JPH04317365A - Semiconductor ic and data processing system incorporating same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a semiconductor IC, which can prevent the breakage of the IC by the appropriate detection of an excessive rise in temperature, and a data processing system incorporating the same, and to simplify the wiring of such a system as well. CONSTITUTION:An LSI 1 incorporates a sensor 2 for detecting the internal temperature of the LSI 1, and a current controller 4 which asserts a control signal for controlling a current, when the temperature detected by the sensor reaches a predetermined value. The failure of the LSI is prevented by forcedly decreasing the supply current to the LSI 1 if the temperature of the LSI 1 reaches a predetermined level. The incorporation of the sensor 2 and current controller 4 into the LSI 1 enables the prevention of the failure of a device, as set forth above, on each LSI, thereby facilitating wiring of a data processing system incorporating the LSI 1.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to semiconductor integrated circuits, and more particularly to semiconductor integrated circuits having a function to prevent element damage caused by excessive temperature rise, and data processing systems including the same. and technology that is effective when applied to large-scale computer systems that include the same.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in large computer systems including high-speed, high-power LSIs, troubles caused by excessive temperature rises in the LSIs are a particular problem. Conventionally, a thermal conductor is brought into contact with the LSI itself or a heat radiator attached to the LSI, and this thermal conductor is cooled with a cooling medium to absorb the heat radiated from the LSI, thereby improving the operating environment of the LSI. I'm trying to arrange it. Also,
In such a cooling system, a plurality of temperature sensors or LS are arranged inside the thermal conductor at appropriate intervals.
A temperature sensor built into the I itself detects an excessive temperature rise in the LSI, and based on the detection result, if the control unit of the computer system determines that there is a temperature abnormality in the LSI, the computer system's power supply is turned off. By turning off the switch, damage to the LSI is prevented.

[0003] An example of a document describing an LSI cooling system is ``FUJITSU. Ultra-large Computer Unit Testing System'' published by Fujitsu in September 1990.

0004

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The present inventor investigated the above-mentioned prior art and found that when a temperature sensor is attached to a thermal conductor for cooling an LSI, there is a physical distance between the LSI and the temperature sensor. As a result, it was discovered that even if the temperature of the LSI exceeds the allowable temperature limit, the temperature sensor does not respond immediately, so there is a risk that the power to the system will not be shut off even if the temperature exceeds the allowable temperature of the LSI. It was. In this way, when the allowable temperature of the LSI is exceeded,
Damage to the LSI is inevitable, and may even lead to a major accident.

[0005] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned method of detecting temperature using a temperature sensor built into the LSI itself, it is necessary to use hundreds to thousands of LSIs in a large computer system.
In systems with
The inventor has found that there is a problem in that the design of the computer system, especially the wiring design, becomes complicated.

[0006] Furthermore, it has been found that there is a drawback in that the power to the system is cut off due to excessive temperature rise, making subsequent system operation impossible.

An object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor integrated circuit and a data processing system including the same, which can accurately detect excessive temperature rises and prevent damage accidents.

Another object of the present invention is to simplify wiring in a semiconductor integrated circuit and a data processing system including the same, which can accurately detect excessive temperature rises and prevent damage accidents. Our goal is to provide technology that can.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a technique that can easily identify a semiconductor integrated circuit whose temperature has risen too much.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a technique that does not interfere with the operation of the entire system even though there are semiconductor integrated circuits that are rendered inoperable due to excessive temperature rise.

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

0012

[Means for Solving the Problems] A brief overview of typical inventions disclosed in this application is as follows.

