IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,756,598
Granted Patent B2
US 11,756,598 · App. 17/472,411 · Granted Sep 12, 2023

Electronic device for performing data alignment operation

Inventors: Gang Sik Lee (Icheon-si, KR); Joo Hyung Chae (Icheon-si, KR)
Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
G11C7/222G11C7/062G11C7/14H03L7/0814H03L7/091H03L7/0992
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,756,598
App. No.
17/472,411
Granted
Sep 12, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

An electronic device includes a dock dividing circuit configured to generate sampling clocks, alignment clocks and output clocks by dividing a frequency of a write clock; and a data alignment circuit configured to, in a first operation mode, receive input data having any one level among a first level to a fourth level and generate alignment data by aligning the input data in synchronization with the sampling clocks, the alignment clocks and the output clocks, and to, in a second operation mode, receive the input data having any one level of the first level and the fourth level and generate the alignment data by aligning the input data in synchronization with the sampling clocks, the alignment clocks and the output clocks.

Claims (55)

1. An electronic device comprising:

a comparison circuit configured to generate first to third comparison signals by receiving input data having any one level among a first level to a fourth level in a first operation mode, and generate the second comparison signal by receiving the input data having any one level of the first level and the fourth level in a second operation mode;

a sampling circuit configured to generate first to third sampling data from the first to third comparison signals in synchronization with a sampling clock in the first operation mode, and generate the second sampling data from the second comparison signal in the second operation mode; and

an alignment circuit configured to align the first to third sampling data in synchronization with an alignment clock and an output clock and generate alignment data on the basis of the aligned first to third sampling data, or align the second sampling data in synchronization with the alignment clock and the output clock and generate the alignment data on the basis of the aligned second sampling data.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a control circuit configured to generate a selection signal for selecting the first operation mode or the second operation mode when a mode register set signal or a test mode signal is input.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein a pulse included in the input data is input from an external device while including 2-bit information in the first operation mode, and a pulse included in the input data is input from the external device while including 1-bit information in the second operation mode.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein

the comparison circuit generates the first to third comparison signals by comparing the input data and first to third reference voltages in the first operation mode, and

the comparison circuit generates the second comparison signal by comparing the input data and the second reference voltage in the second operation mode.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein

in the first and second operation modes, the sampling clock is generated to have a frequency ½ times a frequency of a write clock,

in the first operation mode, the alignment clock is generated to have a frequency ½ times the frequency of the write clock, and the output clock is generated to have a frequency ¼ times the frequency of the write clock, and

in the second operation mode, the alignment clock is generated to have a frequency ¼ times the frequency of the write clock, and the output clock is generated to have a frequency ⅛ times the frequency of the write clock.

6. The electronic device according to claim 4 , wherein the comparison circuit comprises:

a first comparator configured to operate when the selection signal is enabled, and generate the first comparison signal by comparing the first reference voltage and the input data;

a second comparator configured to generate the second comparison signal by comparing the second reference voltage and the input data; and

a third comparator configured to operate when the selection signal is enabled, and generate the third comparison signal by comparing the third reference voltage and the input data.

7. The electronic device according to claim 4 , wherein

the first reference voltage is a voltage which has a level between the fourth level of the input data and the third level of the input data,

the second reference voltage is a voltage which has a level between the third level of the input data and the second level of the input data, and

the third reference voltage is a voltage which has a level between the second level of the input data and the first level of the input data.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the alignment circuit comprises:

an encoder configured to generate encoding data by encoding the first to third sampling data in the first operation mode based on the selection signal;

a first alignment circuit configured to generate pre-alignment data by aligning the encoding data in synchronization with the alignment clock in the first operation mode based on the selection signal, and generate the pre-alignment data by aligning the second sampling data in synchronization with the alignment clock in the second operation mode based on the selection signal; and

a second alignment circuit configured to generate the alignment data by aligning the pre-alignment data in synchronization with the output clock.

9. An electronic device comprising:

a clock dividing circuit configured to generate first to fourth sampling clocks, first to fourth alignment clocks and first and second output clocks by dividing a frequency of a write clock; and

a data alignment circuit configured to, in a first operation mode, receive input data having any one level among a first level to a fourth level and generate alignment data by aligning the input data in synchronization with the first to fourth sampling clocks, the first to fourth alignment clocks and the first and second output clocks, and to, in a second operation mode, receive the input data having any one level of the first level and the fourth level and generate the alignment data by aligning the input data in synchronization with the first to fourth sampling clocks, the first to fourth alignment clocks and the first and second output clocks.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9 , further comprising:

a control circuit configured to generate a selection signal for selecting the first operation mode or the second operation mode when a mode register set signal or a test mode signal is input.

