Cypress Semiconductor Corporation

International Business Machines Corporation

Intel Corporation

Timothy E Fiscus

David G Chapman

Luke A Johnson

Richard Michael Parent

Steven William Tomashot

Erik A Nelson

Alan D Norris

David P Monty

William E Corbin, Jr

William R Corbin

Jim L Rogers

A method for reducing power consumption during background operations in a memory array with a plurality of sections comprising the steps of (i) controlling the background operations in one or more sections of the memory array in response to one or more control signals and (ii) presenting the one or more control signals and one or more decoded address signals to one or more periphery array circuits of the one or more sections.

Method and architecture for reducing the power consumption for memory devices in refresh operations

A biasing circuit comprising a first circuit and a second circuit. The first circuit may be configured to generate a first bias signal and a second bias signal. The second bias signal may be defined by a threshold voltage and a first resistance. The second circuit may be configured to generate a third bias signal in response to the first and the second bias signals and a second resistance. The third bias signal may have a magnitude that is linearly proportional to absolute temperature (PTAT) and be configured to vary a refresh rate of a memory cell in response to changes in temperature.

Proportional to temperature voltage generator

An apparatus comprising a delay line and a control circuit. The delay line may be configured to generate an output signal in response to an input signal and one or more control signals. The delay line may be self-clocked. A phase of the output signal may be adjusted in response to the one or more control signals. The control circuit may be configured to generate the one or more control signals in response to the input signal and the output signal.

Method and architecture for self-clocking digital delay locked loop

An apparatus comprising an array of memory cells, a refresh circuit, a first monitor cell, a second monitor cell, and a control circuit. The refresh circuit may be configured to refresh the array of memory cells in response to a refresh control signal. The first monitor cell may be configured to have a charge leakage similar to the memory cells. The second monitor cell may be configured to have a discharge leakage similar to the memory cells. The control circuit may be configured to generate the refresh control signal in response to either a voltage level of the first monitor cell rising above a first pre-determined threshold level or a voltage level of the second monitor cell dropping below a second pre-determined threshold level, where the first and second threshold levels are different.

Method and architecture for refreshing a 1T memory proportional to temperature

A method for testing the data strobe window (DQS) and data valid window (tDV) of a memory device (e.g., a DDR-type memory device) using the window strobe of a testing system.

Method for guaranteeing a minimum data strobe valid window and a minimum data valid window for DDR memory devices

To overcome these problems, the present invention generates two window strobes and uses the two window strobes to determine if skew between two signals meets predetermined criteria. One of the window strobes is used to test one of the signals, and the other window strobe is generated relative to the first window strobe. The second window strobe tests the other signal (or signals, if they are data signals). From the tests of the two window strobes, it can be determined if the skew between the first and second signals meets predetermined criteria. In particular, the two window strobes are placed relative to each other and to the signals being tested in such a way that when both window strobes indicate passing conditions, skew between the two signals is guaranteed.

Method for testing and guaranteeing that skew between two signals meets predetermined criteria

An apparatus comprising an analog delay line and a control circuit. The analog delay line may be configured to generate an output signal in response to an input signal, a first control signal, and a second control signal. A phase of the output signal may be (i) coarsely adjustable with respect to the input signal in response to the first control signal and (ii) finely and continuously adjustable in response to the second control signal. The control circuit may be configured to generate the first and the second control signals in response to the input signal and the output signal.

Digitally controlled analog delay locked loop (DLL)

A method for reducing power consumption during background operations in a memory array with a plurality of sections comprising the steps of (i) enabling the background operations in one or more sections of the memory array when one or more control signals are in a first state and disabling the background operations in one or more sections of the memory array when the one or more control signals are in a second state and (ii) generating the one or more control signals in response to an address signal.

This is a circuit and protocol for relaxing the strobe to data relationship to permit the writing into and reading out of a double data rate DRAM array at data transfer rates higher than any known circuits that utilize a strobe and data protocol. This result is accomplished by modifying the prior art write circuitry by adding a strobe generator coupled to both the data input and the strobe input to control the write circuit multi-latch and by modifying the prior art read circuit by coupling the initial and enable circuit to the data drivers and adding a data compare circuit that is coupled between the memory storage array and the strobe toggle to control the strobe. In this way the present invention relaxes the use of the strobe to data relationships for reads and writes except when there are no data transitions and ends the necessity of aligning the strobe with the data eye. By so eliminating the need for strobe to data eye alignment the present invention can use smaller data eyes and data transfer rates higher than those that can be utilized by the prior art circuits.

Data and data strobe circuits and operating protocol for double data rate memories

A delay locked loop circuit for conserving power on a semiconductor chip is provided. The circuit includes a delay chain circuit responsive to a clock input signal for generating an output clock signal having a selectively adjustable delay at an output circuit; a feedback loop circuit connects to and controls said delay chain circuit; and a pre-divider circuit connected to said delay chain circuit, wherein said pre-divider circuit is configured to disable the delay chain circuit when the output clock signal is inactive and the memory device is in an idle state (i.e., all banks closed).

Pre-divider architecture for low power in a digital delay locked loop

An embodiment of the invention is directed to a circuit including first and second filter nodes for being connected to a filter and first and second bypass nodes corresponding to the first and second filter nodes, respectively. A charge transfer circuit having at least one charge transfer node is to be alternatively coupled to one of the filter nodes and a corresponding one of the bypass nodes for transferring charge to control a differential voltage of the filter nodes. First and second amplifiers are to buffer the voltages on the first and second filter nodes at first and second outputs which are coupled to the first and second bypass nodes, respectively. The output voltage of each amplifier can be adjusted according to a difference between a control voltage and a common mode voltage of the first and second nodes.

Setting the common mode level of a differential charge pump output

A variable delay cell with a self-biasing load suitable for the implementation of a voltage controlled oscillator and other functions. Because the invention employs current steering between symmetric loads and fully differential voltage control, it is very fast relative to conventional methods and has reduced jitter and improved power supply noise rejection. Additionally, since the load is self-biasing, the need to externally generate a bias current for the load is eliminated. This significantly simplifies design. Also as the load readily self biases in response to changes in the bias current of the biasing transistor, desirable functionalities can be achieved merely by appropriately changing the bias current into the biasing transistor. Notably, the slew rate of both the rising and falling edge can be controlled in this way. Because the load provides a fully differential output, noise immunity as well as a 50% duty cycle is readily achieved.

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South Burlington, VT, United States of America

Timothy E Fiscus