On-chip voltage regulator module (VRM) effect on power/ground noise and jitter at high-speed output buffer

Abstract

On-chip voltage regulator module (VRM) for the reduction of power/ground noise on power distribution network (PDN) and jitter minimization at high-speed output buffer is introduced. The basic topology and optimized operation for on-chip VRM is analyzed. A PDN with on-chip VRM shows reduced power/ground noise through removing additional effects coming from package/PCB PDN. Also, when on-chip VRM is implemented on PDN of high-speed output buffers, jitter at output signal is lower. Improvements on PDN and jitter through on-chip VRM are shown and validated with SPICE simulation with 110nm CMOS technology library.