11. The electronic device according to claim 9 , wherein a pulse of the input data is input from an external device while including 2-bit information in the first operation mode, and a pulse of the input data is input from the external device while including 1-bit information in the second operation mode.

12. The electronic device according to claim 9 , wherein the input data is a signal input in series to include a plurality of bits which are sequentially input, and the alignment data is a signal generated in parallel to include a plurality of bits which are simultaneously generated.

13. The electronic device according to claim 9 , wherein the first to fourth sampling clocks are signals which have a phase difference of ninety degrees (90°), the first to fourth alignment clocks are signals which have a phase difference of 90°, and the first and second output clocks are signals which have a phase difference of one hundred and eighty degrees (180°).

14. The electronic device according to claim 9 , wherein the clock dividing circuit comprises:

a first divider configured to generate first to fourth internal clocks by dividing by 2, the frequency of the write clock;

a second divider configured to generate first to fourth divided clocks by dividing by 2, frequencies of the first to fourth internal clocks;

a third divider configured to generate first and second pre-output clocks by dividing by 2, a frequency of the third divided clock; and

a clock selection circuit configured to generate the first to fourth sampling clocks from the first to fourth internal clocks, and generate the first to fourth alignment clocks and the first and second output clocks from the first to fourth internal clocks, the first to fourth divided clocks and the first and second pre-output clocks depending on a logic level of the selection signal.

15. The electronic device according to claim 9 , wherein the data alignment circuit comprises:

a comparison circuit configured to generate first to third comparison signals by receiving the input data having any one level among the first level to the fourth level in the first operation mode, and generate the second comparison signal by receiving the input data having any one level of the first level and the fourth level in the second operation mode;

a sampling circuit configured to generate first to third sampling data from the first to third comparison signals in synchronization with a sampling clock in the first operation mode, and generate the second sampling data from the second comparison signal in the second operation mode; and

an alignment circuit configured to align the first to third sampling data in synchronization with the first to fourth alignment clocks and the first and second output clocks and generate the alignment data on the basis of the aligned first to third sampling data, or align the second sampling data in synchronization with the first to fourth alignment clocks and the first and second output clocks and generate the alignment data on the basis of the aligned second sampling data.

16. The electronic device according to claim 15 , wherein the comparison circuit generates the first to third comparison signals by comparing the input data and first to third reference voltages in the first operation mode, and

the comparison circuit generates the second comparison signal by comparing the input data and the second reference voltage in the second operation mode.

17. The electronic device according to claim 16 , wherein the comparison circuit comprises:

a first comparator configured to operate when the selection signal is enabled, and generate the first comparison signal by comparing the first reference voltage and the input data;

a second comparator configured to generate the second comparison signal by comparing the second reference voltage and the input data; and

a third comparator configured to operate when the selection signal is enabled, and generate the third comparison signal by comparing the third reference voltage and the input data.

18. The electronic device according to claim 17 , wherein the selection signal is a signal which is enabled to perform the first operation mode.

19. The electronic device according to claim 17 , wherein the first comparator generates the first comparison signal which is enabled when the input data has the fourth level, the second comparator generates the second comparison signal which is enabled when the input data has a level equal to or higher than the third level, and the third comparator generates the third comparison signal which is enabled when the input data has a level equal to or higher than the second level.

20. The electronic device according to claim 15 , wherein the alignment circuit comprises:

an encoder configured to generate encoding data by encoding the first to third sampling data in the first operation mode based on the selection signal;

a first alignment circuit configured to generate pre-alignment data by aligning the encoding data in synchronization with the first to fourth alignment clocks in the first operation mode based on the selection signal, and generate the pre-alignment data by aligning the second sampling data in synchronization with the first to fourth alignment clocks in the second operation mode based on the selection signal; and

a second alignment circuit configured to generate the alignment data by aligning the pre-alignment data in synchronization with the first and second output clocks.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 10, 2021
From: LEE, GANG SIK; CHAE, JOO HYUNG
To: SK HYNIX INC.
Reel/Frame 057452/0802 →
Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2021-0082613 · Jun 24, 2021 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220415374A1 · Dec 29, 2022