Abstract: Systems and methods for improving the power, performance, and area (PPA) for a voltage mode driver and on die termination (ODT). A voltage mode driver having first and second circuits in a pulldown design. The first circuit has a plurality of nMOS devices in parallel, the plurality of nMOS devices being common to a first resistor. The second circuit is in parallel with the first circuit and has an nMOS device in series with a second resistor. The second circuit is configured to be enabled when the pulldown impedance of the first circuit, with the second circuit disabled and all of the nMOS devices of the first circuit turned on, is greater than a desired pulldown impedance. The voltage mode driver may also be a pullup design, or have both pulldown and pullup stages.

Abstract: Improved voltage level shifters are disclosed capable of achieving substantially higher data transfer speeds with reduced static current than existing cross-coupled voltage level shifters. The voltage level shifters disclosed herein include first stage that translates input voltage signals received from a core circuitry in a first voltage domain to intermediate output voltage signals an intermediate voltage domain, and second stage circuitry that translates the intermediate output voltage signals received from the first stage circuitry in the intermediate voltage domain to output voltage signals in a second voltage domain. The disclosed voltage level shifters are scalable to support various logic voltage levels in the second voltage domain.

Abstract: Improved voltage level shifters are disclosed capable of achieving substantially higher data transfer speeds with reduced static current than existing cross-coupled voltage level shifters. The voltage level shifters disclosed herein include first stage that translates input voltage signals received from a core circuitry in a first voltage domain to intermediate output voltage signals an intermediate voltage domain, and second stage circuitry that translates the intermediate output voltage signals received from the first stage circuitry in the intermediate voltage domain to output voltage signals in a second voltage domain. The disclosed voltage level shifters are scalable to support various logic voltage levels in the second voltage domain.

Abstract: An interface circuit that can operate in toggle mode at data high transfer rates while reducing the self-induced noise is presented. The high speed toggle mode interface supplies a data signal to a data line or other transfer line by a driver circuit. The driver circuit includes a pair of series connected transistors connected between a high supply level and a low supply level, where the data line is supplied from a node between the two transistors. A resistor is connected between one or both of the transistors and one of the supply levels, with a capacitor connected between the low supply level and a node between the resistor and the transistor. The resistor helps to isolate the transistor from the supply level while the capacitor can act as current reservoir to boost the current to the transistor during data transition, reducing the noise seen by the voltage supply.

Abstract: Systems and methods disclosed herein provide for an improved glitch-free clock multiplexer exhibiting noise insensitivity with reduced power consumption and reduced physical area on a chip. The embodiments disclosed herein operate without any need of a reference clock. Due to which, clock interchangeability is possible at any point of time. An example glitch-free clock multiplexing according to the embodiments disclosed herein utilize a plurality of clock path circuits, each corresponding to a clock. The clock path circuits are activated responsive to a system startup signal. Based on a clock selection, the embodiments herein deactivate clock path circuits for unselected clocks and, dependent on the deactivation of the unselected clock path circuits, activate clock path circuits of any selected clocks.

Abstract: Systems and methods disclosed herein provide for an improved glitch-free clock multiplexer exhibiting noise insensitivity with reduced power consumption and reduced physical area on a chip. The embodiments disclosed herein operate without any need of a reference clock. Due to which, clock interchangeability is possible at any point of time. An example glitch-free clock multiplexing according to the embodiments disclosed herein utilize a plurality of clock path circuits, each corresponding to a clock. The clock path circuits are activated responsive to a system startup signal. Based on a clock selection, the embodiments herein deactivate clock path circuits for unselected clocks and, dependent on the deactivation of the unselected clock path circuits, activate clock path circuits of any selected clocks.

Abstract: An improved cross-coupled voltage level shifter is disclosed that is capable of achieving substantially higher data transfer speeds with reduced transistor sizes than existing cross-coupled voltage level shifters. The voltage level shifter includes a cross-coupled latch, control circuitry that initiates a state transition of the latch responsive to activation, where the control circuitry is activated by a change in a logic voltage level of an input signal to the voltage level shifter, and feedback circuitry that reinforces the latch action of the cross-coupled latch. The control circuitry may include pull-down transistors that are thin-gate devices, and thus, substantially smaller in area than what would otherwise be needed to meet the large current requirement of the pull-down transistors as compared to latch transistors of the latch.

Abstract: Snapback ESD protection circuits that include an Input/Output pad, a ground source, a first and a second NMOS transistor, and trigger circuit, pad bias circuit, and gate bias circuit. The first transistor drain connects to the pad. The second transistor drain connects to the first transistor source. The second transistor source connects to ground. The trigger circuit connects to the pad and a reference voltage to detect an ESD event at the pad. The pad bias circuit connects to the pad, the trigger circuit, ground, and the reference voltage to manage a voltage level for the reference voltage. The gate bias circuit connects to the reference voltage, a supply voltage, ground, and the gates of the first and second transistor to dynamically control the voltage of each gate of the first and a second NMOS transistor.

Abstract: The disclosure relates in some aspects to electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection for an electronic circuit. In some aspects, the ESD protection includes a buffer circuit that increases the slew rate of a signal that controls a discharge circuit. In some aspects, the ESD protection includes a voltage-dependent resistance circuit that adjusts a time constant of a resistive-capacitive filter based on a voltage on a supply node.

