Abstract: A circuit incorporating a current starved ring oscillator is coupled to a power gate switch in an integrated circuit. The circuit incorporating the current starved ring oscillator amplifies a voltage difference between a virtual ground associated with the power gate switch and ground, and converts the difference to a frequency. Digital logic monitors the output of the ring oscillator using a counter and a reference clock. Control circuitry controls operation of the integrated circuit in dependence on the monitored conditions associated with the power gate switch. A method monitors a virtual ground voltage across a power gate switch in an integrated circuit; and controls operation of the integrated circuit in dependence on the monitored virtual ground voltage.

Abstract: A memory circuit includes a global read bit line, a global read bit line latch, and a plurality of sub-arrays, each of which includes first and second local read bit lines, first and second local write bit lines, and first and second pluralities of memory cells interconnected, respectively, with the first and second local read bit lines and the first and second local write bit lines. The local read bit lines are decoupled from the local write bit lines. A local multiplexing block is interconnected with the first and second local read bit lines and is configured to ground the first and second local read bit lines upon assertion of a SLEEP signal, and to selectively interconnect the local read bit lines to the global read bit line. A global multiplexing block is interconnected with the global read bit line and is configured to maintain the global read bit line in a substantially discharged state upon assertion of the SLEEP signal and to interconnect the global read bit line to the global read bit line latch.

Abstract: A method for executing multiple computational primitives is provided in accordance with exemplary embodiments. A first computational unit and at least a second computational unit cooperate to execute multiple computational primitives. The first computational unit independently computes other computational primitives. By virtue of arbitration for shared source operand buses or shared result buses, availability of the first and second computational units needed to execute cooperatively the multiple computational primitives is assured by a process of reservation as used for a computational primitive executed on a dedicated computational unit.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for a register file cell that includes a primary storage portion configured to store a first value, and a secondary storage portion that is coupled to the primary storage portion. The secondary storage portion is configured to function as a scan latch during a test operation, and is further configured to store a second value during normal operation. The second value is a duplicate of the first value. The cell further includes an error detection portion that is coupled to the primary storage portion and the secondary storage portion and is configured to indicate a difference between the first value and the second value, caused by a soft error.

Abstract: A memory cell comprises a wordline, a first digital inverter with a first input and a first output, and a second digital inverter with a second input and a second output. Moreover, the memory cell further comprises a first feedback connection connecting the first output to the second input, and a second feedback connection connecting the second output to the first input. The first feedback connection comprises a first resistive element and the second feedback connection comprises a second resistive element. What is more, each digital inverter has an associated capacitance. The memory cell is configured such that reading the memory cell includes applying a read voltage pulse to the wordline. In addition, the first and second resistive elements are configured such that the first and second feedback connections have resistance-capacitance induced delays longer than the applied read voltage pulse.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for modeling and simulating a powergated hierarchical element of an integrated circuit is disclosed. In modeling a powergated macro, the invention does not model all logic gates or elements as powergated, instead, the invention only models latches as connected to an integrated switch to be powergated. In addition, a fence circuit attached to the powergated macro is modeled as including an extra control signal to force a powergated state of the powergated macro into the fence circuit.

Abstract: A charge recycling power gate and corresponding method are provided for using a charge sharing effect between a capacitive load of a functional unit and a parasitic capacitance of a charge recycling means to turn on a switching means between a virtual ground and a ground, the charge recycling power gate including a first transistor, a virtual ground in signal communication with a first terminal of the first transistor, a ground in signal communication with a second terminal of the first transistor, a capacitor having a first terminal in signal communication with a third terminal of the first transistor and a second terminal in signal communication with the ground, and a second transistor having a first terminal in signal communication with the virtual ground and a second terminal in signal communication with the third terminal of the first transistor.

Abstract: A memory cell comprises a wordline, a first digital inverter with a first input and a first output, and a second digital inverter with a second input and a second output. Moreover, the memory cell further comprises a first feedback connection connecting the first output to the second input, and a second feedback connection connecting the second output to the first input. The first feedback connection comprises a first resistive element and the second feedback connection comprises a second resistive element. What is more, each digital inverter has an associated capacitance. The memory cell is configured such that reading the memory cell includes applying a read voltage pulse to the wordline. In addition, the first and second resistive elements are configured such that the first and second feedback connections have resistance-capacitance induced delays longer than the applied read voltage pulse.

Abstract: An IC structure having reduced power loss and/or noise includes two or more active semiconductor regions stacked in a substantially vertical dimension, each active semiconductor region including an active layer. The IC structure further includes two or more voltage supply planes, each of the voltage supply planes corresponding to a respective one of the active layers.

