Dynamic phase alignment

1. A method of aligning a clock signal with a data signal, comprising:

starting with an initial sampling point according to the clock signal, delaying the data signal until a clock signal edge aligns with a data signal edge, wherein the total permissible delay is limited to at most one-half clock cycle; and

inverting the clock signal when the clock signal edge aligns with the data signal edge.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said delaying further comprises;

if a clock signal edge does not align with a data signal edge within one-half clock, resetting to said initial sampling point, inverting the clock signal to obtain an inverted clock signal, and delaying the data signal until a clock signal edge aligns with a data signal edge,

wherein said inverting the clock signal comprises inverting the inverted clock signal.

3. A non-transitory machine-accessible medium containing executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to implement the method according to claim 1 .

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

downloading, via a communication system, executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform said delaying and said inverting.

5. A hardware slate machine to implement the method according to claim 1 .

6. An apparatus comprising:

means for delaying a data signal until a clock signal edge aligns with an edge of the data signal, wherein a delay of the data signal is limited to at most one-half clock cycle; and

means for inverting the clock signal.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising:

means for determining if a clock signal edge aligns with an edge of the data signal.

8. A via-programmable application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) comprising:

at least one functional element; and

the apparatus according to claim 6 ,

wherein the apparatus according to claim 6 is to be coupled to said at least one functional element to align a clock signal and a data signal to be input to or to be output from said at least one functional element.

9. A deserializatton system comprising:

at least one deserializer channel to receive as input serialized data and an input serial clock and to output deserialized data; and

a phase alignment controller coupled to provide at least one control signal to said at least one deserializer channel, said at least one control signal to adjust a relative delay between said input serialized data and said input serial clock until an edge of said input serialized data and an edge of said input serial clock are in alignment and to cause an inverted version of said input serial clock to be used for sampling the input serialized data, once said alignment has been achieved, wherein an adjustment in relative delay between said input serialized data and said input serial clock is limited to at most one-half clock cycle.

10. The deserializer system according to claim 9 , wherein said at least one clock signal is further to reset to an initial starting point if said alignment is not achieved within one-half clock cycle of relative delay, to cause said clock to be inverted, and to restart adjusting the relative delay, and wherein the once alignment has been achieved, said inverted version of said input clock corresponds to an inverted version of the inverted clock.

11. The deserializer system according to claim 9 , wherein at least one said deserializer channel comprises:

a programmable delay buffer chain to receive said input serial data;

a first set of flip-flops to receive data from said programmable delay buffer chain;

a second set of flip-flops, equal in number to said first set of flip-flops, to accept data, in parallel, from said first set of flip-flops; and

a clock pulse generator to receive said input serial clock and to output a clock signal to said it set of flip-flops and a load enable signal to said second set of flip-flops.

12. The deserializer system according to claim 11 , wherein said at least one control signal comprises a signal to control a delay of said programmable delay buffer chain.

13. The deserializer system according to claim 11 , wherein said at least one control signal comprises a signal to select whether or not to choose an inverted version of said input serial clock as said clock signal.

14. The deserializer system according to claim 11 , Wherein said programmable delay buffer chain comprises one or more multiplexers and two or more delay buffers.

15. The deserializer system according to claim 11 , wherein said clock pulse generator comprises:

a multiplexer to be coupled to receive as inputs said input serial clock and an inverted version of said input serial clock; and

a counter to be coupled to receive as an input an output of said multiplexer.

16. The deserializer system according to claim 15 , wherein said multiplexer is to be coupled to receive a selection signal to be generated by said phase alignment controller.