Abstract: A delay-locked loop includes a phase detection circuit, a charge pump circuit and a phase shift circuit. The phase detection circuit is coupled to receive a first signal and a second signal. The phase detection circuit generates a phase-error output signal indicative of whether the first signal is ahead of or behind the second signal in phase responsive to receiving the first and second signals. The charge pump circuit is coupled to receive a phase-error signal derived from the phase-error output signal. The charge pump circuit generates a plurality of control output signals. Each of the control output signals are based upon the phase-error signal and by at least one signal derived from one other of the control output signals. The phase shift circuit is coupled to receive a plurality of control input signals and a plurality of periodic input signals. The control input signals are derived from the control output signals. Each of the periodic input signals have a different phase.

Abstract: A decoder circuit for decoding phase-encoded digital data signals includes a timing circuit and a signal viewer circuit coupled to logic circuitry. The timing circuit uses an edge of a received phase-encoded digital data signal to indicate when to sample data from the received phase-encoded digital data signal in the signal viewer circuit. The logic circuitry determines the value encoded in the phase-encoded digital data signal based on the sampled data.

Abstract: An apparatus adjusts the duty cycle of a single-ended clock signal. The single-ended clock signal oscillates between first and second voltages. The apparatus includes an error indication circuit, a duty cycle error measurement circuit and a duty cycle adjuster. The error indication circuit includes a reference circuit and a comparison circuit. The reference circuit is coupled to a first node having the first voltage and a second node having the second voltage to generate a reference signal from the first and second voltages. The reference circuit includes at least one instance of a first electrical characteristic cell. The comparison circuit is coupled to receive a feedback clock signal and to generate a comparison signal therefrom. The comparison circuit includes at least one instance of the first electrical characteristic cell. The duty cycle error measurement circuit is coupled to receive the reference signal and the comparison signal.

Abstract: A transmitter/receiver chip includes circuitry for testing the bit error rate of the chip. A controlled amount of noise is introduced to the chip to vary a timing parameter of a transmit clock, resulting in an increase in a bit error rate of the chip. Artificially increasing the bit error rate of the chip reduces the amount of time required to test the chip to determine the acceptability of the chip and its actual bit error rate.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing equalization for a communication channel is provided. The invention uses edge transition samples, such as those obtained for phase detection in a phase locked loop (PLL) circuit, to determine the amount of equalization to be applied to signals received from a communication channel. By monitoring run lengths of consecutive identical bits received from the communication channel, the invention provides equalization for various frequency components present in the receive signal. One embodiment of the invention subtracts a weighted RC-filtered version of the receive signal from the unfiltered receive signal to provide an equalized receive signal. In this embodiment, a control circuit that monitors the received run lengths and edge transition information adjusts the resistance of the RC filter to adapt the equalization to the data being received and the potentially time varying conditions for the communication channel.

Abstract: An apparatus for suppressing the effect of noise from a first circuit on the performance of a second circuit wherein the first and second circuits are on a common substrate. Each of the first and second circuits include first and second supply rails. The apparatus includes a noise isolation circuit and a noise transference circuit. The noise isolation circuit is for coupling the first supply rails of the first and second circuits to prevent noise on the first supply rail of the first circuit from transferring to the first supply rail of the second circuit. The noise transference circuit is for coupling the second supply rails of the first and second circuits so that noise on the second supply rail of the first circuit is transferred to the second supply rail of the second circuit.

Abstract: A clock recovery circuit uses a pair of variable delay lines to recover clock from a non-return to zero (NRZ) data stream. If an incoming clock transition occurs in the NRZ data, it is passed through one delay line to the output. If no incoming transition occurs, the transition at the output of the first delay line is recycled back through the second delay line. The outputs of the first and second delay lines are combined so that a transition occurs at every possible transition instant, regardless of whether a transition is present in the incoming data at the corresponding time. This permits the benefits of a delay locked loop to be achieved when using NRZ data. Applications of the clock recovery circuits to gigabit data communications systems are describe.

Abstract: A frequency difference detector includes a pulse generator that receives an NRZ signal and a reference signal and provides data pulses having first edges based on edges of the NRZ signal and second edges based on edges of the reference signal, a pulse router that routes consecutive ones of the data pulses to different signal paths, a voltage generator that receives the data pulses from the signal paths and provides voltage signals with amplitudes based on pulse widths of the data pulses, and a comparison circuit that receives the voltage signals and provides error pulses with amplitudes based on voltage differences between the voltage signals. The amplitudes of the error pulses represent a frequency difference between the NRZ signal and the reference signal. Preferably, the data pulses have leading edges based on edges of the NRZ signal and the lagging edges based on leading edges of the reference signal immediately following the edges of the NRZ signal.

Abstract: A microprocessor includes an on-chip low phase noise CMOS LC capacitance oscillator. The LC oscillator is relatively insensitive to power supply fluctuations. In addition, the LC oscillator is operable over a range of frequencies sufficient to support both normal full power operation, and reduced power operation of the microprocessor. The LC oscillator minimizes clock jitter problems and so permits extension of the microprocessor operating frequency to even higher levels than heretofore were possible. An output signal from a phase-frequency detector is a frequency control signal on a frequency control input line of a level converter and filter circuit of the LC oscillator. The output signal from level converter and filter circuit is a filtered frequency control signal on a control voltage input line to a continuously modifiable gigahertz frequency voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) circuit.

