ComLSI

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ComLSI

• IP Portfolio (5 patents)
• Circuits, Packaging Interconnect

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Background

• ComLSI founded in January 2003 by Raj Nair as an
  IP development and services company.
• Areas of specialization are power management and
  high-speed signaling.
• Developed high-speed data transceiver link
  silicon cores enabling HDMI 1.3 data rates over
  Cat5e cable lengths of 25m, patenting low power
  differential signaling technology.
• Researched advanced power integrity management
  including active packaging and Active Noise
  Regulators, patenting the architecture
  circuits.
• Intellectual Property and Patents may be the next
  gold rush.
• Patents available are described ahead.

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Active/3D Packaging

• US 7291896

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Active Packaging Market

• Active Packaging advances PoP and
  System-in-Package (SiP) techniques by providing
  symbiotic functionality between active and
  passive devices within the package, amplifying
  power integrity management performance while
  minimizing substrate real-estate use.
• Point-of-load converters employ switched
  conversion comprising active circuits, inductors
  and capacitors. US Patent Active interposer US
  7291896 teaches integration reducing POL DC-DC
  converter footprint enabling higher frequencies.
• ComLSIs Active Noise Regulators proactively
  inject electric charge to minimize load component
  voltage domain variations during power peaks.
  An active circuit interposer allows much higher
  voltage in a capacitor, driving greater current
  through inductance, and allows the active
  capacitor to be proactive (prior capacitors are
  reactive) in noise minimization function.
• US 7291896 protects an active capacitor
  packaging architecture of stacked active passive
  integration. Active capacitors are the logical
  next step (from land side or die-shadow caps)
  in the evolution of processor/SoC packages, as
  multi-core processors demand more sophisticated
  power and power integrity management techniques.
  Instances of use in multi-core microprocessor
  packages alone can exceed 1 billion. Handsets and
  other portable electronic devices will similarly
  benefit from high performance, lowest footprint
  POL voltage converters, and comprise the growth
  market for ANRs and local voltage regulation
  (LVR) devices.
• US 7291896 has a thorough prosecution history. No
  obligations or encumbrances exist.
• A book, Power Integrity Analysis and Management
  for Integrated Circuits, by the inventor,
  published May 7, 2010 by Prentice-Hall, discusses
  ANRs for PI and local voltage regulation. A
  second engineering text on PI for nanoscale
  design co-authored by the inventor is in
  compilation.

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Appln Active Noise Regulation
View in Slide Show mode

• PI simulation result with continuum (pi-fp)
  models illustrates noise reduction (40 shown)
  in a chip power grid with active noise regulation
  (ANR).
• Proactive intervention maintains power integrity
  and permits ultra-low-voltage operation with
  resultant ultra-low energy consumption.
• Localized charge depletion leads to grid voltage
  droops. An effective solution for increased
  energy and charge with reducing footprint area is
  increased voltage and greater current driven by
  an ANR into the power grid.
• ANR and cap assemblies can be tested separately
  or assembled, avoiding known-good-die issues.
• No EMI issues in transient action.

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Local Voltage Regulation (LVR)

• Typical on-board voltage regulator modules (VRMs)
  are slow to respond to a high-performance SoCs
  voltage domain needs.
• 3D assembly of ANR, cap, and integrated
  inductance provides orders of magnitude higher
  bandwidth or faster response, and efficient
  voltage regulation.
• Local voltage regulation enables
  voltage-domain-based, intelligent supply voltage
  control and low energy consumption.
• LVRs minimize energy loss and heat generation in
  high current circuit pathways.
• Infringement in 3D microprocessor package
  implementations under review.

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Rapid Power MOSFET Switching

• US Patent 7378898

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RPTS Benefits

• Higher frequencies of operation at higher
  efficiency is an important requirement in power
  conversion and power management electronics,
  given the continuing trend toward more compact
  and portable systems.
• A constraint for efficient power management
  circuits is speed at which power transistors can
  be switched, and energy consumed in switching
  these transistors ON and OFF. Patent 7378898
  teaches switching commonly employed MOSFET power
  transistors at high frequencies with reduced
  conduction and switching loss.
• The technique applies to all DC-DC and POL power
  conversion products with combined TAM exceeding
  multi-Billion .
• The technique may also be employed to speed
  switching of power-gating MOSFET devices embedded
  in chips, as well as in Active Noise Regulators,
  a strategic product for ultra-low-voltage
  systems.
• US Patent 7378898 protects the only known
  low-swing circuit solution to improving MOSFET
  power transistor switching.
• Clean execution history with thorough prosecution
  by the USPTO. No obligations or encumbrances
  exist.
• Infringement by DC-DC components / 3D system
  integrators under review.

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Applications of RPTS ANR

• Active Noise Regulators (ANRs), and symbiotic
  high-frequency switched power converters maintain
  power integrity in rapidly switched regions of a
  ULSI device, permitting ultra-low-voltage
  operation and corresponding low energy
  consumption.
• Size comparable to IDC/LGA caps on a processor
  package (lt 1mm2), fabricated in a process 2 to 3
  generations behind the USLI component scales
  with capacitors used
• Die cost for 1mm2 area, _at_ 600/8 wfr, 90
  yield, CSP/WFLCSP ? 0.05
• Electrical specs. 40 to 100MHz converters
  estimated feasible (ref Intel CMOS Voltage
  Regulator design effort, Accelerated
  Regulation)
• ANR patent Active interposer US 7291896. More
  info on ANRs

