This technology is an integrated four-phase switched-inductor (buck) converter capable of regulating the high voltage bandwidths required for microprocessors.
Integrated voltage regulators (IVRs) are critical to overcoming limits on microprocessor scaling because they transform the high input voltage from a power source into the lower voltage used by electronic devices. Switched-capacitor IVRs exhibit high efficiency at reasonable current densities but operate at a fixed conversion ratio and therefore do not address transient requirements. In comparison, switched-inductor (buck) IVRs show high current densities and efficiencies with a continuous range of conversion ratios, but can be challenging to integrate with high-quality inductors. As such, there is a need for an improved IVR that can effectively deliver the tight voltage conversion requirements of microprocessors.
This technology is an integrated four-phase switched-inductor (buck) converter that provides small-signal dynamics and fast response to large-signal input and load-current transients. This technology is integrated directly into the microprocessor unit, which reduces both wasted power and the thermal limits on the downscaling of highly parallel processors. This technology can be used for integrated power conversion on a large scale, such as supplying power to microprocessors with high efficiency.
Prototypes of this technology have been demonstrated to achieve response times as fast as 700ps while driving a 64-tile network-on-chip load in 45-nm SOI.
IR CU12053
Licensing Contact: Greg Maskel