Intel Corporation

Adarsh Panikkar

Kersi H Vakil

Abhimanyu Kolla

Daniel S Klowden

S Reji Kumar

Pete D Vogt

Arnaud J Forestier

Wayne C Ashby

Some embodiments of the invention provide a biased tracking loop that may include encoded information. Embodiments may comprise a training pattern, utilized in a non-interfering way that allows for clock recovery, embedded information transmission and/or header alignment. Therefore, embodiments may comprise a tracking loop training pattern that comprises data.

Training pattern for a biased clock recovery tracking loop

A method is described that involves loading X bits at a time into a shift register and shifting groups of older, loaded X bits up in the shift register with each new group of loaded X bits. Each group of X bits has been received from a serial data stream. The method further involves identifying an alignment key within the shift register and presenting aligned data from the serial data stream by rotating selection of a first group of Y contiguous bits from the shift register and a second group of Y contiguous bits from the shift register after the identifying. Y is greater than X.

Non-integer word size translation through rotation of different buffer alignment channels

In general, in one aspect, the disclosure describes an apparatus including a first deskew unit and a second deskew unit. The first deskew unit operates at a first clock domain and provides fine timing adjustment to a signal. The second deskew unit operates at a second clock domain that is slower than the first clock domain and provide coarse timing adjustment to the signal.

Dual clock domain deskew circuit

Some embodiments of the invention provide a training sequence that may be used in a deskewing process or a protocol to be implemented in a training sequence deskew. Embodiments may also comprise a training pattern that allows for header or frame alignment.

Training pattern based de-skew mechanism and frame alignment

Various methods, apparatuses and systems are described in which a skew delay time between communication lanes is determined. A data transfer path is established which includes two or more communication lanes in a communication link. A skew delay time is determined between the communication lanes of the communication link with respect each other with using a clock period of a input output circuit as a reference time.

Various methods and apparatuses for lane to lane deskewing

In some embodiments an apparatus and method may comprise a plurality of lanes between two clock domains, each lane comprising circuitry to generate a first signal when the lane may lose cycle coherency with other of the plurality of lanes, generate a second signal to signify a lane has been delayed, and a control circuit coupled with the plurality of lanes to add latency only to lanes that did not generate a second signal if the control circuit detects a first signal from any of the plurality of lanes.

Delaying lanes in order to align all lanes crossing between two clock domains

According to some embodiments, a device includes an interpolator to receive at least a first clock signal having a first clock phase and to receive a second clock signal having a second clock phase. The interpolator may include a first plurality of interpolator legs associated with the first clock signal, a second plurality of interpolator legs associated with the second clock signal, and an output node to provide an output clock signal having an output clock phase based on the first clock signal, the second clock signal, and on a number of the first plurality and the second plurality of interpolator legs that are activated. The device may also include an interpolator control to activate only one of the first plurality and the second plurality of interpolator legs.

Interpolator testing system

According to some embodiments, an interpolated clock signal having a first frequency is received, and the interpolated clock signal is periodically sampled based on a reference clock signal to generate periodically-sampled values, the reference clock signal having substantially the first frequency. A phase of the interpolated clock signal may be set to a phase degree at which the periodically-sampled values resolve to more than one value, and the phase of the interpolated clock signal may be incrementally changed until the periodically-sampled values resolve to one value. A non-linearity of the interpolated clock signal may be determined based on the number of incremental changes.

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Tacoma, WA, United States of America

Adarsh Panikkar