Patent · US Expired

Translation look-aside buffer slice circuit and method of operation

US6065091A · kind A · utility

20Cited by
4References
40Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateMay 30, 1997
Grant dateMay 16, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 30, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F12/1054
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

For use in an x-86 processor having a physically-addressable cache and an associated translation look-aside buffer (primary TLB) that stores corresponding logical and physical addresses for addressing the cache, a circuit for increasing a retrieval speed of a line from the cache. In one embodiment, the circuit comprises: 1) a TLB slice, located proximate the cache, that contains copies of portions of the physical addresses stored in the primary TLB and returns one of the portions as a function of a portion of a logical address supplied thereto; and 2) a decoder, coupled to the TLB slice, that decodes the one of the portions to yield multiplexer selection signals, the TLB slice and the decoder cooperating to increase the retrieval speed by avoiding logic circuitry interposed between the primary TLB and the cache.

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