Reliable digital low dropout voltage regulator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10908673-B2
Application number	US-201815891081-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 7, 2018
Priority date	Feb 7, 2018
Publication date	Feb 2, 2021
Grant date	Feb 2, 2021

Abstract

An apparatus is provided which comprises: a first device coupled to a first power supply rail; a second device coupled in series with the first device, wherein the second device is coupled to a second power supply rail; and a third device coupled to the first and second power supply rails, wherein the first device is controllable by a first input, wherein the second device is controllable by a second input, wherein the third device is controllable by a third input, and wherein the first input is an analog bias between a high power supply level and a ground supply level.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a first device coupled to a first power supply rail;
a second device coupled in series with the first device, wherein the second device is coupled to a second power supply rail; and
a third device coupled to the first and second power supply rails, wherein the first device is controllable by a first input, wherein the second device is controllable by a second input, wherein the third device is controllable by a third input, and wherein the first input is an analog bias between a high-power supply level and a ground supply level.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first power supply rail is to provide an ungated power supply.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second power supply is to provide a gated power supply.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 comprises a bias circuitry to generate the analog bias.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the bias circuitry comprises a digital-to-analog converter.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second device is turned on during one of: a low-power mode, a high-power mode, or a bypass mode.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second device is to turn on before the third device is turned on.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second and third inputs are generated by a driver circuitry comprising: a NOR gate, a NAND gate, and a single sequential logic to provide inputs to the NOR gate and the NAND gate.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first, second, and third devices are p-type transistors.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 comprises:
a tunable replica circuit to replicate a critical timing path; and
a time-to-digital converter coupled to the tunable replica circuit, wherein an output of the tunable replica circuit is input to the time-to-digital converter which is to determine a timing margin of the critical timing path with reference to a clock.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 comprises a controller to process the timing margin and to control the first, second, or third inputs according to the timing margin.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 comprises:
a first comparator coupled to the second power supply rail and a first reference;
a second comparator coupled to the second power supply rail and a second reference; and
a controller to receive outputs of the first and second comparators and to control the first, second, or third inputs according to the outputs of the first and second comparators.

13. An apparatus comprising:
a first power supply rail to provide an un-gated power supply;
a second power supply rail to provide a gated power supply;
a first power gate including:
a first transistor coupled to the first power supply rail and controllable by an analog bias; and
a second transistor coupled in series with the first transistor and coupled to the second power supply rail, wherein the first power gate is controllable by a first input; and

a second power gate coupled in parallel with the first power gate, wherein the second power gate is controllable by a second input separate from the first input.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 comprises:
a first comparator coupled to the second power supply rail and a first reference;
a second comparator coupled to the second power supply rail and a second reference; and
a controller to receive outputs of the first and second comparators and to control the first or second inputs according to the outputs of the first and second comparators.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 comprises:
a tunable critical path replica circuit coupled to the second power supply rail;
a time-to-digital converter (TDC) coupled to the second power supply rail or the first power supply rail, wherein the TDC is coupled to the tunable critical path replica circuit; and
a controller to receive an output of the TDC to control the first or second inputs according to the outputs of the TDC.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the second transistor of the first power gate and the second power gate are controllable by a single flip-flop.

17. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the analog bias is generated by one or more of: a digital-to-analog converter, a diode-connected device, or a voltage divider.

18. A system comprising:
a memory;
a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor includes a digital low dropout (DLDO) regulator which comprises:
a first device coupled to a first power supply rail;
a second device coupled in series with the first device, wherein the second device is coupled to a second power supply rail; and
a third device coupled to the first and second power supply rails, wherein the first device is controllable by a first input, wherein the second device is controllable by a second input, and wherein the third device is controllable by a third input, wherein the first input is an analog bias between a high-power supply level and a ground supply level; and

a wireless interface to allow the processor to communicate with another system.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the first, second, and third devices are part of a power gate, wherein the DLDO comprises multiple power gates distributed in the processor and controllable by a controller.

20. The system of claim 18 , wherein the second and third inputs are generated by a driver circuitry comprising: a NOR gate, a NAND gate, and a single sequential logic to provide inputs to the NOR gate and the NAND gate.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Meinerzhagen Pascal
• Kim Stephen
• Yoon Dongmin
• Cho Minki
• Khellah Muhammad

Classifications

• G05F1/563 Primary

  including two stages of regulation at least one of which is output level responsive, e.g. coarse and fine regulation · CPC title

• G06F1/324

  by lowering clock frequency · CPC title

• G06F1/3287

  by switching off individual functional units in the computer system · CPC title

• G06F1/26

  Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof (for memories G11C) · CPC title

• G05F1/59

  including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load · CPC title