Domain crossing circuit of a semiconductor memory apparatus
View Patent ↗The domain crossing circuit of a semiconductor memory apparatus for improving a timing margin includes a sampler that provides a sampling internal signal generated by delaying an internal input signal by a predetermined time in response to a clock and an edge information signal that defines an output timing of the sampling internal signal and an output stage that allows the sampling internal signal to be synchronized with the clock in response to the edge information signal to be output as a final output signal.
1. A domain crossing circuit of a semiconductor memory apparatus, comprising:
a sampler providing a sampling internal signal generated by sampling an internal signal using a falling edge of a clock and a rising edge of the clock and providing an edge information signal defining whether an output timing of the sampling internal signal is in logic “low” or logic “high” of the clock; and
an output stage synchronizing the sampling internal signal with the clock in response to the edge information signal and outputting the synchronized sampling internal signal as a final output signal,
wherein the sampler outputs the sampling internal signal and the edge information signal to the output stage, and the output stage receives the sampling internal signal and the edge information signal.
2. The domain crossing circuit of the semiconductor memory apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sampler is configured to comprise:
a trigger signal generation block sampling the internal input signal using the falling edge of the clock and the rising edge of the clock and so as to provide a plurality of trigger signals;
a combination block that provides the sampling internal signal by using a combination of the plurality of trigger signals; and
a clock edge information block that receives the sampling internal signal and provides edge information of the clock that is an output reference of the sampling internal signal as the edge information signal.
3. The domain crossing circuit of the semiconductor memory apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the trigger generation block is configured to include a plurality of latch units providing the plurality of trigger signals, the plurality of latch units configured to comprise:
a first latch unit sampling the internal input signal at a rising edge of the clock after a time point when the internal input signal is input;
a second latch unit sampling an output signal of the first latch unit at a falling edge of the clock;
a third latch unit that sampling internal input signal at a falling edge of the clock after a time point when the internal input signal is input; and
a fourth latch unit sampling an output signal from the third latch unit at a rising edge of the clock.
4. The domain crossing circuit of the semiconductor memory apparatus of claim 3 , wherein a delay time between latch units coupled in series is set as a half cycle of the clock.
5. The domain crossing circuit of the semiconductor memory apparatus of claim 3 , wherein when a set-up time between the internal input signal and the clock is satisfied, output timings of the second and third latch units correspond to each other, and when the set-up time between the internal input signal and the clock is not satisfied, output timings of the first and fourth latch units correspond to each other.
6. The domain crossing circuit of the semiconductor memory apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the combination block provides a first reference edge signal by combining output signals from the first and fourth latch units, and provides a second reference edge signal by combining output signals from the second and third latch units.
7. The domain crossing circuit of the semiconductor memory apparatus of claim 6 , wherein based on the falling edge of the clock after the internal input signal is applied, when the levels of the output signals from the second and third latch units are the same the combination block provides the sampling internal signal in response to the second reference edge signal, and when the levels of the output signals from the second and third latch units are not the same the combination block provides the sampling internal signal in response to the first reference edge signal.
8. The domain crossing circuit of the semiconductor memory apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the clock edge information block detects a level of the clock in response to a rising edge of the sampling internal signal.
9. The domain crossing circuit of the semiconductor memory apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the clock edge information block provides the edge information signal to determine whether the timing when the sampling internal signal is output is responded to the rising edge of the clock or to the falling edge of the clock using the detected level of the clock.
10. The domain crossing circuit of the semiconductor memory apparatus of claim 1 , wherein when the edge information signal has a first level, the output stage delays the sampling internal signal by a first predetermined time to provide the sampling internal signal as a final output signal, and when the edge information signal has a second level, the output stage delays the sampling internal signal by a second predetermined time to provide the sampling internal signal as the final output signal, wherein the first and second predetermined times are different from each other.
11. A domain crossing circuit of a semiconductor memory apparatus, comprising:
a sampler providing a sampling internal signal generated by synchronizing an internal input signal with a falling edge of a clock and a rising edge of the clock, and providing an edge information signal that defines whether an output timing of the sampling internal signal is in logic “low” or logic “high” of the clock, wherein the internal input signal is a non-synchronous signal; and
an output stage in which a final output signal is synchronized with the clock by delaying the sampling internal signal at a different delay time according to levels of the edge information signal,
wherein the sampling internal signal is selectively synchronized with one of a rising edge and a falling edge of the clock and the final output signal is synchronized with the rising edge of the clock,
wherein the sampler outputs the sampling internal signal and the edge information signal to the output stage, and the output stage receives the sampling internal signal and the edge information signal.
12. The domain crossing circuit of the semiconductor memory apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the sampler is configured to comprise:
a trigger signal generation block sampling the internal input signal using the falling edge and the rising edge of the clock to provide a plurality of trigger signals;
a combination block that provides the sampling internal signal by using a combination of the plurality of trigger signals; and
a clock edge information block that receives the sampling internal signal and provides edge information of the clock that is an output reference of the sampling internal signal as the edge information signal.
13. The domain crossing circuit of the semiconductor memory apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the trigger generation block is configured to include a plurality of latch units providing the plurality of trigger signals, the plurality of latch units configured to comprise:
a first latch unit sampling the internal input signal at a rising edge of the clock after a time point when the internal input signal is input;
a second latch unit sampling an output signal of the first latch unit at a falling edge of the clock;
a third latch unit sampling the internal input signal at a falling edge of the clock after a time point when the internal input signal is input; and
a fourth latch unit that samples an output signal from the third latch unit at a rising edge of the clock.
14. The domain crossing circuit of the semiconductor memory apparatus of claim 13 , wherein a delay time between latch units coupled in series is set as a half cycle of the clock.
15. The domain crossing circuit of the semiconductor memory apparatus of claim 13 , wherein when a set-up time between the internal input signal and the clock is satisfied, output timings of the second and third latch units correspond to each other, and when the set-up time between the internal input signal and the clock is not satisfied, output timings of the first and fourth latch units correspond to each other.
16. The domain crossing circuit of the semiconductor memory apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the combination block provides a first reference edge signal by combining output signals from the first and fourth latch units, and provides a second reference edge signal by combining output signals from the second and third latch units.
17. The domain crossing circuit of the semiconductor memory apparatus of claim 16 , wherein based on the falling edge of the clock after the internal input signal is applied, when the levels of the output signals from the second and third latch units are the same the combination block provides the sampling internal signal in response to the second reference edge signal, and when the levels of the output signals from the second and third latch units are not the same the combination block provides the sampling internal signal in response to the first reference edge signal.
18. The domain crossing circuit of the semiconductor memory apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the clock edge information block detects a level of the clock in response to a rising edge of the sampling internal signal.
19. The domain crossing circuit of the semiconductor memory apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the clock edge information block provides the edge information signal to determine whether the timing when the sampling internal signal is output is responded to the rising edge of the clock or to the falling edge of the clock using the detected level of the clock.
20. The domain crossing circuit of the semiconductor memory apparatus of claim 11 , wherein when the edge information signal has a first level, the output stage delays the sampling internal signal by a first predetermined time to provide the sampling internal signal as a final output signal, and when the edge information signal has a second level, the output stage delays the sampling internal signal by a second predetermined time to provide the sampling internal signal as the final output signal, wherein the first and second predetermined times are different from each other.
21. The domain crossing circuit of the semiconductor memory apparatus of claim 20 , wherein when the sampling internal signal is output in synchronization with the rising edge of the clock, the output stage is output after the first predetermined time, and when the sampling internal signal is output in synchronization with the falling edge of the clock, the output stage is output after the second predetermined time, such that the final output signal is output at the rising edge of the clock.