Semiconductor memory asynchronous pipeline
View Patent ↗An asynchronously pipelined SDRAM has separate pipeline stages that are controlled by asynchronous signals. Rather than using a clock signal to synchronize data at each stage, an asynchronous signal is used to latch data at every stage. The asynchronous control signals are generated within the chip and are optimized to the different latency stages. Longer latency stages require larger delays elements, while shorter latency states require shorter delay elements. The data is synchronized to the clock at the end of the read data path before being read out of the chip. Because the data has been latched at each pipeline stage, it suffers from less skew than would be seen in a conventional wave pipeline architecture. Furthermore, since the stages are independent of the system clock, the read data path can be run at any CAS latency as long as the re-synchronizing output is built to support it.
1. A pipelined synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) comprising:
a memory core having addressable memory elements;
a read path, defined between an address input port and a data output port; the memory core being included in the read path, the read path including a plurality of pipeline stages, each of the plurality of pipeline stages including a latch responsive to a corresponding asynchronous control signal; and
a plurality of delay elements associated with the plurality of pipeline stages for providing the asynchronous control signals, which comprise delayed versions of a system clock signal, each of the delay elements having a latency corresponding to a latency of its associated one of the plurality of pipeline stages, such that each of the plurality of pipeline stages is controlled independently of the system clock signal.
2. The SDRAM of claim 1 , further comprising a delay locked loop (DLL) circuit configured to provide a DLL clock signal in response to the system clock signal.
3. The SDRAM of claim 2 , further comprising a data output buffer configured to output data in response to the DLL clock signal.
4. The SDRAM of claim 1 , wherein one of the plurality of the asynchronous control signals is a gated version of the system clock signal.
5. The SDRAM of claim 4 , wherein one of the plurality of delay elements is configured to gate the delayed version of the system clock as the asynchronous control signal provided from a previous one of the plurality of delay elements.
6. A pipelined double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) comprising:
a memory core having addressable memory elements;
a read path, defined between an address input port and a data output port, the read path comprising a data output buffer; the memory core being included in the read path, the read path including a plurality of pipeline stages, each of the plurality of pipeline stages including a latch responsive to a corresponding asynchronous control signal; and
a plurality of delay elements associated with the plurality of pipeline stages for providing the asynchronous control signals, which comprise delayed versions of a system clock signal, each of the delay elements having a latency corresponding to a latency of its associated one of the plurality of pipeline stages, such that each of the plurality of pipeline stages is controlled independently of the system clock signal.
7. The SDRAM of claim 6 , further comprising a delay locked loop (DLL) circuit having an output for providing a DLL clock signal to the data output buffer in response to the system clock signal, the data output buffer being configured to output data in response to the DLL clock signal.
8. A pipelined double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) comprising:
a memory core having addressable memory elements;
a read path, defined between an address input port and a data output port; the read path comprising at least one data output buffer, the memory core being included in the read path, the read path including a plurality of pipeline stages, each of the plurality of pipeline stages including a latch responsive to a corresponding asynchronous control signal; and
a plurality of delay elements associated with the plurality of pipeline stages for providing the asynchronous control signals, which comprise delayed versions of a system clock signal, each of the delay elements comprising a control logic circuit, such that each of the plurality of pipeline stages is controlled independently of the system clock signal.
9. The SDRAM of claim 8 , further comprising a delay locked loop (DLL) circuit having an output for providing a DLL clock signal to the data output buffer in response to the system clock signal, the data output buffer being configured to output data in response to the DLL clock signal.
10. The SDRAM of claim 8 , wherein the control logic circuit comprised in each of the delay elements is responsive to a corresponding control signal.
11. A double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory comprising:
a memory core having addressable memory elements;
a read path, defined between an address input port and a data output port, the read path including the memory core, a data output buffer and a plurality of pipeline stages, the data output buffer being coupled to a delay locked loop (DLL) circuit configured to provide a clock signal, the data output buffer outputting data in response to rising and falling edges of the clock signal, each of the plurality of pipeline stages including a latch responsive to a corresponding asynchronous control signal; and
a plurality of delay elements associated with the plurality of pipeline stages for providing the asynchronous control signals, which comprise delayed versions of a system clock signal, each of the delay elements comprising a control logic circuit, the control logic circuit of each of the delay elements being responsive to a corresponding control signal, such that each of the plurality of pipeline stages is controlled independently of the system clock signal.