Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080272652 | Virtual power rail modulation within an integrated circuit - An integrated circuit | 11-06-2008 |
20080272809 | Integrated circuit power-on control and programmable comparator - An integrated circuit is provided with a main supply rail and a virtual supply rail connected by strong and weak header transistors. A power-on controller controls the switching on of the strong transistors after the virtual supply rail voltage has already been driven up to close to its operating level by the weak transistor. The power-on controller comprises a comparator monitoring a single reference voltage level with its output being latched within a latch and used to switch on the strong transistor. The comparator may be programmable to detect multiple different trigger voltage levels by using opposing charging and discharging transistors with one set of these operating in a saturated regime and the other in a regime in which the current therethrough varies in dependence upon the voltage being sensed. These opposing transistors can be used to charge or discharge a node with the state of that node being taken to generate the sensed output. | 11-06-2008 |
20090015322 | Integrated circuit with multiple layers of circuits - An integrated circuit | 01-15-2009 |
20090019329 | Serial scan chain control within an integrated circuit - An integrated circuit | 01-15-2009 |
20090222775 | Characterising circuit cell performance variability in response to pertibations in manufacturing process parameters - A technique for characterising variation in a performance parameter(s) of circuit cells within a circuit cell library with perturbations in manufacturing process parameters uses a statistical approach whereby the statistical distribution of performance parameter(s) resulting from a joint distribution across manufacturing process parameter space is determined. The perturbation in manufacturing process parameter which results in a characteristic amount of variation is then identified and common sets of such perturbations used to group families of circuit cells together. Families of circuit cells have a correlation in their response to manufacturing process parameter perturbation and this is represented by a correlation matrix. Variation characterising data generated in accordance with the above technique is used to drive electronic design automation tools in integrated circuit design and manufacture. | 09-03-2009 |
20090244999 | Clock control during self-test of multi port memory - A multiport memory | 10-01-2009 |
20090319839 | Repairing memory arrays - A memory array comprising a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, each row comprising at least one addressable word, said memory array comprising at least one redundant row and at least one redundant column; error detection circuitry for analysing said memory array, by addressing words within said memory array and detecting errors within said addressed words; error repair circuitry for selecting for a detected error either a redundant row or a redundant column to replace one of said row or column containing said error; wherein said error repair circuitry is configured to determine for said detected error whether said error is a single error bit in said addressed word or whether it is one of a plurality of error bits within said word, and if said error is said one of said plurality of errors, said error repair circuitry is configured to preferentially select a redundant row rather than a redundant column to repair said error. | 12-24-2009 |
20110063932 | Boosting voltage levels applied to an access control line when accessing storage cells in a memory - A semiconductor memory storage device is disclosed, the memory comprises: a plurality of storage cells for storing data; at least two access control lines each for controlling access to a respective at least one of the plurality of storage cells; at least two access control circuits each for controlling a voltage level supplied to a corresponding one of the at least two access control lines in response to an access request, the at least two access control circuits each comprising a capacitor and switching circuitry; routing circuitry for routing the access request and a boost signal to a selected one of the at least two access control circuits in dependence upon an address associated with the access request; wherein the at least two access control circuits are each responsive to: receipt of the access request from the routing circuitry to connect the selected access control line to a supply voltage; and receipt of the boost signal from the routing circuitry to disconnect the supply voltage from the access control line and to couple the boost signal to the access control line through the capacitor of the access control circuit to provide a boost to a voltage level on the access control line. | 03-17-2011 |
20110085391 | Memory with improved read stability - A static random access memory is disclosed. The SRAM comprises: at least one data line for transferring data to and from the memory and at least one reset line; a plurality of storage cells each being arranged for connection to the at least one data line and the at least one reset line, each storage cell comprising: an asymmetric feedback loop, the feedback loop comprising a first access node for holding a data value when the feedback loop stores the data value and a second access node for holding a complementary version of the data value when the feedback loop stores the data value; an access device for selectively providing a connection between the at least one data line and the first access node; a reset device for selectively providing a connection between the at least one reset line and the second access node; the memory further comprising: data access control circuitry for generating control signals in response to data access requests for independently controlling the access device and the reset device to provide the connections; wherein: the data control circuitry is configured to: generate a data access control signal to trigger the access device to provide the connection between the first access node and the at least one data line in response to a write request to write a predetermined value to the storage cell, and in response to a read request to read a stored value from the storage cell; and generate a reset control signal to trigger the reset device to provide the connection between the at least one reset line and the second access node in response to a write request to write the complementary predetermined value to the storage cell. | 04-14-2011 |
