IP Library Granted Patent US 11,189,334
Granted Patent B2
US 11,189,334 · App. 16/198,433 · Granted Nov 30, 2021

Apparatuses and methods for a multi-bit duty cycle monitor

Inventor: Dean D. Gans (Nampa, ID)
Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
G11C11/4076H03K5/1565
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,189,334
App. No.
16/198,433
Granted
Nov 30, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

Embodiments of the disclosure are drawn to apparatuses and methods for a multi-bit duty cycle monitor. A clock signal may be provided to a memory in order to synchronize one or more operations of the memory. The clock signal may have a duty cycle which is adjusted by a duty cycle adjustor of the memory. The duty cycle of the adjusted clock signal may be monitored by a multi-bit duty cycle monitor. The multi-bit duty cycle monitor may provide a multi-bit signal which indicates if the duty cycle of the adjusted clock signal is above or below a target duty cycle value (or if the duty cycle is outside tolerances around the target duty cycle). The multi-bit duty cycle monitor may provide the multi-bit signal while access operations of the memory are occurring.

Claims (14)

1. An apparatus comprising:

a memory configured to perform access operations with timing based on a clock signal;

a duty cycle adjustor configured to adjust a duty cycle of the clock signal based on a duty code stored in a register; and

a duty cycle monitor coupled to the duty cycle adjustor and configured to provide a multi-bit signal based on the duty cycle of the clock signal, wherein the multi-bit signal is different than the duty code, wherein the multi-bit signal is in a first state if the duty cycle is less than a lower threshold, a second state if the duty cycle is greater than an upper threshold, and a third state if the duty cycle is between the upper threshold and the lower threshold, wherein the duty code is adjusted based on the state of the multi-bit signal and wherein the duty code is adjusted while the access operations of the memory are being performed.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the duty cycle monitor comprises a first comparator with a positive offset and a second comparator with a negative offset, wherein the upper threshold is based on the positive offset and wherein the lower threshold is based on the negative offset.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the multi-bit signal comprises a first bit and a second bit, wherein the first state and the second state comprise the first bit and the second bit being a same value, and wherein the third state comprises the first bit and the second bit being different values.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the upper threshold is greater than a target duty cycle and the lower threshold is below the target duty cycle.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the upper threshold and the lower threshold are programmable values.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the duty cycle adjustor is configured to adjust the duty cycle of the clock signal by an amount that is responsive to the multi-bit signal.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the duty cycle adjustor and the duty cycle monitor are components of the memory.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the duty cycle monitor is configured to provide the multi-bit signal while the access operations are being performed.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a logic circuit configured to adjust the value of the duty code based on the state of the multi-bit signal.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the logic circuit is configured to increase the duty code responsive to the multi-bit signal in the first state, decrease the duty code responsive to the multi-bit signal in the second state, and not change the duty code responsive to the multi-bit signal in the third state.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the register is a mode register of the memory.

Assignments (5)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 15, 2019
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 051041/0317 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Oct 14, 2019
From: MORGAN STANLEY SENIOR FUNDING, INC., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 050724/0392 →
SUPPLEMENT NO. 12 TO PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 19, 2019
From: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
To: MORGAN STANLEY SENIOR FUNDING, INC., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 048948/0677 →
SUPPLEMENT NO. 3 TO PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 19, 2019
From: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 048951/0902 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 21, 2018
From: GANS, DEAN D.
To: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 047565/0401 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20200160902A1 · May 21, 2020
Cited By (2)
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