Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for implementing a speculative return stack buffer

US5964868A · kind A · utility

54Cited by

4References

17Claims

0Family size

Assignee

Intel Corporation · US

Inventors

Simcha Gochman · Timrat, IL
Nicolas Kacevas · Haifa, IL
Farah Jubran · Haifa, IL

Key dates

Filing date	May 15, 1996
Grant date	Oct 12, 1999
Priority date	—
Expiry date	May 15, 2016

Classification

Technology area (CPC G)Physics
CPC primaryG06F9/3863
WIPO fieldComputer technology
WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A return stack buffer mechanism that uses two separate return stack buffers is disclosed. The first return stack buffer is the Speculative Return Stack Buffer. The Speculative Return Stack Buffer is updated using speculatively fetched instructions. Thus, the Speculative Return Stack Buffer may become corrupted when incorrect instructions are fetched. The second return stack buffer is the Actual Return Stack Buffer. The Actual Return Stack Buffer is updated using information from fully executed branch instructions. When a branch misprediction causes a pipeline flush, the contents of the Actual Return Stack Buffer is copied into the Speculative Return Stack Buffer to correct any corrupted information.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.