Abstract: A decoupling circuit includes an inverter. The inverter includes i (i is an integer of 1 or more) PMOS transistors each having a first gate electrode, and j (j is an integer of 0 or more) PMOS transistors each having a second gate electrode. The inverter includes m (m is an integer of 1 or more) NMOS transistors each having a third gate electrode, and n (n is an integer of 0 or more) NMOS transistors each having a fourth gate electrode. The first to fourth gate electrodes are coupled to an input end of the inverter. A total area of the first and second gate electrodes is different from a total area of the third and fourth gate electrodes.

Abstract: A decoupling circuit includes an inverter. The inverter includes i (i is an integer of 1 or more) PMOS transistors each having a first gate electrode, and j (j is an integer of 0 or more) PMOS transistors each having a second gate electrode. The inverter includes m (m is an integer of 1 or more) NMOS transistors each having a third gate electrode, and n (n is an integer of 0 or more) NMOS transistors each having a fourth gate electrode. The first to fourth gate electrodes are coupled to an input end of the inverter. A total area of the first and second gate electrodes is different from a total area of the third and fourth gate electrodes.

Abstract: A decoupling circuit includes an inverter. The inverter includes i (i is an integer of 1 or more) PMOS transistors each having a first gate electrode, and j (j is an integer of 0 or more) PMOS transistors each having a second gate electrode. The inverter includes m (m is an integer of 1 or more) NMOS transistors each having a third gate electrode, and n (n is an integer of 0 or more) NMOS transistors each having a fourth gate electrode. The first to fourth gate electrodes are coupled to an input end of the inverter. A total area of the first and second gate electrodes is different from a total area of the third and fourth gate electrodes.

Abstract: A decoupling circuit includes an inverter. The inverter includes i (i is an integer of 1 or more) PMOS transistors each having a first gate electrode, and j (j is an integer of 0 or more) PMOS transistors each having a second gate electrode. The inverter includes m (m is an integer of 1 or more) NMOS transistors each having a third gate electrode, and n (n is an integer of 0 or more) NMOS transistors each having a fourth gate electrode. The first to fourth gate electrodes are coupled to an input end of the inverter. A total area of the first and second gate electrodes is different from a total area of the third and fourth gate electrodes.

Abstract: According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor IC that includes a plurality of standard cells arranged in a first direction on a semiconductor substrate, and a first diffusion layer connected to a first power source and a second diffusion layer connected to a second power source in the each standard cell, wherein the first diffusion layers as well as the second diffusion layers of neighboring standard cells are integrally formed.

Abstract: An apparatus for performing a channel-to-channel delay correction and frame synchronization with low latency includes, on each of a plurality of channels, a clock-and-data recovery circuit, a frequency divider circuit, a circuit for detecting the phase difference between the phase of the frequency-divided clock signal and the phase of a clock signal, a serial-to-parallel converter circuit, a register array for holding the parallel output of the serial-to-parallel converter circuit, and a frame-head detector for detecting a frame head from the output of the register array and outputting a frame detection signal. A last-frame-head detector receives the frame detection signals from each of the channels and detects a channel on which the frame head was detected last. The frame head detected last, the phase of the internal clock signal, and the phase of a frequency-divided clock of a retiming clock of the channel are adjusted to substantially coincide.

Abstract: A clock and data recovery circuit includes a four-phase generation circuit that generates four-phase clock signals with phases thereof being equally spaced by 90 degrees, a first interpolator and a second interpolator, each of which receives two of the clocks with phases thereof separated to each other by 180 degrees, performs phase interpolation, and outputs a signal obtained by the interpolation and a signal with a phase reverse to a phase of the interpolated signal. A four-phase to eight-phase conversion circuit receives the four-phase clocks from the first and second interpolators, buffers the four-phase clock signals output from the first interpolator and the second interpolator and outputs the buffered four-phase clock signals without alteration, and generates four-phase clocks each obtained by interpolation of two of the clock signals with the mutually adjacent phases among the four-phase clock signals output from the first interpolator and the second interpolator.

Abstract: A via transmission line for a multilayer printed circuit board (PCB) in which a wave guiding channel is formed by a signal via or a number of signal vias, an assembly of ground vias surrounding the signal via or corresponding number of coupled signal vias, a set of ground plates from conductor layers of the multilayer PCB, and a clearance hole.

Abstract: Disclosed is a serial-to-parallel converter/parallel-to-serial converter/FIFO unified circuit which includes a register, a selector and a counter. The register receives serial input data and converts the serial data into parallel data based on frequency-divided multi-phase clock signals from a counter. The selector receives the parallel data from the register to select one of the data in accordance with a control signal. The counter generates the control signal for the selector so that plural items of data will be output serially from the selector in the sequence in which the plural items data have been serially supplied to the register.

Abstract: There is provided a memory module that facilitates meeting the needs of high-speed performance and large capacity. It comprises first module substrates (101 through 108), each with multiple DRAM devices (11), and a second module substrate whereon the first modules (101 through 108) are mounted, signal line groups connected to the multiple first modules respectively are provided in parallel, and a controller LSI (50), connected to the multiple first modules respectively via the signal line groups provided in parallel, that converts the signal lines into fewer signal lines than the total number of the signal line groups and outputs the result is provided, and the second module substrate (20) is mounted on a motherboard (40).

Abstract: Disclosed is a clock and data recover circuit including N flip-flops (F/Fs) for sampling an input data signal using N-phase clocks, a phase comparison circuit for performing phase comparison based on outputs of the F/Fs, a filter or smoothing a result of the phase comparison and outputting an up/down signal, up/down counters, each for receiving an output of the filter and counting up or down a count value thereof, a phase shift circuit for adjustably controlling phases of the clocks for edge detection and the clocks for data sampling according to phase control signals from an up/down counter and an up/down counter, respectively, and an up/down control circuit for receiving a control signal for controlling maximum and minimum values of count values of the up/down counter, generating a signal for controlling counting up and down of the up/down counter based on the count value of the up/down counter, and supplying the generated signal to the up/down counter.

