Voltage mode driver using pre-emphasis and de-emphasis signals

1. A driver, comprising,

an input block for receiving one or more data signals and one or more control signals;

a data control block for processing said data signals and said control signals to determine one or more modified control signals, wherein said modified control signal is determined as a function of one or more de-emphasis signals, one or more pre-emphasis signals, and the control signals, wherein said data control block comprises a first set of multiplexers, a second set of multiplexers, a pull-up circuit, and a pull-down circuit, wherein inputs of the first set of multiplexers are selected for output as a function of the data signals and the control signals, wherein outputs of the first set of multiplexers are inputted to the pull-up circuit, wherein inputs of the second set of multiplexers are selected for output as a function of the data signals and the control signals, and wherein outputs of the second set of multiplexers are inputted to the pull-down circuit; and

a driver block for receiving said modified control signals and generating one or more output data signals.

2. The voltage mode driver of claim 1 wherein said pull-up circuit receives the one or more de-emphasis signals, the one or more pre-emphasis signals, the data signals, and the control signals.

3. The voltage mode driver of claim 2 wherein said pull-up circuit is a NAND gate.

4. The voltage mode driver of claim 1 wherein said pull-down circuit receives the one or more de-emphasis signals, the one or more pre-emphasis signals, the data signals and the control signals.

5. The voltage mode driver of claim 4 wherein said pull-down circuit is a NOR gate.

6. The voltage mode driver of claim 1 wherein the driver block comprises a plurality of unit cell drivers and wherein each of said unit cell drivers are selectively enabled and disabled as a function of the de-emphasis signals, the pre-emphasis signals, and the control signals.

7. The voltage mode driver of claim 6 wherein each of the unit cell drivers has an emphasis block.

8. The voltage mode driver of claim 7 wherein the driver block can operate in a process-voltage-temperature (“PVT”) tuning mode where selected ones of the unit cell drivers are enabled and the emphasis blocks are disabled, or in an emphasis mode where the unit cell drivers are disabled and the emphasis blocks are enabled.

9. The voltage mode driver of claim 6 wherein the unit cell drivers are partitioned into binary weighted groups and wherein one or more certain ones of the groups are enabled and other ones of the groups are disabled as a function of the de-emphasis signals, the pre-emphasis signals, and the control signals.

10. The voltage mode driver of claim 6 wherein each of the unit cell drivers comprise,

a first pair of interconnected NMOS transistors;

a first pair of interconnected PMOS transistors;

a second pair of interconnected NMOS transistors;

a second pair of interconnected PMOS transistors; and

four resistors,

wherein the first pair of NMOS transistors and a first end of a first resistor are connected,

wherein the first pair of PMOS transistors and a first end of a second resistor are connected,

wherein the second end of the first resistor and the second end of the second resistor are connected to provide a first output,

wherein the second pair of NMOS transistors and a first end of a third resistor are connected,

wherein the second pair of PMOS transistors and a first end of a fourth resistor are connected,

wherein the first pair of NMOS transistors, the first pair of PMOS transistors, the second pair of NMOS transistors and the second pair of PMOS transistors are connected, and

wherein a second end of the third resistor and a second end of the fourth resistor are connected to provide a second output,

wherein the first outputs of the unit cell drivers are connected in parallel to drive a positive output of the voltage mode driver, and

wherein the second outputs of the unit cell drivers are connected in parallel to drive a negative output of the voltage mode driver.

11. The voltage mode driver of claim 6 wherein each of the unit cell drivers comprise,

a first branch having a first NMOS transistor, two resistors and a first PMOS transistor connected in series;

a second branch having a second NMOS transistor, two resistors and a second PMOS transistor connected in series; and

a third branch having two resistors, a first complimentary pair of NMOS and PMOS transistors, and a second complimentary pair of NMOS and PMOS transistors connected in series,

wherein a first end of the third branch is connected to the first branch to generate a first output, and

wherein a second end of the third branch is connected to the second branch to generate a second output.

12. The voltage mode driver of claim 6 wherein each of the unit cell drivers comprises one or more band gap regulators for generating an output.

13. The voltage mode driver of claim 1 further comprising a compensation block, wherein a first driver is adjacent to a second driver and wherein the first driver and the second driver are coupled to each other, and wherein upon switching the one or more outputs of the first driver, the compensation block adjusts one or more outputs of the second driver to compensate for a glitch caused by the first driver.

14. The voltage mode driver of claim 1 wherein the first set of multiplexers comprises a first multiplexer controlled by a data signal, a second multiplexer controlled by a drive signal, a third multiplexer controlled by a pre-emphasis signal, and a fourth multiplexer controlled by a de-emphasis signal.

