CMOS Power Supply Boosting for Cold-Temperature Timing Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern CMOS digital integrated circuits face challenges in ensuring proper operation across variations in process, voltage, and temperature (PVT) due to the assumption of monotonic operation, which breaks down in some circumstances, leading to difficulties in designing and characterizing circuits that function at all PVT corners.
Innovation Solution
An integrated circuit with an energy management circuit that boosts the power supply voltage at colder temperatures to enhance stability and meet timing closure across the entire design window, creating new design corners that need to be simulated and characterized, and using a temperature sensor and digital controller to fine-tune the voltage boosting based on process parameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If the circuit operates at lower power supply voltages to reduce power consumption, then battery life is extended, but the circuit speed and reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic voltage boosting mechanism that adjusts the power supply voltage based on temperature conditions. At low temperatures where circuit speed deteriorates, the voltage is boosted to maintain performance. At normal temperatures, the voltage remains at nominal levels to conserve power. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between power consumption and circuit speed by adapting the voltage level to operating conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the power supply voltage parameter dynamically based on temperature. A temperature sensor detects low temperature conditions, and a voltage boosting circuit increases the power supply voltage from the nominal level to a higher level when needed. This parameter change allows the circuit to maintain speed at low temperatures while consuming less power at normal temperatures, resolving the contradiction between speed and power consumption.
2Reliability
If the circuit is designed to operate at all PVT corners to ensure reliability, then the circuit functions properly across all conditions, but the design and characterization process becomes extremely time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a voltage boosting circuit and temperature sensing mechanism into the design before manufacturing. This preliminary action ensures that the circuit automatically compensates for low-temperature performance degradation without requiring extensive post-manufacturing characterization at all PVT corners. The built-in compensation mechanism reduces the need for exhaustive simulation and testing, thereby reducing the time loss while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a self-adjusting mechanism where the circuit automatically detects low temperature conditions through a temperature sensor and activates voltage boosting without external intervention. This self-service approach ensures the circuit maintains reliable operation across temperature variations without requiring manual adjustment or extensive characterization at each corner, reducing both design complexity and characterization time while preserving reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The voltage boost allows the integrated circuit to operate properly at a wider voltage and temperature range, reducing the criticality of low temperatures and increasing dynamic power dissipation, while requiring additional simulation and characterization to ensure accurate operation across the modified design window.
Implementation Method 1
A temperature sensor provides a temperature signal to a digital controller, and the digital controller activates the voltage boosting in response to the temperature signal indicating that the temperature is below the boost temperature
Implementation Method 2
The energy management circuit boosts the power supply voltage by a variable amount in response to the temperature signal, the variable amount depending on a process signal having a value indicating a speed of operation of the digital circuit
Data Source
AI summary
An integrated circuit includes a digital circuit and an energy management circuit. The digital circuit operates with an internal power supply voltage in synchronism with a clock signal and comprises complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) transistors. The energy management circuit has an input for receiving an external power supply voltage and an output for providing the internal power supply voltage. The energy management circuit is thermally coupled to the digital circuit and sets the internal power supply voltage to a nominal voltage when a temperature of the digital circuit is greater than a boost temperature. The energy management circuit boosts the internal power supply voltage to a boosted voltage greater than the nominal voltage when the temperature of the digital circuit is less than the boost temperature.