Maciej Frankiewicz

Microprocessor Frequency Control Method Under Thermal and Energy Savings Constraints

This paper describes a method and a prototype of an integrated circuit of a temperature-controlled oscillator to address problems with overheating of high-performance processors working under thermal and energy saving constraints. Some theoretical considerations about the method are provided. Structure and measurement results of a circuit designed and fabricated in UMC CMOS 0.18 μm (1.8 V) are presented. The circuit consists of a set of proportional to absolute temperature sensors, a temperature comparator and maximum temperature detection circuit, a controlled ring oscillator, and additional blocks to manage the processor according to the presented method. The main aim of the circuit is to optimize the processor performance for a specified temperature limit, based on dynamic scaling of the operating frequency. The tuning is continuously and instantaneously performed by a signal from a sensor indicating maximum temperature directly measured in the silicon die.

Analysis of parameter-based Temperature-Controlled Oscillator

The paper investigates stable state behaviour of Temperature-Controlled Oscillator under different configurations of work parameters. Calculations were made for technology parameters referring to CMOS UMC 0.18 μm 1.8 V and for different temperature sensor and oscillator characteristics. Operating point in considered case is oscillator operating frequency and temperature of integrated circuit after the circuit reaches the stable state.

Design of RISC microcontroller with Dynamic Thermal Management Unit for Temperature-Controlled Oscillator

The paper describes UMC CMOS 0.18 μm (1.8 V) implementation of OctaLynx D microcontroller. The processor is 8-bit RISC structure with built-in Dynamic Thermal Management Unit cooperating with Temperature-Controlled Oscillator. The Dynamic Thermal Management Unit consists of clock source multiplexer, thermal interrupts control unit and special registers containing information of present chip temperature, oscillator frequency control signal and status/control bits. Processor core was written in Verilog hardware description language and designed in top-down technique while memories and analogue parts were designed in full custom technique. The system is dedicated for tests in thermal chamber for development of Dynamic Power Management methods.

MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE DETECTION SYSTEM FOR INTEGRATED CIRCUITS

Abstract The paper describes structure and measurement results of the system detecting present maximum temperature on the surface of an integrated circuit. The system consists of the set of proportional to absolute temperature sensors, temperature processing path and a digital part designed in VHDL. Analogue parts of the circuit where designed with full-custom technique. The system is a part of temperature-controlled oscillator circuit - a power management system based on dynamic frequency scaling method. The oscillator cooperates with microprocessor dedicated for thermal experiments. The whole system is implemented in UMC CMOS 0.18 μm (1.8 V) technology.