IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,184,751
Granted Patent B2
US 12,184,751 · App. 17/341,150 · Granted Dec 31, 2024

Wide-range inductor-based delay-cell and area efficient termination switch control

Inventors: Sandipan Kundu (Hillsboro, OR); Ajay Balankutty (Hillsboro, OR); Bong Chan Kim (Hillsboro, OR); Yutao Liu (Hillsboro, OR); Jihwan Kim (Portland, OR); Kai Yu (Portland, OR); Gurmukh Singh (Gilbert, AZ); Stephen Kim (Beaverton, OR); Richard Packard (Livermore, CO); Frank O'Mahony (Portland, OR)
Assignee: Intel Corporation
H04L7/0331H03K5/135H03L7/087H04L7/0025
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,184,751
App. No.
17/341,150
Granted
Dec 31, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

A quadrature clock generator that takes advantage of the inherently low delay of a shunt-series inductively peaked clock buffer to generate quadrature clocks with the high jitter performance using just one additional stage in Q path compared to I path. The generator includes a delay cell that uses shunt-series peaking and uses a resistive DAC in series with the shunt inductor to provide a large delay range with good jitter characteristics. The resistive DAC can be placed near a real or a virtual ground to minimize capacitive loading on the signal path. This delay cell can provide greater than 2× delay tuning range and is suitable for clocks at high frequencies. This delay cell can also be used as a ring oscillator with large frequency tuning range. A low voltage differential signaling termination switch control that uses feed forward mechanism to control termination impedance of device in a receiver.

Claims (52)

1. A quadrature generator apparatus comprising:

a first driver to receive a first input and having a first output;

a second driver to receive a second input and having a second output, wherein the first input is complementary of the second input;

a first shunt-series set of inductors coupled to the first output; and

a second shunt-series set of inductors coupled to the second output, wherein the first shunt-series set of inductors is coupled to the second shunt-series set of inductors via a resistor based digital-to-analog converter (R-DAC).

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising a memory element coupled to the first output and the second output.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the memory element comprises cross-coupled inverters.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the cross-coupled inverters are about eight times smaller than the first driver or the second driver.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the R-DAC is operable to adjust jitter and delay of the apparatus.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the R-DAC is controlled by a digital code that results in a smallest resistance of the R-DAC causes the apparatus to provide shortest propagation delay and lowest jitter.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the R-DAC is controlled by a digital code that results in a highest resistance of the R-DAC causes the apparatus to provide longest propagation delay and highest jitter.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first driver comprises a first inverter, and wherein the second driver comprises a second inverter.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first and second drivers are power gated.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first shunt-series set of inductors includes:

a first inductor coupled in series between the first output and a third output; and

a second inductor coupled with the first output and a node that provides a common mode voltage.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the second shunt-series set of inductors comprises:

a third inductor coupled in series between the second output and a fourth output; and

a fourth inductor coupled with the second output and the node.

12. A quadrature generator apparatus comprising:

a I-path to generate an I-clock;

a Q-path to generate Q-clock, wherein the Q-clock is substantially 90 phase-shifted relative to the I-clock; and

a node coupled to the I-path and the Q-path, wherein the node is to receive an input clock;

wherein the I-path comprises:

an inverter;

a first switch capacitor with adjustable capacitance, the first switch coupled to an output of the inverter;

a resistor based digital-to-analog converter (R-DAC);

a second switch capacitor with adjustable capacitance; and

a shunt-series set of inductors comprising a shunt inductor coupled to the R-DAC, and a series inductor coupled to the first switch capacitor and the second switch capacitor.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the node is coupled to an input of the inverter of the I-path.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the Q-path comprises:

a first inverter;

a first switch capacitor with adjustable capacitance, the first switch coupled to an output of the first inverter;

a second inverter;

a second switch capacitor coupled to an output of the second inverter;

a R-DAC;

a third switch capacitor with adjustable capacitance; and

a shunt-series set of inductors comprising a shunt inductor coupled to the R-DAC, and a series inductor coupled to the second switch capacitor and the third switch capacitor.

15. A computing system with a quadrature generator, comprising:

a processor;

a wireless interface to allow the processor to communicate with another device; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the processor includes a serial-deserializer transmitter which includes a clock buffer which comprises:

a first driver to receive a first input and having a first output;

a second driver to receive a second input and having a second output, wherein the first input is complementary of the second input;

a first shunt-series set of inductors coupled to the first output; and

a second shunt-series set of inductors coupled to the second output, wherein the first shunt-series set of inductors is coupled to the second shunt-series set of inductors via a resistor based digital-to-analog converter (R-DAC).

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the clock buffer includes a memory element coupled to the first output and the second output.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the memory element comprises cross-coupled inverters.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the cross-coupled inverters are about eight times smaller than the first driver or the second driver.

19. The system of claim 15 , wherein the R-DAC is operable to adjust jitter and delay of the clock buffer.

20. The system of claim 15 , wherein the R-DAC is controlled by a digital code that results in a smallest resistance of the R-DAC causes the clock buffer to provide shortest propagation delay and lowest jitter.

21. The system of claim 15 , wherein the R-DAC is controlled by a digital code that results in a highest resistance of the R-DAC causes the clock buffer to provide longest propagation delay and highest jitter.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 30, 2021
From: KUNDU, SANDIPAN; BALANKUTTY, AJAY; KIM, BONG CHAN; LIU, YUTAO; KIM, JIHWAN; YU, KAI; SINGH, GURMUKH; KIM, STEPHEN; PACKARD, RICHARD; O'MAHONY, FRANK
To: INTEL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 057035/0032 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63127956 · Dec 18, 2020
Related Publication 20220200781A1 · Jun 23, 2022
Cited By (1)
US 12,615,053