Abstract: A compact via transmission line for a printed circuit board having preferred characteristic impedance and capable of miniaturizing the printed circuit board including a multilayer printed circuit board, and extending the frequency range of a via transmission line mounted on the printed circuit board, and a design method of the same. The transmission line has a central conductor forming an inner conductor layer boundary make up a signal via hole, a plurality of via holes arranged around the central conductor form an outer conductor layer boundary, and a plurality of conductor plates formed of a printed circuit board conductor layer, is further provided with a constitutive parameter adjustment clearance hole between the inner and outer conductor layer boundaries of the compact via transmission line, and electrically isolates to prevent cross-talk of a signal propagating through a signal via hole with other signals in a high-frequency signal band.

Abstract: A fractional frequency divider circuit with a small circuit scale that outputs a clock with a duty ratio of 50%, and a data transmission apparatus comprising same. The fractional frequency divider circuit is constituted by multiple master-slave flip-flops, and comprises an integer frequency divider circuit that frequency-divides a clock signal with a frequency-division ratio of 1/N(N is an integer), and a logic circuit into which multiple signals outputted from master stages and slave stages of the master-slave flip-flops are inputted and that outputs a signal with a duty ratio of 50% obtained by frequency-dividing the clock signal with a frequency-division ratio of 2/N. The data transmission apparatus is constituted such that it is possible to switch over between a frequency-multiplied clock outputted by a PLL and a clock obtained by frequency-dividing the frequency-multiplied clock with the fractional frequency divider circuit for each channel.

Abstract: A latch circuit includes: a first terminal; a second terminal; a first data-gating circuit coupled to the first terminal and the second terminal, the first data-gating circuit non-reversely gating the second signal in response to the first signal to reveal a third signal; a second data-gating circuit coupled to the first terminal and the second terminal, the second data-gating circuit reversely gating the second signal in response to the first signal to reveal a fourth signal; a third terminal receiving a fifth signal; a selector circuit coupled to the first data-gating circuit and the second data-gating circuit, the selector circuit outputting one of the third signal and the fourth signal in response to the fifth signal to latch one of the third signal and the fourth signal, respectively; and a bistable circuit coupled to the selector circuit, the bistable circuit holding one of the third signal and the fourth signal.

Abstract: A compact via transmission line for a printed circuit board having preferred characteristic impedance and capable of miniaturizing the printed circuit board including a multilayer printed circuit board, and extending the frequency range of a via transmission line mounted on the printed circuit board, and a design method of the same. The transmission line has a central conductor forming an inner conductor layer boundary make up a signal via hole, a plurality of via holes arranged around the central conductor form an outer conductor layer boundary, and a plurality of conductor plates formed of a printed circuit board conductor layer, is further provided with a constitutive parameter adjustment clearance hole between the inner and outer conductor layer boundaries of the compact via transmission line, and electrically isolates to prevent cross-talk of a signal propagating through a signal via hole with other signals in a high-frequency signal band.

Abstract: A compact via transmission line for a printed circuit board having preferred characteristic impedance and capable of miniaturizing the printed circuit board including a multilayer printed circuit board, and extending the frequency range of a via transmission line mounted on the printed circuit board, and a design method of the same. The transmission line has a central conductor forming an inner conductor layer boundary make up a signal via hole, a plurality of via holes arranged around the central conductor form an outer conductor layer boundary, and a plurality of conductor plates formed of a printed circuit board conductor layer, is further provided with a constitutive parameter adjustment clearance hole between the inner and outer conductor layer boundaries of the compact via transmission line, and electrically isolates to prevent cross-talk of a signal propagating through a signal via hole with other signals in a high-frequency signal band.

Abstract: According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor IC that includes a plurality of standard cells arranged in a first direction on a semiconductor substrate, and a first diffusion layer connected to a first power source and a second diffusion layer connected to a second power source in the each standard cell, wherein the first diffusion layers as well as the second diffusion layers of neighboring standard cells are integrally formed.

Abstract: Disclosed is a pre-emphasis circuit including a first parallel-to-serial converter, a second parallel-to-serial converter, a mixing circuit and a clock generating circuit. The first parallel-to-serial converter converts parallel data into first serial data, and the second parallel-to-serial converter converts the parallel data into second serial data. The mixing circuit receives the first serial data from the first parallel-to-serial converter and the second serial data from the second parallel-to-serial converter to output a signal emphasizing a change point of the first serial data. The clock generating circuit outputs a first set of clocks made up of clocks having mutually different phases and a second set of clocks made up of clocks having mutually different phases to the first and second parallel-to-serial converters, respectively. The first phase clock of the second set of clocks corresponds to the second phase clock of the first set of clocks.

Abstract: A via transmission line for a multilayer printed circuit board (PCB) in which a wave guiding channel is formed by a signal via or a number of signal vias, an assembly of ground vias surrounding the signal via or corresponding number of coupled signal vias, a set of ground plates from conductor layers of the multilayer PCB, and a clearance hole.

Abstract: A data form converter allowing parallel-to-serial or serial-to-parallel conversion at various conversion ratios is disclosed. A frequency divider divides an input clock in frequency at a variable frequency division ratio to produce a single frequency-divided clock. A data shift circuit shifts serial input data according to the input clock to output n-bit parallel data, where n is determined depending on the variable frequency division ratio. A retiring section synchronizes the n-bit parallel data with the single frequency-divided clock to output parallel output data.