Scalable Digital Interfaces for Parallel Semiconductor Communication
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge of increasing transistor density on chips to meet the performance demands of advanced computing, particularly for AI applications, is hindered by manufacturing technology limits, necessitating improved packaging methods to enhance computing resources.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a semiconductor device with multiple pins divided into data sending and receiving groups, utilizing a scalable digital interface circuit for parallel data transmission and reception, allowing for reorganization of data into parallel formats for efficient communication between semiconductor devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If serial transmission is used between semiconductor devices, then device complexity is reduced, but transmission speed decreases and transmission time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transmission interface is segmented into multiple independent data channels (data sending groups and data receiving groups), allowing simultaneous transmission of multiple data bits through different pins. This segmentation enables parallel transmission, dramatically increasing data transmission speed and reducing transmission time compared to serial transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from one-dimensional serial transmission to multi-dimensional parallel transmission by utilizing multiple pins simultaneously. The scalable digital interface circuit reorganizes output data into parallel transmission data across multiple channels, effectively adding spatial dimension to the transmission process and achieving significant speed improvement.
2Productivity
If parallel transmission is implemented, then transmission speed increases, but device complexity and pin quantity requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic scalability in the digital interface circuit, allowing the number of data sending groups and data receiving groups to be flexibly configured based on actual transmission needs. This dynamic architecture enables the system to adapt between different parallel transmission modes (e.g., 2-bit, 4-bit, 8-bit parallel) without requiring complete redesign, thus managing complexity while maintaining high transmission efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The scalable digital interface circuit is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a data reorganization unit and as a parallel transmission controller. The same circuit structure can be configured for different data widths and transmission modes, reducing overall device complexity by eliminating the need for separate dedicated circuits for each function.
3Speed
If higher transmission frequency is used, then data transmission speed increases, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental transmission parameter from frequency-based speed increase to parallelism-based speed increase. Instead of increasing clock frequency which directly increases power consumption, the system uses multiple pins transmitting data simultaneously at lower frequencies, achieving the same effective data transmission speed with significantly reduced power consumption per pin.
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor device and a communication method between semiconductor devices are provided. The semiconductor device includes a plurality of pins, semiconductor components and a scalable digital interface circuit. The pins are divided into a plurality of data sending groups and plurality of data receiving groups. The semiconductor components provide output data and receive input data. The scalable digital interface circuit is coupled to the data sending groups, the data receiving groups and semiconductor components, wherein the scalable digital interface circuit reorganizes the output data into parallel transmission data to send the parallel transmission data to an external semiconductor device by parallel transmission, and receives parallel reception data from the external semiconductor device by parallel transmission to reorganize the parallel reception data into the input data.