Overview
Process voltage and temperature detection of the silicon chip die is accomplished by PVT Sensor, an IP. It offers special characteristics like temperature and voltage probes without requiring specialized analog current and voltage signals. For real-time sensor data communication, each voltage sensor node is connected to the central controller by a single-wire digital signal. Each node has a specific enable signal that may be used to enable or inhibit the operation for power management. Each probe includes a digital interface that connects to the central controller, which preserves the sensing operation with on-chip noise and improves accuracy.
compared to conventional PVT sensors, each sensor node can have an extremely flexible signal routing and node location.
Using two 12 bit digital I/O ports, IP features a parallel communication interface with a command and response protocol. Using a parallel communication connection, alarm signals may also be set up to notify users when low and high thresholds are crossed. The precision of the voltage and temperature probes on the sensor may be calibrated using trimming options.
Learn more about PVT Monitor IP core
Rohan Bhatnagar, Staff Product Manager, Synopsys EDA Group
At the recent IPSoC Conference in Silicon Valley, Rohan Bhatnagar gave a talk on the growing importance of PVT Monitoring for effective SLM. Rohan is the product manager for Synopsys’s SLM PVT Monitor IPs. A synthesis of the salient points from his talk follows.
Ramsay Allen