15. The voltage mode driver of claim 1 wherein the second set of multiplexers comprises a fifth multiplexer controlled by a data signal, a sixth multiplexer controlled by a drive signal, a seventh multiplexer controlled by a pre-emphasis signal, and an eighth multiplexer controlled by a de-emphasis signal.

16. A driver, comprising,

an input block for receiving one or more data signals and one or more control signals;

a data control block for processing said data signals and said control signals to determine one or more modified control signals, wherein said modified control signal is determined as a function of one or more de-emphasis signals, one or more pre-emphasis signals, and the control signals, wherein said data control block comprises a first set of multiplexers, a second set of multiplexers, a pull-up circuit, and a pull-down circuit, wherein inputs of the first set of multiplexers are selected for output as a function of the data signals and the control signals, wherein outputs of the first set of multiplexers are inputted to the pull-up circuit, wherein inputs of the second set of multiplexers are selected for output as a function of the data signals and the control signals, wherein outputs of the second set of multiplexers are inputted to the pull-down circuit, wherein the first set of multiplexers comprises a first multiplexer controlled by a data signal, a second multiplexer controlled by a drive signal, a third multiplexer controlled by a pre-emphasis signal, and a fourth multiplexer controlled by a de-emphasis signal, and wherein the second set of multiplexers comprises a fifth multiplexer controlled by a data signal, a sixth multiplexer controlled by a drive signal, a seventh multiplexer controlled by a pre-emphasis signal, and an eighth multiplexer controlled by a de-emphasis signal; and

a driver block for receiving said modified control signals and generating one or more output data signals,

wherein said pull-up circuit receives the one or more de-emphasis signals, the one or more pre-emphasis signals, the data signals, and the control signals,

wherein said pull-up circuit is a NAND gate,

wherein said pull-down circuit receives the one or more de-emphasis signals, the one or more pre-emphasis signals, the data signals and the control signals,

wherein said pull-down circuit is a NOR gate,

wherein the driver block comprises a plurality of unit cell drivers,

wherein each of said unit cell drivers are selectively enabled and disabled as a function of the de-emphasis signals, the pre-emphasis signals, and the control signals,

wherein each of the unit cell drivers has an emphasis block,

wherein the driver block can operate in a process-voltage-temperature (“PVT”) tuning mode where selected ones of the unit cell drivers are enabled and the emphasis blocks are disabled, or in an emphasis mode where the unit cell drivers are disabled and the emphasis blocks are enabled,

wherein the unit cell drivers are partitioned into binary weighted groups, and

wherein one or more certain ones of the groups are enabled and other ones of the groups are disabled as a function of the de-emphasis signals, the pre-emphasis signals, and the control signals.

17. The voltage mode driver of claim 16 further comprising a compensation block, wherein a first driver is adjacent to a second driver and wherein the first driver and the second driver are coupled to each other, and wherein upon switching the one or more outputs of the first driver, the compensation block adjusts one or more outputs of the second driver to compensate for a glitch caused by the first driver.

18. The voltage mode driver of claim 16 wherein each of the unit cell drivers comprise,

a first pair of interconnected NMOS transistors;

a first pair of interconnected PMOS transistors;

a second pair of interconnected NMOS transistors;

a second pair of interconnected PMOS transistors; and

four resistors,

wherein the first pair of NMOS transistors and a first end of a first resistor are connected,

wherein the first pair of PMOS transistors and a first end of a second resistor are connected,

wherein the second end of the first resistor and the second end of the second resistor are connected to provide a first output,

wherein the second pair of NMOS transistors and a first end of a third resistor are connected,

wherein the second pair of PMOS transistors and a first end of a fourth resistor are connected,

wherein the first pair of NMOS transistors, the first pair of PMOS transistors, the second pair of NMOS transistors and the second pair of PMOS transistors are connected,

wherein a second end of the third resistor and a second end of the fourth resistor are connected to provide a second output,

wherein the first outputs of the unit cell drivers are connected in parallel to drive a positive output of the voltage mode driver, and

wherein the second outputs of the unit cell drivers are connected in parallel to drive a negative output of the voltage mode driver.

19. The voltage mode driver of claim 16 wherein each of the unit cell drivers comprise,

a first branch having a first NMOS transistor, two resistors and a first PMOS transistor connected in series;

a second branch having a second NMOS transistor, two resistors and a second PMOS transistor connected in series; and

a third branch having two resistors, a first complimentary pair of NMOS and PMOS transistors, and a second complimentary pair of NMOS and PMOS transistors connected in series,

wherein a first end of the third branch is connected to the first branch to generate a first output, and

wherein a second end of the third branch is connected to the second branch to generate a second output.

20. The voltage mode driver of claim 16 wherein each of the unit cell drivers comprises one or more band gap regulators for generating an output.