Measuring power consumption in an integrated circuit

US9709625B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• International Business Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

• Martin Eckert · Metzingen, DE
• Roland Frech · Esslingen am Neckar, DE
• Claudio Siviero · Eppelheim, DE
• Jochen Supper · Herrenberg, DE
• Otto A. Torreiter · Echterdingen, DE
• Thomas-Michael Winkel · Eppelheim, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 28, 2011
• Grant date: Jul 18, 2017
• Expiry date: Jun 4, 2032

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01R31/318575
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method for determining power consumption of a power domain within an integrated circuit is presented. In a first step, a local power supply impedance profile (Z(f)) of this power domain is determined. Subsequently, a local time-resolved power supply voltage (U(t)) is measured while a well-defined periodic activity is executed in power domain. A set of time-domain measured voltage data (U(t)) is thus accumulated and transformed into the frequency domain to yield a voltage spectrum (U(f)). A current spectrum I(t) is calculated from this voltage profile (U(f)) by using the power supply impedance profile Z(f) of this power domain as I(t)=Ff−1{U(f)/Z(f)}. Finally, a time-resolved power consumption spectrum P(t) is determined from measured voltage spectrum U(t)) and calculated current spectrum (I(t)). This power consumption (P(t)) may be compared with a reference (Pref(t)) to verify whether power consumption within power domain matches expectations.