# US 2014/0195734 A1 · Power management

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 2014/0195734 A1
- Document ID: US20140195734A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/146,447
- Filed: 2014-01-02
- Published: 2014-07-10
- Earliest claimed: 2013-01-07
- Assignees: Micron Technology, Inc.
- Applicants: Micron Technology, Inc.
- Inventors: Chang Wan HA; Hang Tian; Jong Kang
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140195734A1

## CPC

- G06F 1/324: by lowering clock frequency
- G06F 1/12: Synchronisation of different clock signals {provided by a plurality of clock generators}
- G06F 1/3237: by disabling clock generation or distribution
- G06F 1/3275: {Power saving in memory, e.g. RAM, cache}
- G06F 13/1673: {using buffers}
- G11C 7/1015: {Read-write modes for single port memories, i.e. having either a random port or a serial port}
- G11C 7/222: {Clock generating, synchronizing or distributing circuits within memory device}
- Y02B 70/10: Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes
- Y02D 10/00: Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B)
- Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
- Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE

## Abstract

Methods, and apparatus configured to perform such methods, providing peak power management are useful in mitigating excessive current levels within a multi-die package. For example, a method might include generating a clock signal in a particular die of a plurality of dies, counting pulses of the clock signal in a wrap-around counter in each die of the plurality of dies, and pausing an access operation for the particular die of the plurality of dies at a designated point until a value of the wrap-around counter matches an assigned counter value of the particular die.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An apparatus, comprising:
an array of memory cells;
a controller, wherein the controller is configured to perform an access operation on the array of memory cells;
a clock generator for generating a clock signal; and
a wrap-around counter responsive to the clock signal;
wherein the controller is further configured to pause the access operation at a designated point until a value of the wrap-around counter matches an assigned counter value of the apparatus.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
wherein the controller is further configured to resume the access operation when the value of the wrap-around counter matches the assigned counter value of the apparatus.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is internal to the apparatus.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
wherein the designated point of the access operation is a point prior to entering a high current-demand portion of the access operation.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
wherein the access operation is associated with more than one designated point.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
wherein the clock generator is intermittently enabled.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
a ready/busy control signal shared with one or more other apparatus, wherein the wrap-around counter is reset when the ready/busy control signal indicates that none of the apparatus are busy.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
a clock output for outputting the clock signal.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
wherein the controller is further configured to perform another access operation on the array of memory cells.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:
wherein the access operation and the another access operation are selected from the group consisting of a write operation, a read operation and an erase operation.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
wherein the access operation is a read operation and the designated point of the access operation is a point prior to precharging data lines for the read operation.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
wherein the access operation is a write operation and the designated point of the access operation is a point prior to precharging access lines for the write operation.

### Claim 13

An apparatus, comprising:
a plurality of dies, wherein each die of the plurality of dies comprises:
an array of memory cells;
a controller; and
a wrap-around counter;
wherein the controller is configured to perform an access operation on the array of memory cells;
wherein the controller is further configured to pause access operations at one or more designated points of those access operations until a value of the wrap-around counter matches an assigned counter value of that die, and to resume an access operation so paused when the value of the wrap-around counter matches the assigned counter value of that die; and
wherein each designated point is a point in a given access operation prior to a high-current demand portion of that access operation;
wherein a particular die of the plurality of dies comprises a clock generator for generating the clock signal;
wherein the wrap-around counter of each die of the plurality of dies is responsive to the clock signal;
wherein the clock generator of the particular die is selectively enabled in response to a ready/busy signal indicative of whether any die of the plurality of dies is busy performing any of the access operations, and a clock enable signal indicative of whether any die of the plurality of dies is in a high-current demand portion of any of the access operations.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:
wherein the clock generator of the particular die is enabled in response to the ready/busy signal being indicative of any die of the plurality of dies being busy performing any of the access operations, and the clock enable signal being indicative of no die of the plurality of dies being in a high-current demand portion of any of the access operations.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:
wherein the wrap-around counter of each die of the plurality of dies is further responsive to the ready/busy signal.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:
wherein the wrap-around counter of each die of the plurality of dies is configured to reset to a first value in response to the ready/busy signal being indicative of no die of the plurality of dies being busy performing any of the access operations.

