Programmable thermal management of an integrated circuit die

Details Programmable thermal management of an integrated circuit die Programmable thermal management of an integrated circuit die

1999-03-30

2002-05-21

Assouad, Patrick (Department: 2857)

Data processing: measuring, calibrating, or testing

Measurement system

Temperature measuring system

C374S011000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06393374

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to thermal management. More specifically, the invention relates to programmable thermal management for integrated circuit (IC) dice.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As integrated circuit (IC) dice become more densely packed with circuit components and operating frequencies increase, power consumption of these ICs increases. Increased power consumption results in increased operating temperature, which if not controlled can cause catastrophic failure of the IC.
Prior thermal solutions include heat sinks, liquid cooling, fans, etc. Prior Art Power management include reduced operating frequency, and shutting down of a clock signal for a period of time, etc. Combination of thermal solutions and power management often allows an IC to operate within an acceptable thermal range. However, typical prior art power management solutions require hardware-software interaction, which increases complexity, latency and efficiency as compared to a hardware based solution.
At some combination of operating frequency and circuit density prior art thermal solutions are no longer adequate. Also, prior art thermal solutions are designed based on worst case scenarios, which is inefficient for ICs that do not operate in the worst case scenarios for significant periods of time. What is needed is improved, programmable thermal and power management control for ICs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A method and apparatus for thermal management for an integrated circuit (IC) is described. A junction temperature for an integrated circuit is determined and compared to a thermal maximum value that is less than a predetermined value for the integrated circuit. Power consumption of the integrated circuit is reduced when the junction temperature reaches the predetermined value. In one embodiment, the predetermined value is programmable. In another embodiment, reduction of power consumption is accomplished by turning off and on a clock signal in a programmable manner.


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