| Patent application number | Description | Published |
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| 20080212977 | FIBER OPTIC TRANSMISSION LINES ON AN SOC - An optical transmission method. Signal transmissions between cores of an integrated circuit are performed. Each signal transmission is between two cores of a different pair of cores of the integrated circuit. Each signal transmission includes transmission of an optical signal in the visible or infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum at a wavelength that is specific to each different pair of cores and is a different wavelength for each different pair of cores. There is no overhead for decoding or arbitration in preforming the signal transmissions that would otherwise exist if a same wavelength for the optical signals were permitted for pairs of cores of the different pairs of cores. | 09-04-2008 |
| 20080240222 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR BALANCING DELAY OF SIGNAL COMMUNICATION PATHS THROUGH WELL VOLTAGE ADJUSTMENT - A method of balancing signal interconnect path delays between an analog domain and a digital domain of an integrated circuit includes applying a test signal to a selected one of a plurality of communication paths between the analog domain and the digital domain. A rising edge delay and a falling edge delay of the test signal is equalized by adjusting a body bias voltage of a delay element configured within the selected communication path. A rising edge delay and a falling edge delay for each of the remaining communication paths is compared with the equalized rising edge delay and falling edge delay of the selected communication path, and a body bias voltage for one or more of a plurality of delay elements configured within each of the remaining communication paths is adjusted until corresponding rising and falling edge delays thereof match the equalized rising edge delay and falling edge delay of the selected communication path. | 10-02-2008 |
| 20080244479 | STRUCTURE FOR INTRINSIC RC POWER DISTRIBUTION FOR NOISE FILTERING OF ANALOG SUPPLIES - A design structure for intrinsic RC power distribution for noise filtering of analog supplies. The design structure is embodied in a machine readable medium for designing, manufacturing, or testing an integrated circuit. The design structure includes a voltage regulator; a variable resistor coupled to the voltage regulator; and a performance monitor and control circuit providing a feedback loop to the variable resistor. | 10-02-2008 |
| 20080256503 | POWER MANAGEMENT ARCHITECTURE AND METHOD OF MODULATING OSCILLATOR FREQUENCY BASED ON VOLTAGE SUPPLY - A method and system for modulating logic clock oscillator frequency based on voltage supply. The system comprises a logic unit having a logic operation and a device to produce self-adjusting clocks to match the logic operation. The device is configured to use supply voltage as an independent variable to optimize device parameters for voltage variations. The invention is also directed to a design structure on which a circuit resides. | 10-16-2008 |
| 20080276034 | Design Structure for Transmitting Data in an Integrated Circuit - A design structure, which may be generated by a fabless design company, for transmitting data between cores residing in an integrated circuit. Data is transmitted by using hubs located between the cores and an arbiter. The arbiter maintains a table that contains all the valid combinations of routing paths between the cores. | 11-06-2008 |
| 20080285338 | DETERMINING HISTORY STATE OF DATA IN DATA RETAINING DEVICE BASED ON STATE OF PARTIALLY DEPLETED SILICON-ON-INSULATOR - A system, method and program product for determining a history state of data in a data retaining device are disclosed. A state of a partially-depleted silicon-on-insulator (PD SOI) device coupled to a data retaining device is measured to indicate a body voltage of the PD SOI device. The body voltage of the PD SOI device may indicate, among others, how long the PD SOI device has been idling, which indirectly indicates how long data in the data retaining device has not been accessed. As such, the current invention may be used efficiently with, e.g., a cache replacement algorithm in a management of the data retaining device. | 11-20-2008 |
| 20080320286 | DYNAMIC OBJECT-LEVEL CODE TRANSLATION FOR IMPROVED PERFORMANCE OF A COMPUTER PROCESSOR - A system and method for improving the efficiency of an object-level instruction stream in a computer processor. Translation logic for generating translated instructions from an object-level instruction stream in a RISC-architected computer processor, and an execution unit which executes the translated instructions, are integrated into the processor. The translation logic combines the functions of a plurality of the object-level instructions into a single translated instruction which can be dispatched to a single execution unit as compared with the untranslated instructions, which would otherwise be serially dispatched to separate execution units. Processor throughput is thereby increased since the number of instructions which can be dispatched per cycle is extended. | 12-25-2008 |
