Memory Module Voltage Regulation for Shared External Power Rails
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing memory devices face challenges in providing tightly-controlled power supply potentials, which are costly for host device manufacturers to generate internally, and often require multiple devices to share these resources, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a voltage regulator or power management integrated circuit (PMIC) within memory devices to generate and regulate power supply potentials, allowing these devices to provide tightly-controlled voltages not only for themselves but also to other external devices connected to the same motherboard, thereby reducing the need for tight voltage regulation in host devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If host device manufacturers generate tightly-controlled power supply potentials internally, then voltage regulation precision is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The memory device generates and regulates its own power supply potentials using an integrated voltage regulator, eliminating the need for the host device to provide tightly-controlled voltages. This self-service approach reduces manufacturing costs for host devices while maintaining precise voltage regulation through the memory device's internal PMIC
2Device complexity
If multiple devices share power supply resources, then device complexity is reduced, but power loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The power supply system is segmented into device-specific regulated outputs, where each memory device has its own voltage regulator that converts the unregulated input voltage to precise output voltages independently. This segmentation reduces power loss by eliminating the need for multiple devices to share regulated power resources, while the unregulated input bus keeps overall system complexity low
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
This solution reduces manufacturing costs for host devices by allowing memory modules to generate and regulate power supply potentials, enabling efficient power distribution to multiple devices, including processors, graphics cards, and other logic circuits, while minimizing power losses and resistive heating.
Implementation Method 1
a voltage regulator (e.g., a power management integrated circuit (PMIC)) for converting an unregulated input voltage to a regulated output voltage
Data Source
AI summary
Memory devices, systems including memory devices, and methods of operating memory devices and systems in which a memory device can include a voltage regulator for adjusting a supply voltage to an output voltage and providing the output voltage to other devices external to the memory device (e.g., other memory devices in the same memory system, processors, graphics chipsets, other logic circuits, expansion cards, etc.). A memory device may comprise one or more external inputs configured to receive a supply voltage having a first voltage level; a voltage regulator configured to receive the supply voltage from the one or more external inputs and to output an output voltage having a second voltage level different from the first voltage level; one or more memories configured to receive the output voltage from the voltage regulator; and one or more external outputs configured to supply the output voltage to one or more connected devices.