20110261633 | Memory with improved data reliability - An integrated circuit is provided comprising at least one array of memory cells having a plurality of rows of memory cells and a plurality of columns of bit cells. Each column of the memory cells is coupled to one of a plurality of bit lines. Each row of the memory cells is coupled to one of a plurality of word lines, to control coupling of that row of memory cells to the plurality of bit lines in dependence on a respective word line signal. Word line driver circuitry is configured to group together the word lines of at least three rows of memory cells, such that the word lines of the at least three rows of memory cells share a common word line signal. Thus in a write operation a written data value written into the array of memory cells is written to at least three memory cells having a shared bit line. Read circuitry is coupled to the plurality of bit lines, configured such that in a read operation, in which the at least three memory cells are all coupled to the shared bit line by means of the common word line signal, a read data value is determined in dependence on a voltage of the shared bit line, dependent on data values stored in the at least three memory cells. If, at a time of the read operation, one of the at least three memory cells holds a complement value of the written data value, the voltage of the shared bit line nonetheless has a value such that the read data value is determined with the same value as the written data value. | 10-27-2011 |
20110302460 | Apparatus and method for detecting an approaching error condition - An apparatus and method are provided for detecting an approaching error condition within a data processing apparatus. The data processing apparatus includes a second sequential storage structure which is arranged to latch the output signal generated by combinatorial circuitry dependent on a second clock signal. The second sequential storage structure has a main storage element to latch a value of the output signal for provision to subsequent combinatorial circuitry, and transition detection circuitry for detecting a change of the value of the output signal latched by the main storage element during a predetermined timing window, said change indicating an approaching error condition whilst the value stored in the main storage element is still correct. The second sequential storage structure can be operated in either a first mode of operation or a second mode of operation. In the first mode of operation, the predetermined timing window is a timing window ahead of a time at which the main storage element latches said value of the output signal, to thereby enable an approaching setup timing error due to a propagation delay within the combinatorial circuitry to be detected. In the second mode of operation, the predetermined timing window is a timing window after the time at which the main storage element latches said value of the output signal such that an approaching hold timing error due to an increase in skew between the first and second clock signals is detected. Such a technique provides a simple and efficient mechanism for detecting a variety of approaching error conditions whilst the second sequence storage structure continues to operate correctly. | 12-08-2011 |
20120006122 | Stress detection within an integrated circuit having through silicon vias - An integrated circuit | 01-12-2012 |
20120230129 | Method of altering distribution of a chosen characteristic of a plurality of memory cells forming a memory device - A method is provided for altering distribution of a chosen characteristic of a plurality of memory cells forming a memory device. The method comprises identifying a subset of the memory cells whose value of the chosen characteristic is within a predetermined end region of the distribution, and then performing a burn-in process during which one or more operating parameters of the memory device are set to induce aging of the memory cells. During the burn-in process, for each memory cell in the subset, the value stored in that memory cell is fixed to a selected value which exposes that memory cell to a stress condition. In contrast, for each memory cell not in the subset, the value stored in that memory cell is alternated during the burn-in process in order to alleviate exposure of that memory cell to the stress condition. Such an approach allows a tightening of the distribution of the chosen characteristic, thus improving the worst case memory cells. | 09-13-2012 |
20120286824 | Supplying a clock signal and a gated clock signal to synchronous elements - A clock gating circuitry unit for supplying either a clock signal or a predetermined gated value to a plurality of synchronous elements within an integrated circuit is disclosed. The clock gating circuitry is configured to receive a clock signal and to output an output signal comprising either the clock signal or the predetermined gated value. The clock gating circuitry unit receives a clock signal, a clock enable signal having either an enable value indicating the plurality of synchronous elements to are currently functional and are to be clocked, or a disable value indicating the plurality of synchronous elements are currently not required and are not to be clocked, and a power mode signal having either a low power value indicating entry to a low power mode in which at least a portion of the plurality of synchronous elements are powered to retain data and are not clocked and at least a further portion of the plurality of synchronous elements are powered down, or a functional mode value indicating the plurality of synchronous elements are to be powered. The clock gating unit has logic circuitry that is configured in response to the clock enable signal having the enable value and to the low power mode signal having the functional mode value to output the clock signal and in response to at least one of the clock enable signal having the disable value and the low power mode signal having the low power value to output the predetermined gated value. | 11-15-2012 |
20130335128 | SEQUENTIAL LATCHING DEVICE WITH ELEMENTS TO INCREASE HOLD TIMES ON THE DIAGNOSTIC DATA PATH - A latching device includes input and output latching elements to receive and output data values wherein the input and output elements are configured to receive a first and second clocks, respectively. The clocks have the same frequency but are inverted. The elements are transparent and transmit data between an input and an output in response to the first value of a received clock and are opaque and hold the data value in response to a second value of the received clock, such that in response to the first and second clocks the input data value is clocked through the input and output elements to the output. The device includes a device for selecting an operational data value or a diagnostic data value for input to the input element in response to a value of a diagnostic enable signal indicating a functional mode or a diagnostic mode. | 12-19-2013 |