Semiconductor Device Current Mode Control via BIST Voltage Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
As semiconductor devices become more advanced and consume higher currents, they can overwhelm the power supply, leading to potential malfunctions and instability due to varying power characteristics and environmental factors.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor device with a controller that includes a voltage sensor, BIST control circuit, and storing unit, which sets current modes based on voltage detection results to manage current consumption and prevent power supply overload, using BIST patterns to determine successful or failed operations and adjust clock frequencies and configurations accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If semiconductor devices are made finer and more advanced in performance, then throughput and error correction load increase, but current consumption increases causing power supply overload
Solution Approach 1:
The semiconductor device dynamically adjusts its operation current by switching between first and second current modes based on BIST test results. The current mode is not fixed but adapts according to the detected voltage conditions, allowing the device to optimize power consumption while maintaining required performance levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the operation current parameter based on BIST detection results. By detecting voltage drops during BIST tests and comparing them against thresholds, the system determines whether to operate in high-current or low-current mode, effectively adjusting the current parameter to balance performance and power consumption.
2Productivity
If current consumption increases to support advanced performance, then throughput improves, but power supply stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs BIST tests before normal operation to preliminarily detect power supply characteristics. By conducting voltage detection and BIST evaluation in advance, the device determines the appropriate current mode before actual work begins, preventing power supply overload and ensuring stable operation throughout the device's working life.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention implements a feedback mechanism where BIST test results and voltage detection outcomes feed back into the current mode selection. The storing unit records BIST results, and the control logic uses this feedback to determine whether to switch between current modes, creating a closed-loop system that maintains power supply stability based on actual device conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment, a semiconductor device comprises an integrated circuit having a plurality of current modes different in operation current; a voltage sensor that detects a voltage in use by the integrated circuit; a BIST control circuit that generates BIST patterns different in the operation current and creates a flag indicating the success or failure of a BIST corresponding to the operation current based on the result of detecting the voltage while the integrated circuit is made to operate based on the BIST pattern; and a storing unit that stores the flag. The integrated circuit sets the current mode based on the flag.