Off-Chip Memory Backup for Semiconductor Chip Fast Boot and Power Saving

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional system on a chip (SoC) designs face challenges in meeting low latency and low power requirements due to the need to keep certain components powered on all the time for fast boot, leading to increased power consumption.

Innovation Solution

An electronic device utilizing an external memory device to store hardware settings of a semiconductor chip, enabling fast boot and power saving by storing settings before a power-off event and fetching them after a power-on event, with the memory device remaining powered during the power saving mode.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of time

If certain components are kept powered on all the time for fast boot, then boot latency is reduced, but power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveboot latencyVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The hardware settings are saved into the external memory device before the power-off event occurs. This preliminary action ensures that when the semiconductor chip restarts, it can quickly retrieve the saved settings without needing to maintain power to all components during shutdown, thus achieving fast boot with reduced power consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The hardware settings are extracted from the semiconductor chip's internal memory and stored in an external memory device. This separation allows the chip to enter a deeper power-saving mode while the external memory retains the necessary configuration data, resolving the contradiction between fast boot and low power consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Use of energy by moving object

If semiconductor chip enters power saving mode with all components powered off, then power consumption is reduced, but boot time increases due to loss of hardware settings

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower consumptionVSAvoidboot time

Core Design Contradiction:

Use of energy by moving objectVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The external memory device acts as an intermediary that stores the hardware settings independently of the semiconductor chip's power state. This mediator ensures that the settings persist even when the chip is fully powered down, allowing the chip to enter deep power-saving mode while maintaining fast boot capability through quick retrieval of settings from the external memory.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS20250306782A1Electronic device using external memory device to store hardware setting of semiconductor chip for fast boot and power saving of semiconductor chip

Publication Date: 2025.10.02 MEDIATEK INC

AI summary

An electronic device includes a semiconductor chip and an integrated circuit (IC) that is external to the semiconductor chip. The semiconductor chip includes an input/output (I/O) interface circuit. The IC includes a first memory device being an internal volatile memory of the IC. The semiconductor chip communicates with the first memory device via the I/O interface circuit. The semiconductor chip stores at least one hardware setting of the semiconductor chip into the first memory device before a power-off event of the semiconductor chip. After the power-off event, separate chips, including the semiconductor chip and the IC, both enter a power saving mode, and the first memory device that is an off-chip memory device of the semiconductor chip is powered during a period in which the at least one hardware setting is stored in the first memory device of the IC that is operating in the power saving mode.