### Claim 17 (depends on 13)

The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:
wherein the clock enable signal has a normal logic level; and
wherein each die of the plurality of dies is configured to transition the logic level of the clock enable signal to a second logic level during high-current demand portions of access operations being performed on that die, and to release the logic level of the clock enable signal during other portions of the access operations being performed on that die.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the clock enable signal is on a clock enable signal line connected to each die of the plurality of dies, and wherein each die of the plurality of dies is configured to selectively connect the clock enable signal line to a reference potential node of that die.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The apparatus of claim 18, wherein each die of the plurality of dies is further configured to selectively connect the clock enable signal line to a voltage supply node of that die through a resistor of that die.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The apparatus of claim 19, wherein one die of the plurality of dies is designated to connect the clock enable signal line to its voltage supply node through its resistor, while remaining dies of the plurality of dies do not connect the clock enable signal line to their voltage supply nodes through their resistors.

### Claim 21 (depends on 18)

The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the clock enable signal line is connected to a voltage supply node through a resistor, and wherein the voltage supply node and resistor are external to the plurality of dies.

### Claim 22

A method of operating a plurality of dies, comprising:
generating a clock signal in a particular die of the plurality of dies;
counting pulses of the clock signal in a wrap-around counter in each die of the plurality of dies, wherein each die of the plurality of dies has an assigned counter value;
pausing an access operation for the particular die of the plurality of dies at a designated point until a value of the wrap-around counter matches an assigned counter value of the particular die.

### Claim 23 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, further comprising resuming the access operation when the value of the wrap-around counter matches the assigned counter value of the particular die.

### Claim 24 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, further comprising pausing another access operation for another die of the plurality of dies at a designated point until the value of the wrap-around counter matches an assigned counter value of the another die.

### Claim 25 (depends on 24)

The method of claim 24, further comprising resuming the another access operation when the value of the wrap-around counter matches the assigned counter value of the another die.

### Claim 26 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, wherein the designated point of the access operation is a point prior to entering a high current-demand portion of the access operation.

### Claim 27 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, wherein the access operation is associated with more than one designated point.

### Claim 28 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, wherein generating the clock signal in the particular die of the plurality of dies comprises generating the clock signal when any die of the plurality of dies is busy performing an access operation and no die of the plurality of dies is in a high-current demand portion of an access operation.

### Claim 29 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, wherein generating the clock signal in the particular die of the plurality of dies comprises generating the clock signal in response to a clock enable signal.

### Claim 30 (depends on 29)

The method of claim 29, wherein generating the clock signal in response to a clock enable signal comprises generating the clock signal in response to the clock enable signal and a ready/busy control signal.

### Claim 31 (depends on 30)

The method of claim 30, further comprising resetting the wrap-around counter when the ready/busy control signal indicates that none of the plurality of dies is busy performing an access operation.

### Claim 32 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, further comprising performing more than one type of access operation on the particular die, wherein one or more of the types of access operations is associated with one or more designated points.

### Claim 33 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32, wherein the types of access operations are selected from the group consisting of a write operation, a read operation and an erase operation.

### Claim 34 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, wherein counting pulses of the clock signal in a wrap-around counter in each die of the plurality of dies comprises counting successively through a number of counter values equal to a number of dies of the plurality of dies.

### Claim 35

A method of operating a plurality of dies, comprising:
generating a clock signal in a particular die of the plurality of dies;
counting pulses of the clock signal in a wrap-around counter in each die of the plurality of dies, wherein each die of the plurality of dies has an assigned counter value;
pausing an access operation for the particular die of the plurality of dies at a designated point until a value of the wrap-around counter matches an assigned counter value of the particular die, wherein the designated point is a point in the access operation prior to a high-current demand portion of the access operation;
resuming the access operation when the value of the wrap-around counter matches the assigned counter value of the particular die; and
stopping generation of the clock signal while the access operation is in the high-current demand portion of the access operation.

### Claim 36 (depends on 35)

The method of claim 35, wherein generating a clock signal in a particular die of the plurality of dies comprises generating the clock signal in response to a ready/busy control signal indicative of whether any die of the plurality of dies is busy performing any access operation.

### Claim 37 (depends on 36)

The method of claim 36, wherein generating the clock signal is further in response to a clock enable signal indicative of whether any die of the plurality of dies is in a high-current demand portion of any access operations.

### Claim 38 (depends on 36)

The method of claim 36, further comprising resetting each wrap-around counter when the ready/busy control signal indicates that none of the plurality of dies is busy performing an access operation.

### Claim 39 (depends on 35)

The method of claim 35, further comprising stopping generation of the clock signal while any access operation being performed in any die of the plurality of dies is in a high-current demand portion of that access operation.

### Claim 40 (depends on 35)

The method of claim 35, wherein the access operation is associated with more than one designated point.