Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method for receiving data from a second device in a first device, forwarding the data from an input/output (I/O) clock domain to a system clock domain of the first device, and providing the data to a functional unit of the first device at a deterministic time. In such manner, the two devices may operate in lockstep fashion. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: A dual port memory implemented using a single port memory core. In an embodiment, the access requests from the two ports are processed in a single memory clock cycle. In one implementation, the access request corresponding to the first port is processed in the high logic state of the memory clock cycle, and the access request corresponding to the second port is processed in the low logic state of the memory clock cycle. A single port memory core may provide multiple memory enable signals and corresponding strobe signals, with each combination of memory enable signal and strobe signal facilitating the memory access request from a corresponding port. An alternative embodiment uses the duration of each clock cycle of the memory clock signal more efficiently by starting the second memory access soon after completion of the first memory access (without waiting for the logic low of memory clock signal).

Abstract: A PLL lock generator using one circuit (lock detection block) to indicate whether an output clock signal is locked to an input reference signal, and another circuit to determine whether the signals are out-of-lock. A lock generation blocks examines several indications of lock detection before generating a lock signal. Short term fluctuations (such as jitter) in lock and out-of-lock indications may be ignored. An embodiment of lock detection block contains a first flip-flop latching an up signal and clocked by a down signal, and a second flip-flip latching the down signal and clocked by an up signal. The up and down signals may be generated by a phase frequency detector. An examination circuit examines the output of lock detection block to generate the lock indications.

Abstract: An actual sense amplifier senses a signal received on a bit line to generate a bit, and a latch latches the bit at a time point specified by a latch enable signal. A tracking circuit generates the latch enable signal in an appropriate time window. The tracking circuit may contain a dummy sense amplifier implemented similar to the actual sense amplifier and a dummy column from which the actual sense amplifier senses a signal received upon accessing the dummy memory array. The latch enable signal may be generated after the dummy sense amplifier generates a bit representing the sensed signal. The time taken by the dummy sense amplifier to generate the bit depends on the load offered by the dummy memory array. Accordingly, the dummy memory array is designed to offer sufficient load to ensure that the latch enable signal is generated in an appropriate time window.

Abstract: A sense amplifier which senses whether current is present on a bit line, and generates one logical value if current is present and another logical value if current is not present. As the sense amplifier can be implemented to generate such logical values with a current signal of low strength, memory arrays with correspondingly low drive strength can be implemented. As a result, memory systems which consume minimal power and having high density can be provided. In addition, as the sense amplifiers can operate without any reference signals, the implementation of sense amplifiers may be simplified.

Abstract: An actual sense amplifier senses a signal received on a bit line to generate a bit, and a latch latches the bit at a time point specified by a latch enable signal. A tracking circuit generates the latch enable signal in an appropriate time window. The tracking circuit may contain a dummy sense amplifier implemented similar to the actual sense amplifier and a dummy column from which the actual sense amplifier senses a signal received upon accessing the dummy memory array. The latch enable signal may be generated after the dummy sense amplifier generates a bit representing the sensed signal. The time taken by the dummy sense amplifier to generate the bit depends on the load offered by the dummy memory array. Accordingly, the dummy memory array is designed to offer sufficient load to ensure that the latch enable signal is generated in an appropriate time window.

Abstract: A sense amplifier which senses whether current is present on a bit line, and generates one logical value if current is present and another logical value if current is not present. As the sense amplifier can be implemented to generate such logical values with a current signal of low strength, memory arrays with correspondingly low drive strength can be implemented. As a result, memory systems which consume minimal power and having high density can be provided. In addition, as the sense amplifiers can operate without any reference signals, the implementation of sense amplifiers may be simplified.

Abstract: A PLL lock generator using one circuit (lock detection block) to indicate whether an output clock signal is locked to an input reference signal, and another circuit to determine whether the signals are out-of-lock. A lock generation blocks examines several indications of lock detection before generating a lock signal. Short term fluctuations (such as jitter) in lock and out-of-lock indications may be ignored. An embodiment of lock detection block contains a first flip-flop latching an up signal and clocked by a down signal, and a second flip-flip latching the down signal and clocked by an up signal. The up and down signals may be generated by a phase frequency detector. An examination circuit examines the output of lock detection block to generate the lock indications.