Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Kyung T Lee

Dae Suk Jung

Han Bin Kim

Yonghee Im

Jason M Hart

A method and apparatus for shifting a dynamic circuit, driven by a one-shot clock, to a pre-charge mode, during a power-off mode, is provided. Under certain conditions, a floating node may be present in a dynamic circuit. One approach to prevent floating nodes involves the generation of a new one-shot clock signal that is supplied to the last dynamic circuit in the series of dynamic circuits before the output flop ('the final dynamic circuit'). The new one-shot clock signal is driven to a logical low value when the power-off signal has a logical high value. Another approach to prevent floating nodes involves modifying the final dynamic circuit to include a structure that, when the power-off signal has a logical high value, drives the dynamic node to either a logical high value or a logical low value to prevent the dynamic node from becoming a floating node.

Apparatus to shift to pre-charge mode a dynamic circuit driven by one-shot clock signal during power off mode

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for calibrating a model of a digital circuit to account for noise effects between signal lines. The system operates by first fabricating a digital circuit for calibration purposes. Next, an input signal is applied to an aggressor net within the digital circuit. The system then measures how noise from the input signal affects the amplitude of a signal on a victim net within the digital circuit. Finally, the system adjusts parameters of the circuit model using the measured results.

Method and apparatus for calibrating parameters to be used in a digital circuit simulation

A single-input/dual output sense amplifier includes cross-coupled transistors connected to a reference voltage; a first input transistor and a second input transistor connected to the cross-coupled transistors, wherein the first input transistor is coupled to a single input bit-line and the second input transistor is coupled to a reference voltage; an inverter receiving the input bit-line signal and outputting a complement of the input bit-line signal; a control circuit coupled to the second input transistor and receiving the complement of the input bit-line signal, wherein the cross-coupled transistors produce dual differential outputs. A method of producing dual differential output signals from a single input signal includes receiving a single input bit-line signal; inverting the received single input bit-line signal to produce the complement of the received single input bit-line signal; controlling the charging and discharging of a reference node based on the complement of the received input bit-line signal; and outputting dual differential output signals based on the single input bit-line signal and the reference node.

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Kyung T Lee