| 20080320313 | SYSTEM AND METHOD TO PROTECT COMPUTING SYSTEMS - A system and method for protecting computing systems, and more particularly a system and method which a dedicated hardware component configured to communicate with a protection program. A computer hardware subsystem includes a memory comprising content. The content is at least a list of files which have been modified within a predetermined period of time. The list of files is a subset of files of a hard drive. A dedicated hardware component is configured to track the files which have been modified and provide a location of the files to the memory. A communication link between the dedicated hardware component and a protection program provides the protection program with the subset of files of the hard drive as referenced by the memory content. | 12-25-2008 |
| 20080320423 | SYSTEM AND METHOD TO PROTECT COMPUTING SYSTEMS - A system and method for protecting computing systems, and more particularly a system and method which a dedicated hardware component configured to communicate with a protection program. A computer hardware subsystem includes a memory comprising content. The content is at least a list of files which have been modified within a predetermined period of time. The list of files is a subset of files of a hard drive. A dedicated hardware component is configured to track the files which have been modified and provide a location of the files to the memory. A communication link between the dedicated hardware component and a protection program provides the protection program with the subset of files of the hard drive as referenced by the memory content. The invention is also directed to a design structure on which a circuit resides. | 12-25-2008 |
| 20090021085 | DESIGN STRUCTURES, METHOD AND SYSTEMS OF POWERING ON INTEGRATED CIRCUIT - Design structures, method and systems of powering on an integrated circuit (IC) are disclosed. In one embodiment, the system includes a region in the IC including functional logic, a temperature sensor for sensing a temperature in the region when the IC is powered up and a heating element therefor; a processing unit including: a comparator for comparing the temperature against a predetermined temperature value, a controller, which in the case that the temperature is below the predetermined temperature value, delays functional operation of the IC and controls heating of the region of the IC, and a monitor for monitoring the temperature in the region; and wherein the controller, in the case that the temperature rises above the predetermined temperature value, ceases the heating and initiates functional operation of the IC. | 01-22-2009 |
| 20090022203 | METHOD AND SYSTEMS OF POWERING ON INTEGRATED CIRCUIT - Method and systems of powering on an integrated circuit (IC) are disclosed. In one embodiment, the system includes a region in the IC including functional logic, a temperature sensor for sensing a temperature in the region when the IC is powered up and a heating element therefor; a processing unit including: a comparator for comparing the temperature against a predetermined temperature value, a controller, which in the case that the temperature is below the predetermined temperature value, delays functional operation of the IC and controls heating of the region of the IC, and a monitor for monitoring the temperature in the region; and wherein the controller, in the case that the temperature rises above the predetermined temperature value, ceases the heating and initiates functional operation of the IC. | 01-22-2009 |
| 20090024859 | STRUCTURE AND METHOD TO OPTIMIZE COMPUTATIONAL EFFICIENCY IN LOW-POWER ENVIRONMENTS - A method and structure to optimize computational efficiency in a low-power environment. A design structure is embodied in a machine readable medium used in a design process. The design structure includes a component to determine an optimal point for maximizing computational efficiency in a low-power environment, and a component to selectively control operation of at least one processing unit of a plurality of processing units in accordance with the determined optimal point. The design structure further includes at least one of a component for controlling a frequency of a clock signal transmitted to the at least one processing unit in accordance with the determined optimal point, and a component for determining a present power available. | 01-22-2009 |
| 20090024862 | STRUCTURE AND METHOD TO OPTIMIZE COMPUTATIONAL EFFICIENCY IN LOW-POWER ENVIRONMENTS - A method and structure to optimize computational efficiency in a low-power environment. The method includes determining an optimal point for maximizing computational efficiency in a low-power environment, and selectively controlling operation of at least one processing unit of a plurality of processing units in accordance with the determined optimal point. The structure includes a plurality of processing units, a load manager controlling selective parallel operation of at least one processing unit of the plurality of processing units, and an unregulated power source. | 01-22-2009 |
| 20090024972 | STRUCTURES OF POWERING ON INTEGRATED CIRCUIT - Design structures, method and systems of powering on an integrated circuit (IC) are disclosed. In one embodiment, the system includes a region in the IC including functional logic, a temperature sensor for sensing a temperature in the region when the IC is powered up and a heating element therefor; a processing unit including: a comparator for comparing the temperature against a predetermined temperature value, a controller, which in the case that the temperature is below the predetermined temperature value, delays functional operation of the IC and controls heating of the region of the IC, and a monitor for monitoring the temperature in the region; and wherein the controller, in the case that the temperature rises above the predetermined temperature value, ceases the heating and initiates functional operation of the IC. | 01-22-2009 |