Abstract: A data storage system includes a storage medium including plurality of memory cells, a storage controller in communication with the storage medium, an electrical interface circuitry configured to pass data via a channel disposed between the storage medium and the storage controller; and voltage training circuitry configured to train a high-level output voltage (VOH) for each of a plurality of data lines of the channel. Training the VOH includes, for each of the plurality of data lines of the channel, calibrating a pull-up driver of the storage controller against an on-die termination circuit of the storage medium, calibrating a pull-down driver of the storage controller against the pull-up driver of the storage controller, and calibrating an on-die termination circuit of the storage controller against a pull-up driver of the storage medium.

Abstract: Snapback ESD protection circuits that include an Input/Output pad, a ground source, a first and a second NMOS transistor, and trigger circuit, pad bias circuit, and gate bias circuit. The first transistor drain connects to the pad. The second transistor drain connects to the first transistor source. The second transistor source connects to ground. The trigger circuit connects to the pad and a reference voltage to detect an ESD event at the pad. The pad bias circuit connects to the pad, the trigger circuit, ground, and the reference voltage to manage a voltage level for the reference voltage. The gate bias circuit connects to the reference voltage, a supply voltage, ground, and the gates of the first and second transistor to dynamically control the voltage of each gate of the first and a second NMOS transistor.

Abstract: Snapback ESD protection circuits that include an Input/Output pad, a ground source, a first and a second NMOS transistor, and trigger circuit, pad bias circuit, and gate bias circuit. The first transistor drain connects to the pad. The second transistor drain connects to the first transistor source. The second transistor source connects to ground. The trigger circuit connects to the pad and a reference voltage to detect an ESD event at the pad. The pad bias circuit connects to the pad, the trigger circuit, ground, and the reference voltage to manage a voltage level for the reference voltage. The gate bias circuit connects to the reference voltage, a supply voltage, ground, and the gates of the first and second transistor to dynamically control the voltage of each gate of the first and a second NMOS transistor.

Abstract: A data storage system includes a memory including a plurality of memory cells; and an interface coupled to the memory and a host. The interface includes a multi-level transmission encoder configured to receive an input data signal from the host and encode the input data signal as a multi-level data signal. The interface further includes a multi-stage driver network including a plurality of driver stages, wherein each driver stage of the plurality of driver stages is configured to apply an impedance or forego applying an impedance to the multi-level data signal based on a previous state and a current state of the multi-level data signal.

Abstract: An illustrative embodiment disclosed is a circuit including an edge-triggered flip-flop having a first input port, a first clock port, and a first output port. The edge-triggered flip-flop receives, at the first clock port, a strobe having a first edge and a second edge. The edge-triggered flip-flop receives, at the first input port, a control byte time-aligned with the first edge and a data byte time-aligned with the second edge. The edge-triggered flip-flop passes, to the first output port, the control byte based on the first edge and the data byte based on the second edge. The circuit includes an inputs/outputs (I/O) decoder coupled to the first output port. The I/O decoder sends the control byte to microcontroller and sends the data byte to memory cells.

Abstract: A circuit system may include a first stage circuit configured to generate two pairs of signals in response to an input signal. The circuit system may also include a second stage circuit that is configured to combine a first signal of a first pair with a first signal of a second pair to generate a first combined signal, and to combine a second signal of the first pair with a second signal of the second pair to generate a second combined signal. Transistors of the second stage circuit may be sized in relation to transition timings of the first and second pairs of signals such that skew and duty cycle distortion is minimized between the first and second combined signals.

Abstract: A circuit or associated system or method comprises a first driver including a first transistor bank and a first resistor connected in series between a first predetermined voltage and an output pad, the first transistor bank including a first driver transistor and a plurality of first calibration transistors, wherein the plurality of first calibration transistors are respectively controlled based on a combination of bits of a first calibration code and on an output of at least one first logic gate.

Abstract: The disclosure relates in some aspects to electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection for an electronic circuit. In some aspects, the ESD protection includes a buffer circuit that increases the slew rate of a signal that controls a discharge circuit. In some aspects, the ESD protection includes a voltage-dependent resistance circuit that adjusts a time constant of a resistive-capacitive filter based on a voltage on a supply node.

Abstract: An input signal is split onto a first data path and a second data path. Values of the input signal above a threshold voltage level are propagated on the second data path and not on the first data path. The propagation of the signal from the input signal terminal through the first data path or the second data path is selectively controlled using two reference bias voltages generated based on a level of the signal.

Abstract: A circuit or associated system or method comprises a first driver including a first transistor bank and a first resistor connected in series between a first predetermined voltage and an output pad, the first transistor bank including a first driver transistor and a plurality of first calibration transistors, wherein the plurality of first calibration transistors are respectively controlled based on a combination of bits of a first calibration code and on an output of at least one first logic gate.

Abstract: A clock-receiving system may receive a host clock signal on a communications bus from a clock-sending system. Circuitry of a critical path of the clock-receiving system may communicate the clock signal to a multiplexer configured directly behind output driver circuitry. Core logic circuitry and data path circuitry may communicate pairs of phase-shifted data signals to the multiplexer. The multiplexer may use the clock signal and the pairs of phase-shifted data signals to generate an output pair of data signals, and send the output pair of data signals to the output driver circuitry. In turn, the output driver circuitry may generate an output data signal for communication on the communications bus. The clock-receiving system may enable the critical path and use the multiplexer to generate the output data signal when in a low operating voltage mode.