Abstract: Integrated circuit devices include data inversion circuits therein that are configured to evaluate at least first and second ordered groups of input data in parallel with an ordered group of output data previously generated by the data inversion circuit. The data inversion circuit is further configured to generate inverted versions of the first and second ordered groups of input data as versions of the first and second ordered groups of data in parallel at outputs thereof whenever a number of bit differences between the first ordered group of input data and the ordered group of output data is greater than one-half a size of the first ordered group of input data and a number of bit differences between the second ordered group of input data and the version of the first ordered group of input data is greater than one-half a size of the second ordered group of input data, respectively.

Abstract: A system including a plurality of transmission lines, a transmitter outputting respective signals to each of the plurality of transmission lines, a receiver receiving each of the plurality of signals via respective transmission lines, the receiver including a connection path connected to a termination voltage, a plurality of termination circuits distributed along the connection path, each termination circuit receiving a unique termination voltage from the connection path, receiving a respective signal and outputting a terminated input signal, a reference voltage generator including multiple reference voltage generator units connected to a common voltage, each reference voltage generator unit uniquely receiving at least one unique termination voltage and outputting a reference voltage, and a plurality of data input buffers receiving respective signals and an appropriate reference voltage of the multiple reference voltages output from the reference voltage generator.

Abstract: A data bus inversion (DBI) circuit includes at least one DBI block configured to invert an input data signal based on the logic state of input data bits. The DBI block includes a comparison deciding unit configured to generate, in a first mode, a comparison signal based on the number of changed bits by comparing respective bit signals of the input data signal and a previous input data signal. The comparison deciding unit generates an inversion control signal which controls whether the input data will be inverted or not. In a second mode, the comparison deciding unit generates an inversion control signal based on the predominant logic state of the input data signal bits. A data converting unit is configured to invert the input data signal in response to the inversion control signal. Method embodiments are also disclosed.

Abstract: Provided are a circuit and method for sampling a valid command using a valid address window extended for a high-speed operation in a double pumped address scheme memory device. A method for extending the valid address window includes: inputting a valid command signal and a first address signal at the first cycle of a clock signal; inputting a second address signal at the second cycle of the clock signal; generating a decoded command signal and extended first and second internal address signals respectively in response to the command signal and the address signals; and latching and decoding the extended first and second internal address signals in response to the decoded command signal.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory device may include a semiconductor substrate, a first unit memory device on the substrate, and a second unit memory device on the substrate. The first unit memory device may be configured to receive first through Nth data bits and/or to provide first through Nth data bits to an external device in response to a command signal, an address signal, and a clock signal, and in response to a first chip selection signal. The second unit memory device may be configured to receive (N+1)th through 2Nth data bits and/or to provide (N+1)th through 2Nth data bits to an external device in response to the command signal, the address signal, and the clock signal, and in response to a second chip selection signal. Related methods are also discussed.

Abstract: An output data strobe signal generating method and a memory system that includes a plurality of semiconductor memory devices, and a memory controller for controlling the semiconductor memory devices, wherein the memory controller provides a command signal and a chip selecting signal to the semiconductor memory devices. One or more of the semiconductor memory devices may detect a read command and a dummy read command in response to the command signal and the chip selecting signal and generate one or more preamble signals based on a calculated preamble cycle number.

Abstract: An output circuit of a semiconductor memory device includes a first data path, a second data path and a third data path. The first data path transfers a sense output signal, and latches the sense output signal to output the sense output signal to a first node. The second data path transfers the sense output signal, and latches the sense output signal to output the sense output signal to the first node. The third data path latches a signal of the first node, and transfers the signal of the first node to generate output data. Accordingly, the semiconductor memory device including the output circuit can operate at a relatively higher frequency using a pseudo-pipeline structured circuit, which combines a wave pipeline structure with a full pipeline structure.

Abstract: A data transmission/reception system can lessen a skew between data and clock signal by substantially reducing a data reception error. The data transmission/reception system using a first clock signal and a second clock signal having a phase difference corresponding to a half of data bit period as compared with the first clock signal includes a skew information extracting unit and a timing control unit. The skew information extracting unit obtains and outputs skew edge information data necessary for a skew removal by sampling data transmitted in a training operating mode as one of the first and second clock signals in a receiving side. The timing control unit receives the skew edge information data through a transmitting side, and compares its phase with a phase of the transmitted data and controls a timing between transmission data and a transmission sampling clock signal applied to a transmission output unit according to the phase comparison result.

Abstract: A data training system and method thereof are provided. The example data training system may include a memory controller transmitting a given data pattern to a memory device, the memory controller first determining whether an error is present within the transmitted data pattern based on at least one error detection code, the at least one error detection code based on at least one of the given data pattern and the transmitted data pattern and second determining a data delay time for reducing an amount of skew based on whether the first determining step determines an error to be present within the transmitted data pattern.