| 20090051420 | INTRINSIC RC POWER DISTRIBUTION FOR NOISE FILTERING OF ANALOG SUPPLIES - Analog supply for an analog circuit and process for supplying an analog signal to an analog circuit. The analog supply includes a noise filter having a variable resistor, and a control device coupled to adjust the variable resistor. The control device is structured and arranged to set the resistance of the variable resistor to maximize noise filtering and optimize performance of the analog circuit. | 02-26-2009 |
| 20090102529 | SHIFTING INACTIVE CLOCK EDGE FOR NOISE REDUCTION - An integrated circuit and a design structure are disclosed. An integrated circuit may comprise: multiple clocked elements; a clock signal source providing clock signals to the multiple clocked elements; and a clock shifting means coupled between the clock signal source and each of the multiple clocked elements; wherein the clock shifting means shifts clock signals of the multiple clocked elements such that the clock signals of the multiple clocked elements have aligned active edges and misaligned inactive edges to reduce the clock noise generated by the inactive edges of the clock signals. | 04-23-2009 |
| 20090106724 | Transition Balancing For Noise Reduction/Di/Dt Reduction During Design, Synthesis, and Physical Design - An embodiment of a design structure is shown for noise reduction comprising synthesizing blocks of sequential latches, e.g., a pipeline circuit architecture or clocking domain, which comprises combinational logic, synthesizing a root or a master clock and at least one phase-shifted sub-domain clock for each block, assigning primary inputs and primary outputs of the block to the root clock, assigning non-primary inputs and non-primary outputs of the block to the sub-domain clock, splitting root clock inputs into root clock inputs and phase-shifted sub-domain clock inputs, assigning each of the blocks a different phase-shifted sub-domain clock phase offset, creating a clock generation circuitry for the root clocks and the phase-shifted sub-domain clocks. | 04-23-2009 |
| 20090108869 | Design Structure for a Flexible Multimode Logic Element For Use In A Configurable Mixed-Logic Signal Distribution Path - A design structure for a multimode circuit that is configured to operate in one of multiple operating modes is disclosed. In particular, an exemplary multimode circuit may be configured to operating in one of a full-swing mode, a limited-swing mode, a full-swing to limited-swing converter mode, and a limited-swing to full-swing converter mode. The operating modes of the multimode circuit may be dynamically selectable. One or more multimode circuits may be part of a configurable distribution path for controlling the performance of a signal distribution path or tree of an integrated circuit. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20090109741 | DETERMINING HISTORY STATE OF DATA IN DATA RETAINING DEVICE BASED ON STATE OF PARTIALLY DEPLETED SILICON-ON-INSULATOR - An integrated circuit and a design structure are disclosed. An integrated circuit may comprise: a data retaining device; a partially depleted silicon-on-insulator (PD SOI) device electrically coupled to the data retaining device; and a measurement device coupled to the PD SOI device for measuring a state of the PD SOI device indicating a body voltage thereof, the measuring device being communicatively coupled to a calculating means which determines a history state of a data in the data retaining device based on the measured state of the PD SOI device. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20090109781 | DETERMINING RELATIVE AMOUNT OF USAGE OF DATA RETAINING DEVICE BASED ON POTENTIAL OF CHARGE STORING DEVICE - An integrated circuit and a design structure are disclosed. An integrated circuit may comprise: a data retaining device; a charge storing device coupled to the data retaining device such that a use of the data retaining device triggers a charging of the charge storing device by a charge source; and means for measuring a potential of the charge storing device, the measuring means being communicatively coupled to a calculating mean which determines a relative amount of usage of the data retaining device based on the measured potential. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20090147568 | Memory Elements and Methods of Using the Same - In a first aspect, a first apparatus is provided. The first apparatus is a memory element that includes (1) one or more MOSFETs each including a dielectric material having a dielectric constant of about 3.9 to about 25; and (2) control logic coupled to at least one of the one or more MOSFETs. The control logic is adapted to (a) cause the memory element to operate in a first mode to store data; and (b) cause the memory element to operate in a second mode to change a threshold voltage of at least one of the one or more MOSFETs from an original threshold voltage to a changed threshold voltage such that the changed threshold voltage affects data stored by the memory element when operated in the first mode. Numerous other aspects are provided. | 06-11-2009 |
