IP Library › Granted Patent US 7,501,870
Granted Patent B2
US 7,501,870 · App. 11/819,414 · Granted Mar 10, 2009

Duty cycle correction circuit and duty cycle correction method

Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,501,870
App. No.
11/819,414
Granted
Mar 10, 2009
Kind
B2
Abstract

A duty cycle correction circuit may include an error corrector adapted to correct duty cycles of first differential analog clock signals input to a pair of input terminals based on duty cycle correction signals input to a pair of control terminals and to output second differential analog clock signals having corrected duty cycles through a pair of output terminals, an analog to digital buffer adapted to convert the second differential analog clock signals to differential digital clock signals, a duty error detector adapted to detect duty cycles of the differential digital clock signals and to output a N bit digital signal, and a duty error correction signal generator adapted to output differential control current signals having current gains controlled based on the second differential analog clock signals and the N bit digital signal to the pair of control terminals as the duty cycle correction signals.

Claims (35)

1. A duty cycle correction circuit, comprising:

an error corrector adapted to correct duty cycles of first differential analog clock signals input to a pair of input terminals based on duty cycle correction signals input to a pair of control terminals and to output second differential analog clock signals having corrected duty cycles through a pair of output terminals;

an analog to digital buffer adapted to convert the second differential analog clock signals to differential digital clock signals;

a duty error detector adapted to detect duty cycles of the differential digital clock signals and to output a N bit digital signal; and

a duty error correction signal generator adapted to output differential control current signals having current gains controlled based on the second differential analog clock signals and the N bit digital signal to the pair of control terminals as the duty cycle correction signals.

2. The duty cycle correction circuit as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:

a first capacitor connected to one of the pair of input terminals and a ground terminal; and

a second capacitor connected to another one of the pair of input terminals and the ground terminal.

3. The duty cycle correction circuit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the duty error detector comprises:

a first delay circuit adapted to receive a first digital clock signal among the differential digital clock signals and to output a plurality of first delay digital clock signals each having a different phase;

a second delay circuit adapted to receive a second digital clock signal among the differential digital clock signals and to output a plurality of second delay digital clock signals each having a different phase; and

N unit cells,

wherein an i th unit cell, where i is more than 1 and less than or equal to N, among the N unit cells includes:

first to fourth transistors connected in series between a first terminal receiving a first voltage and a second terminal receiving a second voltage;

fifth to eighth transistors connected in series between the first terminal and the second terminal; and

a signal generator adapted to output a 1 bit digital signal, which forms the N bit digital signal, based on a signal at a first common node between the first transistor and the second transistor and a signal at a second common node between the fifth transistor and the sixth transistor,

wherein each gate of the first transistor and the fifth transistor receives a reset signal, a gate of the second transistor receives the first digital clock signal, a gate of the third transistor receives a corresponding delay digital clock signal among the plurality of first delay digital clock signals, a gate of the fourth transistor receives a first signal output from a (i−1) th unit cell, a gate of the sixth transistor receives the second digital clock signal, a gate of the seventh transistor receives a corresponding delay digital clock signal among the plurality of second delay digital clock signals, and a gate of the eighth transistor receives a second signal output from the (i−1) th unit cell.

4. The duty cycle correction circuit as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the signal generator comprises:

a first latch adapted to latch the signal of the first common node;

a second latch adapted to latch the signal of the second common node;

an exclusive OR circuit adapted to perform exclusive OR of an output signal of the first latch and an output signal of the second latch;

a transmission circuit adapted to transmit an output signal of the exclusive OR circuit in response to a transmission control signal; and

a third latch adapted to output the 1 bit digital signal by latching an output signal of the transmission circuit.

5. The duty cycle correction circuit as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the signal generator further comprises an inverter adapted to receive the 1 bit signal output from the third latch.

6. The duty cycle correction circuit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the duty error correction signal generator comprises:

a differential amplifier including N binary-weighted transistors and adapted to output the differential control current signals after amplifying a difference between the second differential analog clock signals,

wherein each 1 bit digital signal forming the N bit digital signal is input to each gate of the N transistors.

7. The duty cycle correction circuit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the duty error correction signal generator comprises:

a differential amplifier including N thermometer-coded transistors and adapted to output the differential control current signals after amplifying a difference between the second differential analog clock signals,

wherein each 1 bit digital signal forming the N bit digital signal is input to each gate of the N transistors.

8. A duty cycle correction method, comprising:

correcting duty cycles of first differential analog clock signals based on duty cycle correction signals and outputting second differential analog clock signals having corrected duty cycles;

converting the second differential analog clock signals to differential digital clock signals;

receiving the differential digital clock signals, detecting duty cycles of the received differential digital clock signals, and outputting a N bit digital signal based on a result of detection; and

outputting differential control current signals having current gains controlled based on the second differential analog clock signals and the N bit digital signal as the duty cycle correction signals.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 27, 2007
From: CHOI, HYUN SU; KIM, CHAN KYUNG
To: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 019530/0864 →
Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2006-0069573 · Jul 25, 2006 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20080024182A1 · Jan 31, 2008