Adaptive Hold Buffer Delay Control for PVT Variation Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hold buffers degrade performance under process, temperature, and supply voltage variations, especially in sub-threshold voltage ranges, necessitating a solution to compensate for hold violations across both super-threshold and sub-threshold voltage ranges.
Innovation Solution
A clocking circuit generates clock signals, with a buffer comprising inverters and a controller that adjusts delay based on measurements of process, temperature, and supply voltage variations, using control voltage to compensate for hold violations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If hold buffers are used to eliminate hold violations, then hold violations are eliminated, but power consumption increases and performance degrades in sub-threshold voltage ranges
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer delay is made dynamically adjustable through a controller that generates a control voltage based on measured process, temperature, and supply voltage variations. This allows the buffer to adapt its delay characteristics to different operating conditions, eliminating hold violations only when necessary rather than always operating with fixed maximum delay, thereby reducing unnecessary power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the delay parameter of the buffer dynamically by applying control voltage to adjust the inverter delays. By measuring operating conditions (process, temperature, supply voltage) and adjusting the delay parameter accordingly, the system eliminates hold violations only when the measured conditions indicate they exist, rather than always using maximum delay, thus reducing power consumption while maintaining reliability.
2Reliability
If hold buffers increase path length to eliminate hold violations, then hold violations are prevented, but performance degrades under process and temperature variations
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer delay is made dynamically adjustable through a controller that generates a control voltage based on measured process, temperature, and supply voltage variations. This allows the buffer to adapt its delay characteristics to different operating conditions, eliminating hold violations only when necessary rather than always operating with fixed maximum delay, thereby reducing unnecessary power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by measuring process, temperature, and supply voltage variations and using this information to adjust the buffer delay. The controller continuously monitors operating conditions and adjusts the control voltage to the buffer accordingly, creating a closed-loop system that maintains optimal performance while preventing hold violations only when the measured conditions indicate they exist.
3Reliability
If fixed delay buffers are used, then hold violations are eliminated, but the system cannot adapt to process, temperature, and supply voltage variations
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer delay is made dynamically adjustable through a controller that generates a control voltage based on measured process, temperature, and supply voltage variations. This allows the buffer to adapt its delay characteristics to different operating conditions, eliminating hold violations only when necessary rather than always operating with fixed maximum delay, thereby reducing unnecessary power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the delay parameter of the buffer dynamically by applying control voltage to adjust the inverter delays. By measuring operating conditions (process, temperature, supply voltage) and adjusting the delay parameter accordingly, the system eliminates hold violations only when the measured conditions indicate they exist, rather than always using maximum delay, thus reducing power consumption while maintaining reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for controlling a hold buffer delay is provided. A control voltage is generated in response to a measurement of at least one of process variation, temperature variation, and supply voltage variation to compensate for a hold violation, and the delay of a buffer is adjusted using the control voltage. A first data signal is provided in synchronization with a first clock signal. A logic operation is performed on the first signal so as to generate a second data signal. A third data signal is generated and outputted in synchronization with a second clock signal, and at least one of the first and second data signals is buffered with the buffer.