Backside Power Supply Circuit With TSVs for Low-Area Power Gating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current semiconductor devices face challenges in minimizing power consumption while maintaining high-speed operations, as existing technologies often require additional circuitry that increases chip area, and existing power management techniques are inefficient in reducing power consumption effectively.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a backside power delivery circuit with through-silicon vias (TSVs) and thin film transistors (TFTs) to control power supply to standard cells, allowing for block-by-block power management by connecting and disconnecting main power supply lines to local power supply lines, thereby reducing power consumption without increasing chip area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If additional circuitry is added to manage power consumption, then power management capability is improved, but chip area increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves the power management circuit from the front side to the back side of the substrate, utilizing the third dimension (vertical stacking) to resolve the area conflict. The backside power delivery circuit includes power supply lines and switches that are routed through the back surface, allowing power control functionality to be added without consuming additional planar chip area.
Solution Approach 2:
The power management functionality is nested within the existing substrate structure by routing power lines and switches through the back surface and using through-substrate vias to connect to front-side circuits. This nesting approach allows the power management system to be integrated into the existing chip footprint without requiring additional external circuitry.
2Area of moving object
If cell height is reduced to minimize device size, then device size is improved, but power supply line pitch is reduced making power management more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
By moving power management to the back side of the substrate, the patent creates additional spatial freedom. The backside power delivery circuit can implement power supply lines with larger effective pitch and better routing flexibility, even when front-side cell heights are reduced. This dimensional separation allows independent optimization of cell density and power line configuration.
3Use of energy by moving object
If block-by-block power control is implemented, then power management efficiency is improved, but circuit complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The backside power delivery circuit implements block-by-block power control by dividing the substrate into multiple power domains, each with its own power supply line and switch. This segmentation allows independent power control of different functional blocks, enabling efficient power management by selectively powering only active regions while leaving other regions in low-power state.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces through-substrate vias and backside routing as intermediaries that connect the power management switches to the front-side circuits. These intermediary structures enable block-level power control without requiring complex front-side circuit modifications, as the control logic can be implemented on the back side with simpler routing to targeted blocks.
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor device includes a substrate, a main circuit disposed over a front surface of the substrate, and a backside power delivery circuit disposed over a back surface of the substrate. The backside power delivery circuit includes a first main power supply wiring for supplying a first voltage, a second main power supply wiring for supplying a second voltage, a first local power supply wiring, and a first switch coupled to the first main power supply wiring and the first local power supply wiring. The first main power supply wiring, the second main power supply wiring and the first local power supply wiring are embedded in a first back side insulating layer disposed over the back surface of the substrate. The first local power supply wiring is coupled to the main circuit via a first through-silicon via (TSV) passing through the substrate for supplying the first voltage.