# US 8,543,960 B1 · Power and timing optimization for an integrated circuit by voltage modification across various ranges of temperatures > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,543,960 B1 - Document ID: US8543960B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 13/484,451 - Filed: 2012-05-31 - Granted: 2013-09-24 - Earliest claimed: 2012-05-31 - Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation - Applicants: Jeanne P. Bickford; Eric A. Foreman; Mark W. Kuemerle; Susan K. Lichtensteiger - Inventors: Jeanne P. Bickford; Eric A. Foreman; Mark W. Kuemerle; Susan K. Lichtensteiger - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8543960B1 ## CPC - G06F 30/337: Design optimisation - G01R 31/3004: {Current or voltage test} - G01R 31/3016: {Delay or race condition test, e.g. race hazard test} - G06F 30/30: Circuit design - G06F 30/3312: Timing analysis - G01R 31/31725: {Timing aspects, e.g. clock distribution, skew, propagation delay (for tester hardware G01R31/31937)} - G06F 2119/06: Power analysis or power optimisation - G06F 2119/12: Timing analysis or timing optimisation - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) ## Abstract A method of optimizing power and timing for an integrated circuit (IC) chip, which uses an IC technology that exhibits temperature inversion, by modifying a voltage supplied to the IC chip, while meeting power consumption and timing delay performances across lower and higher temperature ranges. A high voltage is selected that meets a closed timing analysis across a full temperature range to meet a timing performance and a low voltage is selected to meet the timing performance and the power performance across a lower temperature range to a temperature cut point in the higher temperature range. The IC chip is turned on at the high voltage and the high voltage is lowered to the low voltage when the temperature cut point is exceeded to meet the power performance while maintaining the timing performance. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of optimizing power and timing for an integrated circuit (IC) chip by modifying a voltage supplied to the IC chip, while meeting power consumption and timing delay performances across lower and higher temperature ranges, said method comprising: selecting a high voltage to be supplied to all cells of said IC chip using an IC technology that exhibits temperature inversion, said high voltage meeting said timing delay performance from a closed timing analysis for said IC chip across a full temperature range for all operation, said full temperature range being divided into a lower temperature range and a higher temperature range, said high voltage meeting said power consumption performance across said lower temperature range and a portion of said higher temperature range extending from a lower bound of said higher temperature range to a temperature cut point within a range of temperature cut points in said higher temperature range; selecting a low voltage to be supplied to said all cells of said IC chip, said low voltage meeting said timing delay performance and said power consumption performance from said temperature cut point to an upper bound of said higher temperature range; powering-on said all cells of said IC chip at said high voltage; after said powering-on, monitoring a temperature of said IC chip; and lowering said high voltage supplied to said all cells of said IC chip to said low voltage, when said temperature cut point is exceeded, to meet said power consumption performance while meeting said timing delay performance. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: increasing said low voltage supplied to said all cells of said IC chip to said high voltage, when said temperature of said IC chip decreases below said temperature cut point, to meet said timing delay performance while meeting said power consumption performance. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, said range of temperature cut points including a lowermost value adjacent to an upper bound of said lower temperature range, where said high voltage being lowered to said low voltage maintains said timing delay performance for said IC chip, and an uppermost value, where said high voltage being lowered to said low voltage is required to meet said power consumption performance for said IC chip. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, said selecting of said high voltage resulting from a closed timing analysis that provides said timing delay and power consumption performances for said IC chip over a multi-dimensional parameterized space, including voltage parameters being applied across said full temperature range, said lower temperature range, and said higher temperature range. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, said selecting of said low voltage resulting from a closed timing analysis that provides said timing delay and power consumption performances for said IC chip over a multi-dimensional parameterized space, including voltage parameters being applied across said higher temperature range. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, said temperature cut point resulting from a closed timing analysis that provides said timing delay and power consumption performances for said IC chip over a multi-dimensional parameterized space, including temperature parameters from said higher temperature range being applied across said high voltage and said low voltage. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, said all cells of said IC chip having a first power consumption at said high voltage and said temperature cut point that is greater than that of a second power consumption at said low voltage and said temperature cut point. ### Claim 8 A computer-implemented method of designing a system, including an integrated circuit (IC) chip, that optimizes power and timing for the IC chip by modifying a voltage supplied to the IC chip, while meeting power consumption and timing delay performances across lower and higher temperature ranges, said method comprising: selecting, by a computer, said timing delay performance of said IC chip, all cells of said IC chip using an IC technology that exhibits temperature inversion, said selecting of said timing delay performance resulting from a closed timing analysis of said all cells of said IC chip over a multi-dimensional parameterized space, including a high voltage being applied across a full temperature range for all operation, said full temperature range being divided into a lower temperature range and a higher temperature range, and a low voltage being applied across said higher temperature range; selecting, by said computer, said power consumption performance of said IC chip, said selecting of