Abstract: A clock recovery system that allows recovery of a clock signal from a high speed, potentially small amplitude data stream. The invention uses a normally avoided property of a non-linear oscillator in the clock recovery system in order to lock the oscillator in phase to an incoming signal. This property relates a characteristic of an oscillator that an oscillator amplifies noise near its inherent frequency; and if the noise is large enough, the oscillator squelches the inherent oscillator frequency signal and outputs a signal locked in frequency and phase to the noise. The clock recovery system comprises a processing circuit, an oscillator, and a control circuit. The processing circuit processes an input data stream to generate a current signal as a first control signal based on data transitions in the input data stream. The first control signal is a "noise signal" to the oscillator.

Abstract: A phase error cancellation apparatus captures data bits of a serialized data stream with reduced phase error by aligning a generated clock signal to the data stream. The phase error cancellation apparatus includes a data delay pipe, a clock generator, a clock delay pipe, and a data stream sampling element. The data delay pipe receives the data stream and delays the data bits by a first amount. The clock generator generates a clock signal that the clock delay pipe delays by a second amount. The data stream sampling element receives the delayed data bits and the delayed clock signal, and samples the delayed data bits using the delayed clock signal to recover the data bits from the data stream with reduced phase error.

Abstract: An on-chip resistance to an input current of an input signal includes a parallel transistor resistor and a control circuit for biasing the transistors of the parallel transistor resistor. The parallel transistor resistor includes first and second transistors of first and second types. Each transistor includes first and second current handling terminals and a control terminal. The control terminals are coupled to receive control signals from the control circuit. The first current handling terminals are coupled to provide an input node for receiving an input signal, and the second current handling terminals are coupled to provide an output signal. The control circuit is coupled to provide the first and second control signals for biasing the respective first and second transistors so that a first derivative of a resistance of the parallel transistor resistor in relation to an input-to-output voltage is zero at a selectable operation point.

Abstract: In a charge pump the noise due to switching transients on the input pulse lines is kept to extremely low levels by translating input up/down pulses into small signal differential pulses which swing a differential pair of transistors by a small amount. This is done with level converters. The differential pair is kept in a saturation region, so that a large swing is not needed from the level converters and channel creation/destruction noise is avoided in addition to the noise reduction due to smaller swings. To avoid inherent offsets which might require a nonzero delta time width difference in the input pulses to produce a zero delta current, identical differential structures are used at the inputs for the two input pulse signals.

Abstract: In a sample-and-hold circuit, an input is tracked at an output during a tracking period and the input is held during an holding period, the tracking period and holding period defined by a clock signal input to the sample-and-hold circuit, wherein the output is a differential output having a positive output node and a negative output node with the output signal represented by a voltage difference from the negative output node to the positive output node. During the tracking period, an equalizing transistor between the output nodes is turned on to bring the output to a common mode level for the output. During the holding period, the equalizing transistor is turned off and a regenerative circuit drives the output nodes apart, thus amplifying the input signal.

Abstract: A CMOS integrated circuit regulator for mixed mode integrated circuits reduces digital switching noise through use of a clamped dual source follower circuit and a charge reservoir bypass capacitor. Relatively constant current is provided to the CMOS logic during transitions to minimize switching noise.

Abstract: A driver includes first and second input terminals for receiving first and second input voltages, respectively, of a differential input signal, first and second switches coupled to the first and second input terminals, respectively, third and fourth switches coupled to the first and second input terminals, respectively, first, second, third and fourth current references coupled to the first, second, third and fourth switches, respectively, first second, third and fourth current mirrors coupled to the first, second, third and fourth current references, respectively, a first output terminal coupled to the first and third current mirrors, and a second output terminal coupled to the second and fourth current mirrors.

Abstract: An active inductor oscillator includes a tank circuit for generating a first differential signal, a common-mode inverting differential buffer for generating a second differential signal in response to the first differential signal, and an integrating circuit for generating a third differential signal in response to the second differential signal. The third differential signal is applied to the tank circuit, and lags the first differential signal. A differential transistor pair in the tank circuit provides active inductance in response to the third differential signal, and a cross-coupled transistor pair in the tank circuit provides negative resistance that amplifies the first differential signal in response to the first differential signal. Currents through the tank circuit, buffer, and integrating circuit are essentially identical to one another and move in unison with an externally applied reference current that controls the oscillation frequency.

Abstract: A clock recovery circuit employing a phase-locked loop design includes an N-to-1 multiplexer (MUX) coupled to a series of N latches which allows data to sampled at a frequency N times that of the clock. Incoming data is latched by each of the N latches, where each latch is clocked at a different phase of the clock signal such that the phase of the clock provided to the nth latch is shifted nT/N, where T is the period of the clock and n is an integer from 1 to N. The output terminals of the series of N latches are coupled to associated ones of input terminals of the N-to-1 MUX. The selection of MUX input terminals is controlled by the clock signal such that the incoming data signal is reconstructed at the output terminal of the MUX. In this manner, the incoming data signal is effectively sampled at N times the clock speed.

Abstract: A cascoded cmos differential delay element is described. The delay element provides a controlled delay useful in forming voltage controlled oscillators or other circuits. The delay element provides high gain enabling it to be useful in multistage delay element circuits. The circuit described includes cascoded complementary differential amplifiers and replicated bias clamps.

Abstract: A serial data to parallel data converter is disclosed which has the advantage of accurately converting high frequency serial data to parallel data while using clock signals operating at a relatively low frequency. A low bit error rate is achieved by avoiding the use of multiple high speed clock lines typically found in other converters. The simplified circuit design also has the advantage of requiring minimal semiconductor layout area and reduced power requirements. One embodiment includes a buffer, a first data delay line, coupled to receive serial data from the buffer, and a phase lock loop (PLL), coupled to receive serial data from the buffer. A second data delay line is configured as a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) within the PLL. The PLL locks onto the incoming serial data signal and provides a control signal back to the first data delay line to ensure it is storing serial data bits as they arrive.