| 20090239313 | Integrated Circuit Chip Design Flow Methodology Including Insertion of On-Chip or Scribe Line Wireless Process Monitoring and Feedback Circuitry - Disclosed are embodiments of a design and manufacturing system and an associated method that allow for design analysis and for insertion, during wafer manufacture, of intra-process monitoring circuitry. These embodiments use a library of pre-qualified intra-process monitoring circuits and a cross-correlation table that links different monitoring circuits with different IC chip components. Specifically, these embodiments analyze integrated circuit chip design data to identify the components designed into the chip. Then, one or more intra-process monitoring circuits are selected from the library and the design data is modified to include the selected monitoring circuit(s). | 09-24-2009 |
| 20090240452 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR WIRELESS AND DYNAMIC INTRA-PROCESS MEASUREMENT OF INTEGRATED CIRCUIT PARAMETERS - Disclosed are embodiments of a system and a method that allow for wireless and dynamic intra-process (i.e., during and/or between process steps) measurements of integrated circuit parameters. The embodiments incorporate the use of a passive circuit, such as an inductor-capacitor-resistor (LCR) circuit resonator, that has a predetermined sensitivity to process variations in one or more physical or electrical integrated circuit parameters. The passive circuit can be wirelessly interrogated between and/or process steps. Then, the actual behavior exhibited by the passive circuit in response to the interrogation is compared to the expected behavior of an optimal circuit in the absence of process variations in order to determine the one or more parameters. Also disclosed is an embodiment of an exemplary passive circuit that can be used to implement the disclosed system and method embodiments. | 09-24-2009 |
| 20090251474 | VIRTUAL COMPUTING AND DISPLAY SYSTEM AND METHOD - A virtual computing and display system and method. The system includes a plurality of microprocessor-based devices which run software applications, and each microprocessor-based device generates at least one graphic processing unit command stream including a packet of graphic commands. The system further includes at least one communication network which directly receives the graphics processing unit command stream from each of the microprocessor-based devices and transfers each of the generated graphics processing unit command streams via a respective active channel, at least one multi-core adaptive display server which receives and processes the graphics processing unit command streams, and at least one display which receives the packets via the at least one active channel per user session and displays at least one image. The at least one active channel connects a respective microprocessor-based device, the communication network, the at least one multi-core adaptive display server and the at least one display. | 10-08-2009 |
| 20090268541 | DESIGN STRUCTURE FOR ESTIMATING AND/OR PREDICTING POWER CYCLE LENGTH, METHOD OF ESTIMATING AND/OR PREDICTING POWER CYCLE LENGTH AND CIRCUIT THEREOF - A design structure is embodied in a machine readable medium for designing, manufacturing, or testing a design. The design structure includes a threshold register having a counter, a count register, and a non-volatile storage for storing a state when a value of the count register equals or exceeds a value of the threshold register. Also provided is a method of predicting and/or estimating a power cycle duration in order to save a state in non-volatile memory and a circuit. The method includes setting a threshold value; determining that the threshold value has been equaled or exceeded; and saving the state in the non-volatile memory at a first checkpoint based on the threshold value being equaled or exceeded. | 10-29-2009 |
| 20090287905 | PROCESSOR PIPELINE ARCHITECTURE LOGIC STATE RETENTION SYSTEMS AND METHODS - A solution for retaining a logic state of a processor pipeline architecture are disclosed. A comparator is positioned between two stages of the processor pipeline architecture. A storage capacitor is coupled between a storage node of the comparator and a ground to store an output of the early one of the two stages. A reference logic is provided, which has the same value as the output of the early stage. A logic storing and dividing device is coupled between the reference logic and a reference node of the comparator to generate a logic at the reference node, which is a fraction of the reference logic, and to retain a logic state of the information stored on the storage capacitor. Further mechanisms are provided to determine validity of data stored in the logic storing and dividing device. | 11-19-2009 |
| 20090302889 | INTEGRATED CIRCUIT CONTAINING MULTI-STATE RESTORE CIRCUITRY FOR RESTORING STATE TO A POWER-MANAGED FUNCTIONAL BLOCK - Multi-state restore circuitry that allows storage elements of a power-managed functional block to be loaded when the functional block is repowered up so that the functional block is ready for operation virtually immediately after voltage ramp-up of the functional block. The multi-state restore circuitry includes a restore-state detector for determining which one of a plurality of restore states of the functional block is applicable to a particular repowering-up of the functional block. The multi-state restore circuitry also includes restore logic that loads the storage elements as a function of the restore state determined by the restore-state detector. | 12-10-2009 |
