IP Library Granted Patent US 9,780,797
Granted Patent B2
US 9,780,797 · App. 15/464,750 · Granted Oct 3, 2017

CMOS interpolator for a serializer/deserializer communication application

Inventors: Karthik S. Gopalakrishnan (Santa Clara, CA); Guojun Ren (San Jose, CA); Parmanand Mishra (Thousand Oaks, CA)
Assignee: INPHI CORPORATION
H03L7/0812H03L7/0807H04L25/03273
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,780,797
App. No.
15/464,750
Granted
Oct 3, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present invention relates generally to integrated circuits. More particularly, the present invention provides a circuit and method for regulating a voltage for a high speed serializer/deserializer (SerDes) device. But it will be recognized that the technique can be used for regulating memory devices (e.g., DDR 4 SDRAM devices, DDR4 register devices, DDR4 controller devices), and other high speed data applications. In various embodiments, phase-interpolator is implemented in conjunction with a delay-lock loop (DLL) and an SR latch, where one or more outputs of the DLL is used by the SR latch. Additionally, such techniques can be used for a variety of applications such as network and/or computer storage systems, computer servers, hand held computing devices, portable computing devices, computer systems, network appliances and/or switches, routers, and gateways, and the like.

Claims (33)

1. A system comprising:

an integrated transceiver circuit device comprising:

a plurality of receivers coupled to a plurality of channels, each of the channels being configured for transmitting asynchronous data to one of the receivers, each of the receivers comprising:

a pre-amplifier device having an input and an output, the input being coupled to a channel associated with a receiver;

a comparator device comprising an input coupled to the output of the pre-amplifier device, and configured to identify one or more binary states;

a phase interpolator device coupled to the comparator device, the phase interpolator device being configured to perform a digital to phase conversion using information from the one or more binary states, the phase interpolator device comprising a phase interpolator core, a set-reset (SR) latch and a feedback loop, the SR latch comprising a set (S) input, a reset (R) input, and an output, the S input being configured to receive signals from the phase interpolator core, the feedback loop being coupled between the output of the SR latch and the R input, the feedback loop being characterized by a phase shift of about 180 degrees, the feedback loop including an operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) for generating a switching signal, the switching signal being associated with the R input; and

a clock data recovery (CDR) circuit coupled to an output of the comparator device and configured to drive the phase interpolator device to synthesize a frequency and phase of a signal from the output of the comparator device; and

a phase lock loop (PLL) device, the PLL device being common to and being coupled to each of the phase interpolator devices in the plurality of receivers; and

a storage system coupled to integrated transceiver circuit device.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the comparator device further comprises a plurality of comparator devices, each of the plurality of comparator devices is coupled to the CDR circuit, each of the plurality of comparator devices being coupled to a separate phase interpolator device associated with the phase interpolator devices.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the phase interpolator device is characterized using a complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) interpolation that is linear (INL) and is provided to track jitter.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the phase interpolator device is characterized by a phase linearity and a dynamic performance; and

Wherein the phase interpolator device is characterized by a current based mixing to achieve a substantial linearity in a phase to digital code relationship, wherein the phase interpolator device is configured using a CMOS level.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of receivers are coupled to a serializer/deserializer (SerDes) device, and coupled to a plurality of transmitters; and

wherein the phase interpolator device is characterized by a CMOS level on an interpolated output.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the phase interpolator core comprises a pair of mixers configured to mix a first clock and a second clock spaced by 90 Degrees from each other.

7. A system comprising:

an integrated transceiver circuit device comprising:

a plurality of receivers coupled to a plurality of channels, each of the channels being configured for transmitting asynchronous data to one of the receivers, each of the receivers comprising:

a pre-amplifier device having an input and an output, the input being coupled to a channel associated with a receiver;

a comparator device comprising an input coupled to the output of the pre-amplifier device, and configured to identify one or more binary states;

a phase interpolator device coupled to the comparator device, the phase interpolator device being configured to perform a digital to phase conversion using information from the one or more binary states, the phase interpolator device comprising a phase interpolator core, a set-reset (SR) latch and a feedback loop, the SR latch comprising a set (S) input, a reset (R) input, and an output, the S input being configured to receive signals from the phase interpolator core, the feedback loop being coupled between the output of the SR latch and the R input, the feedback loop being characterized by a phase shift of about 180 degrees, the feedback loop including an operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) for generating a switching signal, the switching signal being associated with the R input; and

a clock data recovery (CDR) circuit coupled to an output of the comparator device and configured to drive the phase interpolator device to synthesize a frequency and phase of a signal from the output of the comparator device; and

a phase lock loop (PLL) device, the PLL device being common to and being coupled to each of the phase interpolator devices in the plurality of receivers;

a storage system coupled to integrated transceiver circuit device; and

a network coupled to the storage system.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the comparator device further comprises a plurality of comparator devices, each of the plurality of comparator devices is coupled to the CDR circuit, each of the plurality of comparator devices being coupled to a separate phase interpolator device associated with the phase interpolator devices.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the phase interpolator device is characterized using a complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) interpolation that is linear (INL) and is provided to track jitter.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein the phase interpolator device is characterized by a phase linearity and a dynamic performance; and

Wherein the phase interpolator device is characterized by a current based mixing to achieve a substantial linearity in a phase to digital code relationship, wherein the phase interpolator device is configured using a CMOS level.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein the plurality of receivers are coupled to a serializer/deserializer (SerDes) device, and coupled to a plurality of transmitters; and

wherein the phase interpolator device is characterized by a CMOS level on an interpolated output.

12. The system of claim 7 wherein the phase interpolator core comprises a pair of mixers configured to mix a first clock and a second clock spaced by 90 Degrees from each other.

Assignments (4)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 27, 2021
From: CAVIUM INTERNATIONAL
To: MARVELL ASIA PTE LTD.
Reel/Frame 057336/0873 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 25, 2021
From: MARVELL TECHNOLOGY CAYMAN I
To: CAVIUM INTERNATIONAL
Reel/Frame 057279/0519 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 23, 2021
From: INPHI CORPORATION
To: MARVELL TECHNOLOGY CAYMAN I
Reel/Frame 056649/0823 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 9, 2017
From: GOPALAKRISHNAN, KARTHIK S.; REN, GUOJUN; MISHRA, PARMANAND
To: INPHI CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 043250/0054 →
Continuity (6)
Continuation 14826051 · Aug 13, 2015
Continuation In Part 14637308 · Mar 3, 2015
Division 14452360 · Aug 5, 2014
Continuation In Part 13802248 · Mar 13, 2013
Provisional Application 61617896 · Mar 30, 2012
Related Publication 20170194970A1 · Jul 6, 2017