Device and method for compensating for voltage drops

• US 7,956,594 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2005
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Neiman, Valery, Fefer, Yehim-Haim, Sofer, Sergey
• Primary Examiner(s): Laxton; Gary L
• Application Number:
  US11/994,754
• Publication Number:
  US 20080224684A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,163 Days
• Field of Search: 323/267, 323/285, 327/535, 327/540, 713/300, 713/340, 363/147
• US Class Current: 323/285
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/56 using semiconductor devices in series with the load as final control devices G05F1/461 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/02 Detection or location of defective auxiliary circuits, e.g. defective refresh counters
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/021 in voltage or current generators
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/028 with adaption or trimming of parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 5/025 Geometric lay-out considerations of storage- and peripheral-blocks in a semiconductor storage device geometrical lay-out of the components in integrated circuits, H01L27/0207
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 5/147 Voltage reference generators, voltage or current regulators; Internally lowered supply levels; Compensation for voltage drops G11C5/141 takes precedence

Abstract

A device that includes a voltage supply unit and an integrated circuit, the device is characterized by including a voltage sampling circuit adapted to sample voltage levels at multiple sampling points within the integrated circuit, to provide multiple sampled voltages, wherein the multiple sampled voltages reflect the voltage drops; and wherein the voltage supply unit is adapted to adjust a supply voltage provided to the integrated circuit in response to at least one sampled voltage. A method for voltage drop compensation; the method includes providing a supply voltage to an integrated circuit; the method is characterized by sampling voltage levels at multiple sampling points within the integrated circuit, to provide multiple sampled voltages, wherein the multiple sampled voltages reflect the voltage drops; and adjusting a supply voltage provided to the integrated circuit in response to at least one sampled voltage.

Claims

1. A method for power supply voltage drop compensation within an integrated circuit, the method comprises:

providing a supply voltage to the integrated circuit;

sampling voltage levels at multiple sampling points located at different locations within the integrated circuit, to provide multiple sampled voltages, wherein the multiple sampled voltages reflect the voltage drops at the multiple sampling points;

selecting a subset of sampled voltages out of the multiple sampled voltages, the subset not including a first voltage of the multiple sampled voltages; and

adjusting a voltage supply provided to the integrated circuit based on the subset of sampled voltages, and not based on the first voltage.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising providing a voltage supply that is higher than a voltage required to compensate for a voltage drop.

3. The method according to claim 1 further comprising outputting from the integrated circuit an indication about the subset of the sampled voltages.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the subset consists of a single voltage measurement.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the selecting comprises selecting the lowest sampled voltage of the multiple sampled voltages.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the selecting is based on a priority of a sampling point.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein sampling points that are connected to a core of the integrated circuit are associated with a higher priority than other sampling points.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the priority of the sampling point is responsive to an ability of a component of the integrated circuit associated with the sampling point to operate with a lower voltage level.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the adjusting is characterized by a response period and wherein the providing comprises providing the supply voltage to substantially compensate for the response period.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein the priority of the sampling point is responsive to current changes that can be introduced by a certain component of the integrated circuit associated with the sampling point.

11. A device comprising a voltage supply unit and an integrated circuit, the device comprising:

a voltage sampling circuit adapted to sample voltage levels at multiple sampling points located at different locations within the integrated circuit, to provide multiple sampled voltages, wherein the multiple sampled voltages reflect the voltage drops, the voltage sampling circuit is adapted to select a subset of sampled voltages out of the multiple sampled voltages, the subset not including a first voltage of the multiple sampled voltages; and

wherein the voltage supply unit is adapted to adjust a voltage supply provided to the integrated circuit based on at least one sampled voltage of the subset of the sampled voltages and not based on the first voltage.

12. The device according to claim 11 wherein the voltage supply unit is adapted to supply a voltage that is higher than a voltage required to compensate for a voltage drop.

13. The device according to claim 11 wherein the voltage sampling circuit is adapted to output from the integrated circuit an indication about the subset of the sampled voltages.

14. The device according to claim 11 wherein the subset consists of a single voltage measurement.

15. The device according to claim 11 wherein the voltage sampling circuit is adapted to select the lowest sampled voltage for the subset of the sampled voltages.

16. The device according to claim 11 wherein the voltage sampling circuit is responsive to a priority of a sampling point.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein sampling points that are connected to a core of the integrated circuit are associated with a higher priority than other sampling points.

18. The device according to claim 16, wherein the priority of the sampling point is responsive to an ability of a certain component of the integrated circuit associated with the sampling point to operate with a lower voltage level.

19. The device according to claim 11 wherein the voltage supply unit is characterized by a response period and is adapted to provide a voltage that substantially compensates for the response period.

20. The device according to claim 16, wherein the priority of the sampling point is responsive to current changes that can be introduced by a certain component of the integrated circuit associated with the sampling point.