Abstract: A circuit for eliminating a skew between data and a clock signal in an interface between a semiconductor memory device and a memory controller includes an edge information storage unit which stores edge information output from the semiconductor memory device, a pseudo data pattern generating unit which outputs pseudo data including a pattern similar to actually transmitted data, a phase detecting unit which receives the edge information from the edge information storage unit and the pseudo data from the pseudo data pattern generating unit to detect a phase difference between the data and the clock signal and generate a corresponding detection result, and a phase control unit which controls a phase of the clock signal according to the corresponding detection result from the phase detecting unit, so as to eliminate a per-data input/output pin skew in a data write and read operation of the semiconductor memory device.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array to store data; a data input portion to output data to the memory cell array in response to a write control signal; a data output portion to output data from the memory cell array in response to a read control signal; a data I/O gate to transmit data outputted from the data input portion to the memory cell array in response to the write control signal, and transmitting data outputted from the memory cell array to the data output portion in response to the read control signal; and a data I/O controller to generate the read control signal and the write control signal having a smaller minimum cycle time than a minimum cycle time of the read control signal. The semiconductor memory device has an improved operation performance compared to one having a low operation frequency within an operable frequency range.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory device includes a plurality of banks. A data path may be divided into a read data path and a write data path, therefore, parallel processing of write and read commands are possible. The semiconductor memory device may include an address bank buffer, address buffer, column predecoder and/or a decoder. The semiconductor memory device may begin execution of a write command in a bank in one clock cycle and begin execution of a read command in the following clock cycle, therefore, bus efficiency is increased and/or write-to-read turn around time is reduced.

Abstract: An output data strobe signal generating method and a memory system that includes a plurality of semiconductor memory devices, and a memory controller for controlling the semiconductor memory devices, wherein the memory controller provides a command signal and a chip selecting signal to the semiconductor memory devices. One or more of the semiconductor memory devices may detect a read command and a dummy read command in response to the command signal and the chip selecting signal and generate one or more preamble signals based on a calculated preamble cycle number.

Abstract: A synchronous semiconductor memory device includes an output control signal generator, which generates an output control signal corresponding to a signal obtained by delaying a read information signal in response to a delay internal clock signal obtained by dividing an internal clock signal by n, first and second sampling signals obtained by delaying the internal clock signal, a first output control clock signal obtained by dividing the internal clock signal by n, and a column address strobe (CAS) latency signal. The synchronous semiconductor memory device also includes a data output buffer, which outputs data by buffering internal data in response to the output control signal and the first output control clock signal.

Abstract: A latency signal generator and method thereof are provided. The example latency signal generator may include a sampling clock signal generator adjusting a plurality of initial sampling clock signals based on a received clock signal to generate a plurality of adjusted sampling clock signals, a latch enable signal supply unit adjusting a plurality of initial latch enable signals based on a given one of the plurality of initial sampling clock signals to generate a plurality of adjusted latch enable signals and a latch unit including a plurality of latency latches, each of the plurality of latency latches selectively latching a given internal read command based on one of the plurality of adjusted sampling clock signals and one of the plurality of adjusted latch enable signals.

Abstract: A circuit and method are provided for controlling the gate voltage of a transistor acting between local and global input/output lines of a memory device, the circuit including a local input/output line, a local from/to global input/output multiplexer in signal communication with the local input/output line, a global input/output line in signal communication with the local from/to global input/output multiplexer, and a local from/to global input/output controller having an input node and an output node, the input node disposed for receiving a signal indicative of an input or output operation, and the output node in signal communication with a gate of the local from/to global input/output multiplexer for providing a gate signal of a first or second level in the presence of the output operation, and a gate signal of a third level in the presence of the input operation.

Abstract: Circuits, methods and systems are provided to reduce skew between a first digital signal that is transmitted by a first driver circuit over a first signal line, and a second digital signal that is transmitted by a second driver circuit over a second signal line. Skew may be reduced by sourcing or sinking additional current to or from the first signal line in response to the first digital signal and the second digital signal transitioning to opposite logical values, and otherwise refraining from sourcing or sinking the additional current to or from the first signal line.

Abstract: A data bus inversion (DBI) circuit includes at least one DBI block configured to invert an input data signal based on the logic state of input data bits. The DBI block includes a comparison deciding unit configured to generate, in a first mode, a comparison signal based on the number of changed bits by comparing respective bit signals of the input data signal and a previous input data signal. The comparison deciding unit generates an inversion control signal which controls whether the input data will be inverted or not. In a second mode, the comparison deciding unit generates an inversion control signal based on the predominant logic state of the input data signal bits. A data converting unit is configured to invert the input data signal in response to the inversion control signal. Method embodiments are also disclosed.

Abstract: A semiconductor device, a parallel interface system and methods thereof are provided.

Abstract: Semiconductor devices, a system including said semiconductor devices and methods thereof are provided. An example semiconductor device may receive data scheduled for transmission, scramble an order of bits within the received data, the scrambled order arranged in accordance with a given pseudo-random sequence. The received data may be balanced such that a difference between a first number of the bits within the received data equal to a first logic level and a second number of bits within the received data equal to a second logic level is below a threshold. The balanced and scrambled received data may then be transmitted. The example semiconductor device may perform the scrambling and balancing operations in any order. Likewise, on a receiving end, another semiconductor device may decode the original data by unscrambling and unbalancing the transmitted data. The unscrambling and unbalancing operations may be performed in an order based upon the order in which the transmitted data is scrambled and balanced.