Data processing system and data processing method

• US 6,942,157 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2002
• Issued: 09/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Globalfoundries US Incorporated (GlobalFoundries, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kato, Yoshiharu, Nozawa, Tohru
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Diane I.
• Application Number:
  US10/241,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20030052176A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 235/380, 235/472.02, 257/82, 257/84, 455/73, 455/74, 455/66, 455/90, 710106-107, 710/117, 710/203, 710240-244, 710/305, 397/135
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/6677 for antenna, e.g. antenna included within housing of semiconductor device
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73204 the bump connector being embedded into the layer connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15311 being a ball array, e.g. BGA
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0274 Optical details, e.g. printed circuits comprising integral optical means H05K1/0269 takes precedence; coupling light guides with opto-electronic components G02B6/42
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/181 associated with surface mounted components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10734 Ball grid array [BGA]; Bump grid array

Abstract

An IC chip is provided with a wireless unit for inputting and outputting data by wireless communication, in addition to a logic section, so that the IC chip no longer needs I/O pads, leaving only power supply and ground pads. IC chips can input and output data with one another by wireless communications, which makes it possible to significantly improve the spacing relationships of various chips on a singular or even plurality of substrates.

Claims

1. A data processing system comprising first, second, third, and fourth IC chips;

each of said IC chips comprising;

logic circuitry; and

wireless communications input/output circuitry, electrically coupled to said logic circuitry, for performing wireless input and output communications with the other IC chips; and

wherein

said first IC chip is a master, said second IC chip is a master, said third IC chip is

a slave and said fourth IC chip is an arbiter;

each of said masters includes means for making an arbitration request to said arbiter to obtain permission to communicate wirelessly with said slave;

said arbiter including means for ranting said permission for one of said masters to communicate wirelessly with said slave if no other master currently has permission to communicate wirelessly with said slave.

2. The data processing system according to claim 1, wherein each of said IC chips performs all input and output communication via said wireless communications input/output circuitry.

3. The data processing system according to claim 1, further including a plurality of IC modules mounted on a single substrate, each of said IC modules including a respective one of said IC chips.

4. The data processing system according to claim 3, wherein said plurality of IC modules are mounted on one surface or both surfaces of said single substrate, and said substrate contains only power supply and ground layers as wiring layers.

5.The data processing system according to claim 1, further including a plurality of IC modules, each of said IC modules mounted on separate substrates, respectively, each of said IC modules including a respective one of said IC chips.

5. The data processing system according to claim 1, further including a plurality of IC modules installed in a single computer, each IC module including a respective one of said IC chips.

6. The data processing system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said IC chips includes wired communications input/output circuitry for performing wired input and output communication with selected ones of the other IC chips.

7. The data processing system according to claim 1, wherein said IC chips use electromagnetic waves for said wireless communication.

8. The data processing system according to claim 1, further including a plurality of IC modules accommodated in a common electromagnetic shield space, each of said IC modules including a respective one of said IC chips.

9. The data processing system according to claim 1, wherein each of said IC chips include means for transmitting and receiving RF electromagnetic waves, infrared rays, and/or laser beams.

10. The data processing system according to claim 1, further comprising a fifth, slave IC chip, and wherein said first and third IC chips communicate with each other using electromagnetic waves of one frequency, and concurrently said second and fifth IC chips communicate with each other using electromagnetic waves of a different frequency.

12. The data processing system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said IC chips includes an antenna connected to said wireless communications input/output circuitry.

14. The data processing system according to claim 1, further including a package having one of said IC chips therein and an antenna connected to said wireless communications input/output circuitry so as to protrude from said package in an exposed state.

15. The data processing system according to claim 1, further including a module having at least one of said IC chips therein and including an antenna pad connected to the wireless communications input/output circuitry for said one IC chip, said system further including a substrate having an antenna standing upright and fixed to said substrate, said module including said one IC chip mounted on said substrate.

16. The data processing system according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of IC chips include a program memory IC chip storing various programs and a program executing IC chip capable of rewriting said programs.

11. The data processing system according to claim 11, wherein said arbiter includes means for assigning frequencies of electromagnetic waves used when said IC chips communicate with one another via their respective wireless communications input/output circuitry.

13. The data processing system according to claim 13, further including a substrate and a module having said at least one of said IC chips therein, said antenna being formed along a side edge of said IC chip, and said module being mounted on said substrate by a flip-chip BGA technique.

17. The data processing system according to claim 17, wherein said program memory IC chip stores programs that can be read out for executing interface functions between a CPU and respective peripherals, and said program executing IC chip performs data input and output with said peripherals by wireless communications and loads said program for executing the interface function between the CPU and the peripheral from said program memory chip.

18. A data processing system comprising a plurality of IC chips with wireless communications capability, each of which includes wireless communications input/output structure for performing wireless data input and output and is allowed input and output data with one another via said wireless communications input/output structure;

and wherein said plurality of IC chips with wireless communications capability include a plurality of masters, at least one slave, and an arbiter, and each of said masters makes an arbitration request to said arbiter for data communications with said slave prior to said data communications.

19. The data processing system according to claim 19, wherein each of said masters is assigned with a unique frequency, and communicates with said arbiter by using an electromagnetic wave with said unique frequency.

20. The data processing system according to claim 20, wherein a master-slave frequency is set, and each of said masters is allowed to communicate with a desired slave by using an electromagnetic wave with said master-slave frequency.

21. The data processing system according to claim 21, wherein a plurality of different master-slave frequencies are set, and a plurality of master-slave pairs are allowed to communicate simultaneously by using electromagnetic waves with the respective master-slave frequencies.

22. The data processing system according to claim 21, wherein said master-slave frequency is assigned as a master-unique frequency or a slave-unique frequency.

23. A data processing method comprising the steps of:

preparing a plurality of IC chips with wireless communications capability each including wireless communications input/output structure for performing data input and output; and

allowing said plurality of IC chips with wireless communications capability to input and output data with one another via said wireless communications input/output structure; and

wherein, upon performing said data input and output between said IC chips with wireless communications capability via said wireless communications input/output structure, said plurality of IC chips with wireless communications capability are classified into a plurality of masters, at least one slave, and an arbiter, and each of said masters makes an arbitration request to said arbiter for data communications with said slave prior to said communications.