That is, a sensor section capable of detecting the internal temperature of a semiconductor integrated circuit is provided, and when the temperature detection result by this sensor section reaches a predetermined value, a power supply current is forcibly supplied to each section of the semiconductor integrated circuit. A semiconductor integrated circuit is formed including a current control section that reduces the current. In a more specific aspect, when a plurality of the sensor sections are formed, the current control section includes an OR circuit that obtains an OR of outputs from the plurality of sensor sections, and an output of the OR circuit. The sensor section can be configured to include a signal generation circuit for generating a control signal for current limiting based on the comparison result with a reference voltage, and the sensor section includes a plurality of diodes connected in series and The output buffer can be configured to include an output buffer that allows signal extraction. Further, in order to easily identify a semiconductor integrated circuit that is experiencing abnormal heat generation, a light emitting element that emits light based on the output of the current control section can be provided in the semiconductor integrated circuit. Furthermore, when a data processing system is formed including the semiconductor integrated circuit as described above, in order to enable system operation regardless of the excessive temperature rise of the semiconductor integrated circuit, it is necessary to Therefore, it is preferable to provide a circuit switching section for causing a spare circuit of the semiconductor integrated circuit to participate in the operation of the system instead of the semiconductor integrated circuit including the current control section.

[0014]

[Operation] According to the above means, the current control unit provided inside the semiconductor integrated circuit determines when the temperature detection result of the sensor unit reaches a predetermined value and controls the power supply current of the semiconductor integrated circuit. The temperature is forcibly reduced, and this serves to accurately detect excessive temperature rise and prevent damage to the semiconductor integrated circuit. In addition, by incorporating the sensor section and current control section in a semiconductor integrated circuit, it is possible to prevent damage as described above for each semiconductor integrated circuit, and simplify the wiring of a data processing system that includes the semiconductor integrated circuit. achieve. Furthermore, the light emitting diode that emits light based on the output of the current control section makes it possible to identify a semiconductor integrated circuit whose temperature has risen excessively. In a data processing system including such a semiconductor integrated circuit, a circuit switching section for causing a spare circuit of the semiconductor integrated circuit to participate in system operation based on the output of the current control section may become inoperable due to excessive temperature rise. Even though there are semiconductor integrated circuits that can be used, the switching to the spare circuit acts so as not to interfere with the operation of the entire system.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows the main parts of an LSI according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The LSI 1 shown in FIG. 1 is formed on a single semiconductor substrate, such as single crystal silicon, by a known semiconductor integrated circuit manufacturing technique, although this is not particularly limited.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 2 denotes a sensor section. A plurality of sensor sections 2 are arranged in the main part of the LSI 1, and each sensor section 2 detects the internal temperature of the LSI 1. This sensor part 2
The detection output of is the current control section 4 provided in the LSI 1.
The detection signal is transmitted via the detection signal transmission line 3.

The current control unit 4 prevents the LSI 1 from generating heat by forcibly reducing the power supply current supplied to each part of the LSI 1 when the temperature detection result by the sensor unit 2 reaches a predetermined value. This has the function of preventing element damage. A control signal for current limiting from this current control unit 4 is transmitted to the LS via a control signal line 6.
By being transmitted to each part of I1, the output terminal 5
External output is possible via.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of the sensor section 2. As shown in FIG.

[0020] The sensor section 2 is not particularly limited, but may include the following:
It includes a plurality of junction diodes 8 connected in series and an output buffer circuit 10 for stably extracting temperature detection signals from the diodes 8. The plurality of diodes 8 are connected to a high potential side power supply terminal 30A and a low potential side power supply terminal 3.
It is connected in series with 1A. The forward potential of this diode is different from that of LSI1 due to the temperature dependence of the junction diode.
The internal temperature of the LSI 1 can be grasped by detecting it. Resistors 7 and 9 are provided between the anode side of the diode series circuit and the high potential side power supply terminal 30A, and between the cathode side of the diode series circuit and the low potential side power supply terminal for determining temperature detection sensitivity. are provided for each. Further, the output buffer circuit 10 is configured as an emitter follower in which the collector electrode of an NPN bipolar transistor is coupled to the high potential side power supply terminal 30B, although this is not particularly limited, and a temperature detection output can be obtained from this emitter. ing. Note that the output terminal of the sensor section 2 is an open emitter in consideration of noise resistance, and its load resistance is provided at the first input stage of the current control section 4, which will be described in detail later (see FIG. 3).

FIG. 3 shows an example of the configuration of the current control section 4. As shown in FIG.

