the integrated circuit device to the calibration curve to generate the operational temperature of the integrated circuit device.

22. The design structure of claim 17, wherein the design structure is configured such that:

the one or more thermal sensors generate at least one voltage based on the operational temperature of the integrated circuit device;

the at least one voltage is provided, by the one or more thermal sensors, to the thermal monitoring mechanism;

the thermal monitoring mechanism generates at least one digital value based on the at least one voltage; and

the thermal monitoring mechanism generates an operational temperature value of the integrated circuit device based on the at least one digital value.

23. The design structure of claim 17, wherein the design structure comprises a netlist.

24. The design structure of claim 17, wherein the design structure resides on a storage medium as a data format used for the exchange of layout data of integrated circuits.

25. A method in a computer-aided design system for generating a functional design model of a duty cycle correction circuit, said method comprising:

generating a functional computer-simulated representation of one or more thermal sensors provided on an integrated circuit device;

generating a functional computer-simulated representation of a thermal monitoring mechanism coupled to the one or more thermal sensors; and

generating a functional computer-simulated representation of a phase locked loop (PLL) circuit coupled to the thermal monitoring mechanism, wherein the one or more thermal sensors are configured for use in controlling an operation of the integrated circuit device and an operation of the PLL circuit, and wherein the design structure is configured such that;

an operational temperature of the integrated circuit device associated with the PLL circuit is sensed with the one or more thermal sensors provided on the integrated circuit device, and

an operation of the PLL circuit is controlled based on the operational temperature sensed by the one or more thermal sensors.