MULTI-SUPPLY SEQUENTIAL LOGIC UNIT

• US 20140218069A1
• Filed: 12/14/2011
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Raychowdhury, Arijit, Kulkarni, Jaydeep P., Tschanz, James W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,901,819 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 326/62
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/10 Distribution of clock signals , e.g. skew
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/017509 Interface arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Described herein are apparatus, method, and system for reducing clock-to-output delay of a sequential logic unit in a processor. The apparatus comprises a sequential unit including: a data path, to receive an input signal, including logic gates to operate on a first power supply level, the data path to generate an output signal; and a clock path including logic gates to operate on a second power supply level, the logic gates of the clock path to sample the input signal using a sampling signal to generate the output signal, wherein the second power supply level is higher than the first power supply level. The apparatus improves (i.e. reduces) setup time of the sequential unit and allows the processor to operate at minimum operating voltage (Vmin) without degrading performance of the sequential unit.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a data path, to receive an input signal, including logic gates to operate on a first power supply level, the data path to generate an output signal; and

a clock path including logic gates to operate on a second power supply level, the logic gates of the clock path to sample the input signal using a sampling signal to generate the output signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second power supply level is higher than the first power supply level.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the logic gates of the clock path include a level-shifter to level shift a clock signal from the first power supply level to the second power supply level before generating the sampling signal.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprises:

a level-shifter coupled to an output node of a clock distribution network.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprises:

a buffer coupled to the level-shifter to provide a clock signal to the logic gates of the clock path, the clock signal operating on the second power supply level.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data path comprises:

a master cell to receive the input signal; and

a slave cell, coupled to the master cell, to generate the output signal.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the slave cell operates on the second power supply level while the master cell, including the logic gates of the data path, operates on the first power supply level.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first power supply level is a minimum operating power supply voltage level for the logic gates in the data path.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprises:

a level-shifter to level shift a clock signal from the first power supply level to the second power supply level, the level-shifter to generate the sampling signal.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprises:

an inverter to invert the sampling signal to generate the inverted sampling signal.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the sampling signal and the inverted sampling signal are distributed to vectored sequential logic circuits.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprises:

a level-shifter to level shift a clock signal from the first power supply level to the second power supply level, the level-shifter to generate the sampling signal, wherein the sampling signal is distributed to vectored sequential logic circuits.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data path is independent of any level-shifter.

14. A method comprising:

providing an input signal to a data path including logic gates operating on a first power supply level;

generating an output signal from the data path;

providing a clock signal to a clock path including logic gates operating on a second power supply level; and

generating a sampling signal by the logic gates of the clock path to sample the input signal for generating the output signal,

wherein the second power supply level is higher than the first power supply level.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprises:

level-shifting the clock signal, from the first power supply level to the second power supply level, prior to providing the clock signal to the clock path.

16-21. -21. (canceled)

22. A system comprising:

a wireless connectivity; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the wireless connectivity, the processor including;

a sequential logic unit comprising;

a data path, to receive an input signal, including logic gates to operate on a first power supply level, the data path to generate an output signal; and

a clock path including logic gates to operate on a second power supply level, the logic gates of the clock path to sample the input signal using a sample signal to generate the output signal.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the second power supply level is higher than the first power supply level.

25. The system of claim 22 further comprises a display unit which is touch screen.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the logic gates of the clock path include a level-shifter to level shift a clock signal from the first power supply level to the second power supply level before generating the sampling signal, wherein the processor further comprises a buffer coupled to the level-shifter to provide a clock signal to the logic gates of the clock path, the clock signal operating on the second power supply level.

27. The system of claim 22, wherein the processor further comprises:

a level-shifter coupled to an output node of a clock distribution network.

29. The system of claim 22, wherein the data path comprises:

a master cell to receive the input signal; and

a slave cell, coupled to the master cell, to generate the output signal,

wherein the slave cell operates on the second power supply level while the master cell, including the logic gates of the data path, operates on the first power supply level.

31. The system of claim 22, wherein the first power supply level is a minimum operating power supply voltage level for the logic gates in the data path.

32. The system of claim 22, wherein the processor further comprises:

a level-shifter to level shift a clock signal from the first power supply level to the second power supply level, the level-shifter to generate the sampling signal; and

an inverter to invert the sampling signal to generate the inverted sampling signal, wherein the sampling signal and the inverted sampling signal are distributed to vectored sequential logic circuits.

34. The system of claim 22, wherein the processor further comprises:

a level-shifter to level shift a clock signal from the first power supply level to the second power supply level, the level-shifter to generate the sampling signal,

wherein the sampling signal is distributed to vectored sequential logic circuits.

35. The system of claim 22, wherein the data path is independent of any level-shifter.

24. (canceled)

28. (canceled)

30. (canceled)

33. (canceled)