[0022] NPN type bipolar transistor 21,
22 and 23 are connected in parallel to form an OR circuit, and this OR circuit is used as the first input stage of the current control section 4. The plurality of sensor units 2 are coupled to the base electrodes of the bipolar transistors 21 to 23, and a resistor 25 serving as a load of the output buffer 10 in the sensor unit 2 is connected between the base electrodes of the bipolar transistors 21 to 23 and the low potential side power supply terminal 31B. ,26,
27 are provided. Further, a bipolar transistor 24 whose emitter electrode is commonly connected to the bipolar transistors 21 to 23 is provided, and the emitter electrode of each bipolar transistor 21 to 24 is coupled to a constant current source terminal 32 via a resistor 28. A reference voltage Vref1 is applied to the base electrode of the bipolar transistor 24 via a reference voltage terminal 33, and any of the outputs of the plurality of sensor sections 2 is applied to the reference voltage Vr.
When ef1 is exceeded, the current flowing from the high potential side power supply terminal 30D to the collector of the bipolar transistor 24 via the resistor 35 is changed, that is, the potential across this resistor is changed, and this change is reflected in the subsequent signal processing. The signal is transmitted to the circuit 11. In this signal processing circuit 11, it is detected from the potential change at both ends of the resistor 35 that any of the outputs of the plurality of sensor sections 2 exceeds the reference voltage Vref1.
Output signal 36 to 2 is asserted. This output signal 3
The asserted state of 6 is maintained until the power to the LSI 1 is cut off, regardless of potential fluctuations across the resistor 35. In other words, if any of the outputs of the plurality of sensor units 2 exceeds the reference voltage Vref1 even once, the output signal 36 of the signal processing circuit 11 is asserted regardless of the output level of the sensor unit 2 thereafter. As a result, the abnormal state detection result caused by the excessive temperature rise is retained. As the output signal 36 of the signal processing circuit 11 is asserted in this way, the control signal generation circuit 12 asserts the control signal 60 for current limiting, thereby causing the LSI 1
The power supply current of each part in the system is forcibly reduced to a fraction of the normal state to one several hundredth. Such power supply current limitation is performed as follows.

Generally, in an LSI, as shown in FIG. 4, constant current control elements such as bipolar transistors 41, 42, 43, . . . are provided, and the base electrodes of the bipolar transistors 41, 42, 43, . By applying the reference voltage Vref2 from the reference voltage generation circuit 40, a predetermined current corresponding to the reference voltage Vref2 is supplied to the LSI internal circuit. Such constant current control elements and the reference voltage generation circuit 40 are formed at various locations in one LSI. In this embodiment, although not particularly limited, by controlling the existing constant current source as described above with the output signal 60 of the control signal generation circuit 12, the L
It is possible to limit the power supply current when the SI abnormally heats up. That is, the current limiting control signal 60 generated by the control signal generation circuit 12 is transmitted to the reference voltage generation circuit 40 formed throughout the LSI 1 via the control signal line 6, and is asserted. In this case, in each reference voltage generating section 40, the reference voltage Vref2 which is the output thereof is lowered, so that the bipolar transistors 41, 42, 43
, . By reducing the power supply current in this manner, excessive temperature rise in the LSI 1 is alleviated, and element damage is prevented.

Further, a control signal for current limiting of the control signal generating circuit 12 or a drive signal generated based on the control signal can be outputted from the terminal 5, and this signal can be used to drive a light emitting element such as a light emitting diode. It can be turned on. That is, as shown in FIG.
If it is possible to output the current limiting control signal or drive signal from the control signal generation circuit 12 to the outside using the external terminal, the light emitting diode provided between this external terminal and the high potential side power supply V 45 is turned on almost at the same time when the temperature of the LSI 1 becomes excessively high and the control signal generation circuit 12 performs current control. Once the light emitting diode 45 is turned on, it continues to be turned on during the period in which the signal generating circuit 11 retains the abnormal state detection result caused by the excessive temperature rise. Thereby,
The LSI in which the abnormality has occurred can be easily identified visually. The light emitting diode 45 can be placed outside the LSI 1, but it can also be attached to the package of the LSI 1. Note that a current limiting resistor can be connected in series to the light emitting diode 45 as required.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, the same effect as described above can be obtained by installing a temperature determining unit 4 in a part of the package of the LSI 1 using a material such as a liquid crystal whose color changes depending on the temperature.
This can also be achieved by forming 6.

