Integrated circuit chip with cores asymmetrically oriented with respect to each other
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorsJasbir Singh Nayyar, Shashank Srinivasa Nuthakki, Rahul Gulati, Arun Shrimali
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An integrated circuit (IC) chip can include a given core at a position in the IC chip that defines a given orientation, wherein the given core is designed to perform a particular function. The IC chip can include another core designed to perform the particular function. The other core can be flipped and rotated by 180 degrees relative to the given core such that the other core is asymmetrically oriented with respect to the given core. The IC chip can also include a compare unit configured to compare outputs of the given core and the other core to detect a fault in the IC chip.
Claims39
A method, comprising:
- disposing a first core having an output and a first orientation on a substrate;
- disposing a second core having an output and a second orientation on the substrate, the second core is a replica of the first core and the second orientation is different than the first orientation;
- and
- disposing a compare unit having a first input and a second input on the substrate, the first input coupled to the output of the first core and the second input coupled to the output of the second core.
A method, comprising:
- providing a non-transitory machine readable memory configured to store data;
- providing a pair of matched cores configured to operate in lockstep, the pair of matched cores including a given core and another core, wherein the other core is a replica of the given core and is asymmetrically oriented with respect to the given core;
- and
- providing a compare unit configured to compare outputs of the given core and the other core to detect a fault in the IC chip.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a first processor on a die having a first position and a first orientation;
- a second processor on the die that is a replica of the first processor, the second processor having a second position and a second orientation different from the first orientation;
- and
- a compare unit on the die to compare output signals from the first processor to output signals from the second processor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.