Abstract: An IC structure having reduced power loss and/or noise includes two or more active semiconductor regions stacked in a substantially vertical dimension, each active semiconductor region including an active layer. The IC structure further includes two or more voltage supply planes, each of the voltage supply planes corresponding to a respective one of the active layers.

Abstract: A memory cell comprises a wordline, a first digital inverter with a first input and a first output, and a second digital inverter with a second input and a second output. Moreover, the memory cell further comprises a first feedback connection connecting the first output to the second input, and a second feedback connection connecting the second output to the first input. The first feedback connection comprises a first resistive element and the second feedback connection comprises a second resistive element. What is more, each digital inverter has an associated capacitance. The memory cell is configured such that reading the memory cell includes applying a read voltage pulse to the wordline. In addition, the first and second resistive elements are configured such that the first and second feedback connections have resistance-capacitance induced delays longer than the applied read voltage pulse.

Abstract: An IC structure having reduced power loss and/or noise includes two or more active semiconductor regions stacked in a substantially vertical dimension, each active semiconductor region including an active layer. The IC structure further includes two or more voltage supply planes, each of the voltage supply planes corresponding to a respective one of the active layers.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for a register file cell that includes a primary storage portion configured to store a first value, and a secondary storage portion that is coupled to the primary storage portion. The secondary storage portion is configured to function as a scan latch during a test operation, and is further configured to store a second value during normal operation. The second value is a duplicate of the first value. The cell further includes an error detection portion that is coupled to the primary storage portion and the secondary storage portion and is configured to indicate a difference between the first value and the second value, caused by a soft error.

Abstract: Circuits and methods are provided to implement low voltage, higher performance semiconductor memory devices such as CMOS static random access memory (SRAM) or multi-port register files. For example, circuits and methods are provided for dynamically adjusting power supply and/or ground line voltages that are applied to the memory cells during different modes of memory operation to enable low voltage, high performance operation of the memory devices.

Abstract: A machine code builder providing improved software controlled power management is described. A machine code builder reads pre-executable code and builds machine code from the pre-executable code to maximize a duration that a resource is not required. The resource(s) not required may be user defined or the builder can analyze the pre-executable code to determine which resource(s) are not required. The builder re-organizes machine code to maximize the time a particular resource is not used. Mechanisms are also provided to have resource emulation code execute during re-energizing of a resource to prevent loss of performance.

Abstract: An integrated circuit, such as a memory macro, includes multiple power rails supporting first and second voltage differentials, with the second voltage differential being smaller than the first voltage differential. Signal lines in the integrated circuit are driven with the small voltage swing, which is generated by small swing circuits. The integrated circuit further includes regeneration circuits, which are receiving small voltage swing inputs and are outputting first, or full voltage swings. The application of the small voltage swing to the signal lines saves power in the integrated circuit. A wide bandwidth, full-wordline I/O, memory integrated circuit has simultaneously operable connection paths between essentially all the memory cells that are attached to the same wordline and the corresponding I/O terminals, and it has a single ended data-line structure.

Abstract: A test system and method for integrated circuits includes an energy source having an adjustable energy rate, and a feedback device, which measures a physical quantity at a discrete position on an integrated circuit. A control circuit adjusts the power source to externally apply energy to the integrated circuit at the discrete position. A circuit tester applies test programs to the integrated circuit while the discrete position is maintained at a value of the physical quantity in accordance with the control circuit.

Abstract: A charge recycling power gate and corresponding method are provided for using a charge sharing effect between a capacitive load of a functional unit and a parasitic capacitance of a charge recycling means to turn on a switching means between a virtual ground and a ground, the charge recycling power gate including a first transistor, a virtual ground in signal communication with a first terminal of the first transistor, a ground in signal communication with a second terminal of the first transistor, a capacitor having a first terminal in signal communication with a third terminal of the first transistor and a second terminal in signal communication with the ground, and a second transistor having a first terminal in signal communication with the virtual ground and a second terminal in signal communication with the third terminal of the first transistor.

Abstract: A power saving cache and a method of operating a power saving cache. The power saving cache includes circuitry to dynamically reduce the logical size of the cache in order to save power. Preferably, a method is used to determine optimal cache size for balancing power and performance, using a variety of combinable hardware and software techniques. Also, in a preferred embodiment, steps are used for maintaining coherency during cache resizing, including the handling of modified (“dirty”) data in the cache, and steps are provided for partitioning a cache in one of several way to provide an appropriate configuration and granularity when resizing.

Abstract: A dynamic parallel adder is provided which eliminates the positive (or negative) complimentary carry generate and propagate signal logic normally used to implement a conventional dynamic parallel added. The method for implementing the incentive adder users a novel XOR configuration constructed with dynamic CMOS logic circuits.