Advanced repeater with duty cycle adjustment

1. A circuit for assisting transitions of a signal on a wire, said circuit comprising:

an output stage for driving an output signal line responsive to an input signal;

a plurality of active devices for selectably adjusting a duty cycle of said signal on said wire, wherein a drive level of said output stage remains constant responsive to said adjusting;

and

circuitry for producing a delayed version of said signal, characterized by a delay that is greater than a transition time of said output stage less a delay of said plurality of active devices.

2. The circuit of claim 1 wherein said output signal line is inverted relative to said input signal.

3. The circuit of claim 1 wherein said circuitry for producing a delayed version of said signal comprises no discrete components.

4. The circuit of claim 1 wherein said delayed version of said signal is for changing a drive level of said output signal line.

5. The circuit of claim 4 wherein a first state of said output stage comprises a high level drive and a second state of said output stage comprises a substantially weaker level drive.

6. The circuit of claim 5 wherein said second state of said output stage comprises a keeper mode.

7. The circuit of claim 5 wherein said substantially weaker level drive comprises substantially no drive.

8. The circuit of claim 1 wherein said input signal is a microprocessor clock.

9. The circuit of claim 1 wherein said signal propagates through a maximum of three sequential devices.

10. A method of assisting transitions of an input signal, said method comprising:

receiving a transition of said input signal at a circuit input;

receiving a plurality of control signals to selectively adjust the duty cycle of an output signal generally corresponding to said input signal;

selectively adjusting said duty cycle;

driving an output level corresponding to said transition; and

ceasing said driving prior to an arrival at said circuit input of a subsequent transition of said input signal.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising weakly holding said output signal line in its present state subsequent to said ceasing.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein a duration of said driving is sufficient for driving said output signal line to a desired level.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein said output signal line is inverted relative to said circuit input.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein said ceasing comprises a change in state of combinatorial logic.

15. The method of claim 10 embodied in an integrated circuit.

16. The method of claim 15 embodied in a microprocessor.

17. A circuit for assisting signal transitions on a wire, said circuit comprising:

a first transistor for driving a rising edge transition on an output signal line;

a second transistor for driving a falling edge transition on said output signal line;

an OR gate having first and second inputs for controlling said first transistor;

said OR gate further comprising a plurality of pull up transistors for selectably adjusting timing of said rising edge transition, wherein a drive level of said output signal line remains constant responsive to adjustments to said timing of said rising edge transition;

an AND gate having first and second inputs for controlling said second transistor; and

said AND gate further comprising a plurality of pull down transistors for selectably adjusting timing of said falling edge transition, wherein a drive level of said output signal line remains constant responsive to adjustments to said timing of said falling edge transition.

18. The circuit of claim 17 wherein said OR gate comprises a NOR gate and an inverter.

19. The circuit of claim 17 wherein said AND gate comprises a NAND gate and an inverter.

20. The circuit of claim 17 embodied in a microprocessor.