FIG. 7 shows an application example of the LSI 1 having a function of preventing element damage caused by excessive temperature rise.
The main parts of a large computer system are shown.

Reference numeral 70 denotes a board, and this board 70 is equipped with a large number of LSIs 72 including the LSI 1 of this embodiment. Among these many LSIs 72, this example LSI 1
is considered to be a high-power LSI, and when troubles caused by excessive temperature rise of the LSI1 are particularly problematic, the LSI
A spare LSI 100 having the same function as SI1 is provided, and furthermore, when LSI1 becomes inoperable due to excessive temperature rise, the spare LSI 100 is used in place of the LSI1.
A circuit switching unit 71 is provided for causing I100 to participate in system operation. From this example LSI1,
A current control control signal 60 generated by the control signal generation circuit 12 included therein is output, and is taken into the circuit switching section 71. When the current limiting control signal 60 is asserted, the circuit switching unit 71 connects the input/output terminals of the standby LSI 100 to the bus line of the system or other signal transmission terminals instead of the input/output terminals of the LSI 1 of the present embodiment. join to the line. Thereby, the spare LSI 100 is involved in the operation of the system. Through such circuit switching, even if the LSI 1 of this embodiment becomes inoperable due to excessive temperature rise, the spare LSI 100 is involved in the system operation instead, so that the operation of the entire system is not affected. It's over. In other words, even though the system includes the LSI 1 which has become inoperable due to the power supply current being forcibly reduced due to the excessive temperature rise, its operation is not stopped.

According to the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) When the temperature detection result of the LSI 1 by the sensor section 2 reaches a predetermined value, the control signal generation circuit 12
As a result, the current limiting control signal 60 is asserted, and as a result, in each reference voltage generating section 40, the output reference voltage Vref2 is lowered, so that the bipolar transistors 41, 42, 43, etc. are in a cut-off state or a state close to it. As a result, the power supply current of each part in the LSI 1 is forcibly reduced, so that the LSI 1
Excessive temperature rise is alleviated and element damage is prevented. Also,
By incorporating the sensor section 2 and current control section 4 in an LSI, it is possible to prevent element damage as described above on an LSI basis, so that it is possible to prevent damage to the elements as described above. The number of wiring and the like is significantly reduced compared to the conventional method, thereby simplifying the wiring in the data processing system.

(2) Since a plurality of the sensor units 2 are provided in one LSI 1, abnormal heat generation in the LSI 1 can be detected with high sensitivity, and element damage caused by excessive temperature rise can be accurately detected. It can be prevented.

(3) The sensor section 2 includes a plurality of diodes 8 connected in series between the high-potential power terminal 30A and the low-potential power terminal 31A, and stabilizes the extraction of temperature detection signals from the diodes 8. It can be easily formed by including the output buffer circuit 10 for performing the same operation. Also, if the sensor part is relatively simple like this, it can be combined into one L.
Even if a plurality of chips are formed on the SI, there will be no problem such as an increase in the number of chips.

(4) By providing the light emitting diode 45 in the LSI 1, the temperature of the LSI 1 becomes excessively high.
When power supply current control is performed by the control signal generation circuit 12, the light emitting diode 45 is turned on almost at the same time. Since the light continues to be lit during the period in which the detection result of the abnormal state caused by the abnormal state is retained, it is possible to easily visually identify the LSI in which the abnormal state has occurred.

(5) In a computer system including the LSI 1 having a function of preventing element damage caused by excessive temperature rise as described above, the computer system includes a spare LSI 100 and a circuit switching unit 71 for making it participate in system operation. Even if the LSI 1 of this embodiment becomes inoperable due to excessive temperature rise, the backup LSI 100 is involved in the system operation instead, so that the operation of the entire system is not affected.

Although the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically explained above based on examples, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited thereto and can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof. stomach.

For example, one LSI may include a single sensor section 2 for detecting temperature.