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Applications of RPTS DC-DC

• DC to DC converters (RED blocks in a portable
  system architecture shown) employ switched
  MOSFETs for high-side (HS) and low-side (LS)
  function in buck, boost, and buck-boost
  converters. Both HS and LS conduction and
  switching losses diminish DC-DC efficiency. RPTS
  significantly reduces HS and LS switching and
  IL2RON conduction losses
• Size dependent upon type of device, operating
  voltages, desired ON resistance and gate
  charge, current carrying capacity, and packaging
• Electrical aspects Simultaneous RDSON and QG
  reduction with RPTS

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Applications Power Gating

• Power gating is employed for Voltage Domains
  (different color blocks in the system block
  diagram shown) in nanoscale SoCs for leakage
  shut-off. RPTS reduces power gating energy loss
  and enhances frequency of gating
• Size Reduced RDSON reduces power gating device
  area overhead on chip
• Performance QG reduction increases gating
  frequency and energy savings
• Design / Manufacturing Body bias circuit
  reference area (1 per chip)

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Class-B Differential CBDS
US Patent 7348810
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True Differential, Low Power

• CBDS can operate from low operating voltages such
  as 1V with 500mV signal swing, or 1V
  differentially. Lower voltage reduces power
  correspondingly.
• CBDS can be self-terminating. Eliminating source
  termination, which halves transmitted signals,
  CBDS improves SNR by a factor of 2X over LVDS
  instances requiring source termination, extending
  cable reach for HDMI, DisplayPort, SATA, USB,
  etc.
• CBDS provides matched positive and negative
  currents, minimizing EM radiation from signal
  wires. CBDS is a low-EMI form of true
  differential signaling, and can be designed to
  be fully compatible with the TIA/EIA LVDS
  standard.
• CBDS cuts power consumption while improving
  performance, is applicable in all differential
  signaling links, addressing a 5B (2007) analog
  interface market.
• CBDS mitigates need for power hungry THUNDERBOLT
  active cable signal transmission technology in
  consumer electronics devices employing 2m to 3m
  cables.
• US Patent 7348810 protects best mode
  implementation of a CBDS Driver. ComLSI won a
  settlement (April 2010) for infringement of
  aspects of CBDS by Vizionware Inc. (closed 2008)
  and ex-officers. Ref Cause D-1-GN-09-002836,
  Travis County, TX, 98th Judicial District.
• Clean prosecution by the USPTO / no encumbrances
  or obligations. Silicon IP in 180nm logic CMOS
  also available for translation into a product.

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CBDS Application HDMI

• Data transfer rates exceed 10Gbps for HDMI
  leading to high attenuation over lossy cables.
  This necessitates high signal swings and
  signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) for HDMI links across
  lengths of cable beyond 2m. CBDS provides such
  signal swings at low power and low EMI.
• Designed for an Active Cable to drive over 25m
  of Cat5e equivalent length at data rates of
  1.65Gbps per wire-pair, rivaling Thunderbolt
  metersGbps performance.
• CBDS drivers amplify transmit signals, providing
  true differential signals ideal for
  extended-reach, high data-rate , low-EMI
  applications.
• Exponentially increasing data rate through cables
  assured by multimedia growth / 3D TV. CBDS is the
  signaling solution before multimedia data
  transmission requires optical cables.

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Current-mode Driver
Current-mode Switch Driver 7126387
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Current-mode Driver Benefits

• Voltage-mode drivers for buck DC-DC converters
  operate from high input voltages and consume
  power correspondingly. When driving low-impedance
  switches (requiring DC input gate current), a
  fixed external resistance is often employed to
  define static drive current flow. Current-mode
  drive eliminates this external resistor, and can
  operate from lower power supply voltages, thus
  reducing drive power consumption.
• Current-mode drive allows programming or
  adaptation of driven switch ON-resistance that
  changes with device operating temperature.
• High output impedance current-mode drive allows
  for reduction in the value of the capacitance in
  a transient drive path through a capacitor.
• Applications include DC-DC converters employing
  BJTs or enhancement JFETs as power switches.
• Current-mode Switch Driver 7126387 patent
  protects best mode implementation of a
  current-mode driver.
• Clean prosecution by the USPTO / no encumbrances
  or obligations.

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Shielded Flat Pair Cable
US Patent 7449639 Pending
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Shielded Flat Pair Benefits

• Shielded Flat Pair (SFP) cable assemblies
  minimize intra-pair, inter-pair skew, impedance
  discontinuities, and crosstalk issues employing
  flattened conductors and untwisted wire pairs.
• SFPs mitigate manufacturing variation induced
  intra-pair skew / Z-variation.
• SFP cables reduce skin-effect related loss
  without increasing copper use, while prior art
  increases copper use quadratically. SFPs enable
  reduction of attenuation and dispersion through
  Heaviside condition based design.
• SFP cables are an improvement over Belden bonded
  pair cables, which employ wire-pair (variable)
  twist and exhibit higher skin-effect loss, skew,
  and crosstalk. Belden generates 50 or more of
  its revenues (2.0B in 2009) from its cable and
  networking products, which now all employ Belden
  bonded pair technology http//www.beldensolutions
  .com/en/Company/Press/PR117_EN0909/index.phtml
• SFP cables reduce conductor copper use reducing
  cable weight and cost in skin-effect limited
  cables. Prototyping and further development
  ongoing.
• Modeling/simulation and manufacturing
  consultation available to assist with SFP
  productization.
• US patent 7449639 1 pending patent protect best
  mode implementation of SFPs and SFP cables. No
  obligations or encumbrances exist.

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Summary

• Patent portfolio comprising 5 patents and one
  pending advancing power management and high-speed
  signaling technology. Patent fees are current.
• IP available for sale or licensing.
• Support includes silicon IP (for CBDS, related IP
  Cores), cable modeling, cable manufacturing, and
  IC design/consulting services.
• Contact
• Raj Nair, raj_at_anasim.com, 1 480 626 7535, Anasim
  Corp.