said power consumption performance resulting from a closed timing analysis of said all cells of said IC chip over a multi-dimensional parameterized space, including said high voltage being applied across said lower temperature range and a portion of said higher temperature range extending from a lower bound of said higher temperature range to a temperature cut point within said higher temperature range, and said low voltage being applied from said temperature cut point to an upper bound of said higher temperature range; selecting, by said computer, a high voltage to be supplied to all cells of said IC chip, said high voltage meeting said timing delay performance for said IC chip across said full temperature range for all operation, said full temperature range being divided into a lower temperature range and a higher temperature range, said high voltage meeting said power consumption performance across said lower temperature range and a portion of said higher temperature range extending from a lower bound of said higher temperature range to a temperature cut point within a range of temperature cut points in said higher temperature range; selecting, by said computer, a low voltage to be supplied to said all cells of said IC chip, said low voltage meeting said timing delay performance and said power consumption performance from said temperature cut point to an upper bound of said higher temperature range; selecting, by said computer, said temperature cut point from said range of temperature cut points having a lowermost value adjacent to an upper bound of said lower temperature range, where said high voltage being lowered to said low voltage maintains said timing delay performance for said IC chip, and an uppermost value, where said high voltage being lowered to said low voltage is required to meet said power consumption performance for said IC chip; assigning, by said computer, said high voltage to be supplied to said all cells of said IC chip by a voltage regulator of said system, upon powering-on said system; and assigning said low voltage to be supplied to said all cells of said IC chip by said voltage regulator, when a temperature of said IC chip monitored by a temperature monitor of said system indicates said temperature cut point is exceeded. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising: assigning said high voltage to be supplied to said all cells of said IC chip by said voltage regulator, when said temperature of said IC chip being supplied by said low voltage, decreases below said temperature cut point, as indicated by said temperature monitor. ### Claim 10 A non-transitory computer program storage device readable by a computer, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computer to perform a method of optimizing power and timing for an integrated circuit (IC) chip by modifying a voltage supplied to the IC chip, while meeting power consumption and timing delay performances across lower and higher temperature ranges, said method comprising: selecting a high voltage to be supplied to all cells of said IC chip using an IC technology that exhibits temperature inversion, said high voltage meeting said timing delay performance from a closed timing analysis for said IC chip across a full temperature range for all operation, said full temperature range being divided into a lower temperature range and a higher temperature range, said high voltage meeting said power consumption performance across said lower temperature range and a portion of said higher temperature range extending from a lower bound of said higher temperature range to a temperature cut point within a range of temperature cut points in said higher temperature range; selecting a low voltage to be supplied to said all cells of said IC chip, said low voltage meeting said timing delay performance and said power consumption performance from said temperature cut point to an upper bound of said higher temperature range; powering-on said all cells of said IC chip at said high voltage; after said powering-on, monitoring a temperature of said IC chip; and lowering said high voltage supplied to said all cells of said IC chip to said low voltage, when said temperature cut point is exceeded, to meet said power consumption performance while meeting said timing delay performance. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The computer program storage device of claim 10, further comprising: increasing said low voltage supplied to said all cells of said IC chip to said high voltage, when said temperature of said IC chip decreases below said temperature cut point, to meet said timing delay performance while meeting said power consumption performance. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The computer program storage device of claim 10, said range of temperature cut points including a lowermost value adjacent to an upper bound of said lower temperature range, where said high voltage being lowered to said low voltage maintains said timing delay performance for said IC chip, and an uppermost value, where said high voltage being lowered to said low voltage is required to meet said power consumption performance for said IC chip. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The computer program storage device of claim 10, said selecting of said high voltage resulting from a closed timing analysis that provides said timing delay and power consumption performances for said IC chip over a multi-dimensional parameterized space, including voltage parameters being applied across said full temperature range, said lower temperature range, and said higher temperature range. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The computer program storage device of claim 13, said selecting of said low voltage resulting from a closed timing analysis that provides said timing delay and power consumption performances for said IC chip over a multi-dimensional parameterized space, including voltage parameters being applied across said higher temperature range. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The computer program storage device of claim 14, said temperature cut point resulting from a closed timing analysis that provides said timing delay and power consumption performances for said IC chip over a multi-dimensional parameterized space, including temperature parameters from said higher temperature range being applied across said high voltage and said low voltage. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The computer program storage device of claim 15, said all cells of said IC chip having a first power consumption at said high voltage and said temperature cut point that is greater than that of a second power consumption at said low voltage and said temperature cut point.