Time-based apparatus and method to mitigate semiconductor aging effects
First Claim
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1. A method of mitigating an effect of aging semiconductor material in an electronic device, comprising:
- initializing a first operating voltage for the electronic device to a predetermined initial voltage level;
determining an elapsed time since an initial time by determining a difference between the initial time and a current time provided by a time clock;
determining a first appropriate operating voltage based on the determined elapsed time; and
setting the first operating voltage to the first appropriate operating voltage.
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Abstract
Systems, methods, and computer readable media that can mitigate the effects of semiconductor aging in a semiconductor device are described. Traditional methods of mitigating semiconductor aging can be wasteful since they overcorrect for aging using a high operational voltage. The approach discussed herein steps up the operational voltage for the electronic device with time based on predetermined aging models. This allows power consumption by the electronic device, particularly early in the designed operational life, to be much less than it would otherwise be.
11 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method of mitigating an effect of aging semiconductor material in an electronic device, comprising:
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initializing a first operating voltage for the electronic device to a predetermined initial voltage level; determining an elapsed time since an initial time by determining a difference between the initial time and a current time provided by a time clock; determining a first appropriate operating voltage based on the determined elapsed time; and setting the first operating voltage to the first appropriate operating voltage. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 20, 21)
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7. An electronic device, comprising:
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a power supply configured to produce a first operating voltage at a plurality of different levels; an operational component configured to be powered, at least in part, by the first operating voltage; and control circuitry configured to; initialize the first operating voltage to a predetermined initial voltage level; determine an elapsed time since an initial time by determining a difference between the initial time and a current time provided by a time clock; determine a first appropriate operating voltage based on the determined elapsed time; and set the first operating voltage to the first appropriate operating voltage by sending a signal to the power supply. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 22)
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14. A computer readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:
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initialize a first operating voltage for an electronic device to a predetermined initial voltage level; determine an elapsed time since an initial time by determining a difference between the initial time and a current time provided by a time clock; determine a first appropriate operating voltage based on the determined elapsed time; and set the first operating voltage to the first appropriate operating voltage; wherein the first operating voltage is used to power at least a portion of an electronic device. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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23. A method of mitigating an effect of aging semiconductor material in an electronic device, comprising:
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initializing a first operating voltage for the electronic device to a predetermined initial voltage level at an initial time, the initial time including an initial date; determining a current time provided by a time clock, the current time including a current date; determining a difference between the initial time and the current time to provide an elapsed time, the elapsed time including a number of days between the initial calendar date and the current date; determining a first appropriate operating voltage based on the elapsed time; and setting the first operating voltage to the first appropriate operating voltage.
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Specification