Shared Overhead Channel for Data Bus Inversion and Redundancy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing semiconductor designs face challenges in efficiently integrating data bus inversion (DBI) and logic redundancy techniques to achieve optimal power savings and yield, as they often result in high overhead and limited effectiveness due to unattainable design parameters and defect statistical behavior.
Innovation Solution
The integration of DBI and logic redundancy techniques through a shared overhead channel within each group of channels in the data bus, where the overhead channel is allocated based on criteria such as defect presence, enabling DBI for channel groups without defects and prioritizing redundancy operations for defective groups, thereby optimizing power savings and yield.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If data bus inversion (DBI) techniques are implemented to achieve power savings and reduced signal strength output, then power consumption is reduced, but device complexity increases due to the need for additional overhead channels and control logic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines DBI overhead channels with redundancy overhead channels into a shared overhead channel structure. The same overhead channel that carries DBI control signals is also used to carry redundancy information, thereby reducing the total number of overhead channels needed and lowering device complexity while maintaining power savings benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The overhead channel is designed to serve multiple functions: it carries DBI control signals for power optimization and simultaneously carries redundancy information for error correction. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate dedicated channels for each purpose, reducing overall system complexity
2Reliability
If logic redundancy techniques are implemented to improve yield, then manufacturing yield is improved, but device complexity and overhead increase due to additional redundant logic and channels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges redundancy logic with DBI control logic to share common overhead channels. By combining these functions into a unified structure, the patent reduces the total amount of redundant logic needed while maintaining yield improvement benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The overhead channel structure is designed to be universal, serving both DBI control purposes and redundancy purposes. This eliminates the need for separate dedicated redundancy channels, reducing device complexity while maintaining manufacturing yield improvements
3Reliability
If separate overhead channels are allocated for DBI and redundancy operations, then operational effectiveness is improved, but overhead and channel utilization efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines separate DBI overhead channels and redundancy overhead channels into a single shared overhead channel. This merging reduces the total quantity of overhead channels from two separate channels to one unified channel, improving channel utilization efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The shared overhead channel is designed to perform both DBI control functions and redundancy functions through multi-functionality. This allows a single channel to replace what would traditionally require two separate channels, reducing overhead while maintaining operational effectiveness
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and devices for redundant data bus inversion (DBI) sharing are described. A device may identify a group of channels included in a data bus. The device may determine whether the group of channels satisfies a criterion. Based on the determination, the device may allocate an overhead channel to the group of channels for a set of redundancy operations. Based on the determination, the device may allocate the overhead channel to the group of channels for a set of data bus inversion operations. The device may encode data associated with the group of channels based on the allocation of the overhead channel. The overhead channel may be included in the data bus.