In the above embodiment, the existing reference voltage generating circuit 4
By changing the output voltage Vref2 of 0 using the voltage limiting control signal 60, the power supply current is forcibly reduced. It may be forcibly cut off.

In the signal processing circuit 11, in order to prevent the current limiting control signal 60 from being erroneously asserted even if the potential across the resistor 35 changes rapidly due to power supply noise, etc. It is better to integrate the input signal.

The light emitting diode 45 shown in FIG. 5 and the temperature determining section 46 shown in FIG. 6 may be omitted, or they may be used together to facilitate identification of abnormal LSIs. Also good.

In the above description, the invention made by the present inventor was mainly applied to LSIs including bipolar transistors, which is the background field of application, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
It can be widely applied to semiconductor integrated circuits such as LSIs using MOSFETs and BiCMOS circuits.

The present invention can be applied at least to devices that have elements that are or are likely to be damaged due to excessive temperature rise.

[0041]

Effects of the Invention The effects obtained by typical inventions disclosed in this application are briefly explained below.

That is, the current control section provided inside the semiconductor integrated circuit determines when the temperature detection result of the sensor section reaches a predetermined value, and based on this, the power supply current of the semiconductor integrated circuit is forcibly controlled. By reducing the temperature, damage to semiconductor integrated circuits caused by excessive temperature rise can be prevented. In addition, by incorporating the sensor section and current control section in a semiconductor integrated circuit, it is possible to prevent damage as described above for each semiconductor integrated circuit, and simplify the wiring of a data processing system that includes the semiconductor integrated circuit. can be achieved. Further, by including a light emitting diode that emits light based on the output of the current control section, it is possible to easily identify a semiconductor integrated circuit whose temperature has become excessively high. In a data processing system including such a semiconductor integrated circuit, by providing a circuit switching section for causing a spare circuit of the semiconductor integrated circuit to participate in system operation based on the output of the current control section, it is possible to prevent excessive temperature rise. Even though there is a semiconductor integrated circuit that is deemed to be inoperable, switching to the spare circuit described above has the effect that the operation of the entire system is not affected.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of main parts of an LSI according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an electrical wiring diagram showing the detailed configuration of the sensor section in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an electrical wiring diagram showing the detailed configuration of the current control section in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an electrical wiring diagram of a constant current control system in the LSI of this embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the combination of light emitting diodes that enables determination of an over-temperature LSI.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the formation of a temperature determination section that enables determination of an over-temperature LSI.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the main parts of a microcomputer including the LSI of this embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 LSI 2 Sensor section 4 Current control section 8 Diode 10 Output buffer 11 Signal processing circuit 12 Control signal generation circuits 21 to 24 Bipolar transistor 45 Light emitting diode 70 Board 71 Circuit switching section 100 Spare LSI

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A semiconductor integrated circuit comprising a protection means for preventing element damage caused by excessive temperature rise, the protection means comprising: a sensor section capable of detecting the internal temperature of the semiconductor integrated circuit; A semiconductor integrated circuit comprising: a current control section for forcibly reducing the power supply current supplied to each section of the semiconductor integrated circuit when the temperature detection result by the sensor section reaches a predetermined value. . 2. When a plurality of the sensor units are formed, the current control unit includes an OR circuit that obtains an OR of outputs from the plurality of sensor units, and an output of the OR circuit and a reference voltage. 2. The semiconductor integrated circuit according to claim 1, further comprising a signal generation circuit for generating a control signal for limiting power supply current based on a comparison result between the two. 3. The sensor section according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a plurality of diodes connected in series and an output buffer capable of extracting a signal from the diodes.
The semiconductor integrated circuit described. 4. The semiconductor integrated circuit according to claim 1, further comprising a light emitting element that emits light based on the output of the current control section. 5. A data processing system comprising the semiconductor integrated circuit according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4. 6. The present invention further comprises a circuit switching section for causing a spare circuit of the semiconductor integrated circuit to participate in system operation instead of the semiconductor integrated circuit including the current control section, based on the output signal of the current control section. 5. The data processing system according to 5.