| 20090307637 | METHOD OF DESIGNING MULTI-STATE RESTORE CIRCUITRY FOR RESTORING STATE TO A POWER-MANAGED FUNCTIONAL BLOCK - Methods of designing and testing restore logic for restoring values to storage elements of power-managed logic circuitry. In one implementation, a design method disclosed includes providing a design of the logic circuitry that, when instantiated, will have a number of states it can be returned to upon repowering-up the logic circuitry. Values held by the storage elements are determined and utilized to categorize the storage elements into categories that allow the development of restore logic that will restore the state of the power-managed logic circuitry that is appropriate to the particular powering-up. The restore logic design is tested by modeling it and the power-managed logic circuitry in a hardware description language and simulating the number of states over a number of test cases. If the design and testing are successful, the restore logic can be optimized for instantiation into an actual integrated circuit. | 12-10-2009 |
| 20100031067 | Adaptive Noise Suppression Using a Noise Look-up Table - A proactive noise suppression system and method for a power supply network of an integrated circuit. The system and method include receiving an IC event sequence to a memory element, correlating the IC event sequence to a storage location in a second memory element, the storage location including an anti-noise response signature, and utilizing the anti-noise response signature to proactively generate an anti-noise response in a power supply network in at least a portion of the integrated circuit at about the time of execution of the first IC event sequence. Anti-noise response signatures may be adaptively updated and/or created based on noise measurements made corresponding to execution of an IC event sequence by the integrated circuit. | 02-04-2010 |
| 20100201377 | Critical Path Redundant Logic for Mitigation of Hardware Across Chip Variation - Cross-die connection structure and method for a die or chip includes buffer elements having a buffer driver and bypass, and control lines coupled to the buffer elements in order to select one of the buffer driver and bypass for each respective buffer element. A logic network is arranged with the buffer elements to form functional paths, a test unit is structured and arranged to test the functional paths and to be coupled to the control lines, and a configuration storage register to set the selected one of the buffer driver and bypass for each passing functional path. | 08-12-2010 |
| 20100231306 | POWER MANAGEMENT ARCHITECTURE AND METHOD OF MODULATING OSCILLATOR FREQUENCY BASED ON VOLTAGE SUPPLY - A method and system for modulating logic clock oscillator frequency based on voltage supply. The system comprises a logic unit having a logic operation and a device to produce self-adjusting clocks to match the logic operation. The device is configured to use supply voltage as an independent variable to optimize device parameters for voltage variations. The invention is also directed to a design structure on which a circuit resides. | 09-16-2010 |
| 20100269166 | Method and Apparatus for Secure and Reliable Computing - In one embodiment, the invention is a method and apparatus for secure and reliable computing. One embodiment of an end-to-end security system for protecting a computing system includes a processor interface coupled to at least one of an application processor and an accelerator of the computing system, for receiving requests from the at least one of the application processor and the accelerator, a security processor integrating at least one embedded storage unit and connected to the processor interface with a tightly coupled memory unit for performing at least one of: authenticating, managing, monitoring, and processing the requests, and a data interface for communicating with a display, a network, and at least one embedded storage unit for securely holding at least one of data and programs used by the at least one of the application processor and the accelerator. | 10-21-2010 |
| 20100333058 | METHOD FOR INCREASING THE MANUFACTURING YIELD OF PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC DEVICES - A method for increasing the manufacturing yield of field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices (PLDs). An FPGA or other PLD is formed in several sections, each of the sections having its own power bus and input/output connections. Each section of the FPGA or other PLD is tested to identify defects in the FPGA or other PLD. The FPGA or other PLD is sorted according to whether the section has an acceptable number of defects. An assigned unique number for the FPGA or other PLD chip or part identifies it as partially good. Software for execution and configuring the FPGA or other PLD may use the unique number for programming only the identified functional sections of the FPGA or other PLD. The result is an increase in yield as partially good FPGAs or other PLDs may still be utilized. | 12-30-2010 |
| 20110019819 | SYSTEM AND METHOD OF MASKING ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERFERENCE (EMI) EMISSIONS OF A CIRCUIT - A system is provided for securing information residing on a circuit (e.g., processor). In particular, a system and method is provided for masking electromagnetic interference (EMI) emissions emitting from a circuit using a random noise generator in combination with a low noise amplifier and antenna. The random number generator matches a frequency of a circuit to be protected, and generates a random signal to be superimposed on data. The low noise amplifier receives the random signal from the random number generator, and an antenna receives the random signal from the low noise amplifier and transmits the random signal to mask the data of the circuit to be protected. | 01-27-2011 |
