Clock distribution system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10133299-B1
Application number	US-201715816518-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Nov 17, 2017
Priority date	Nov 17, 2017
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

One embodiment includes a clock distribution system. The system includes at least one resonator spine that propagates a sinusoidal clock signal and at least one resonator rib conductively coupled to the at least one resonator spine and arranged as a standing wave resonator. The system also includes at least one transformer-coupling line. Each of the at least one transformer-coupling line is conductively coupled to an associated circuit and has a plurality of inductive couplings to the at least one resonator rib to inductively generate a clock current corresponding to the sinusoidal clock signal via each of the plurality of inductive couplings in an additive manner to provide functions for the associated circuit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A clock distribution system comprising:
at least one resonator spine that propagates a sinusoidal clock signal;
at least one resonator rib conductively coupled to the at least one resonator spine and arranged as a standing wave resonator; and
at least one transformer-coupling line, each of the at least one transformer-coupling line being conductively coupled to an associated circuit and having a plurality of inductive couplings to the at least one resonator rib to inductively generate a clock current corresponding to the sinusoidal clock signal via each of the plurality of inductive couplings in an additive manner to provide functions for the associated circuit.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least one resonator rib comprises a plurality of bends to provide a plurality of parallel portions of each of the at least one resonator rib to facilitate the plurality of inductive couplings at each of a plurality of inductive-coupling portions of the at least one transformer-coupling line to at least a subset of the plurality of parallel portions.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of bends are arranged to provide the plurality of parallel portions as greater than two parallel portions.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one transformer-coupling line is arranged as a substantially enclosed loop such that a pair of the plurality of inductive-coupling portions of the respective at least one transformer-coupling line coupled to each of a respective pair of ends is inductively coupled to a same one of the plurality of parallel portions of the respective at least one resonator rib.

5. The system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one transformer-coupling line is arranged as a spiral such that at least two of the plurality of inductive-coupling portions of the respective at least one transformer-coupling line is inductively coupled in parallel to one of the plurality of parallel portions of the respective at least one resonator rib.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one resonator rib comprises a plurality of resonator ribs, wherein each of the at least one transformer-coupling line is inductively coupled to each of the plurality of resonator ribs.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the at least one resonator spine comprises a plurality of resonator spines, wherein each of the plurality of resonator ribs is conductively coupled to a respective one of the plurality of resonator spines.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein each of the plurality of resonator ribs are configured as linear extensions between the respective one of the plurality of resonator spines and a low-voltage rail, such that each of the plurality of resonator ribs are arranged as at least one anti-parallel pair of resonator ribs, wherein each of the at least one transformer-coupling line is inductively coupled to the at least one anti-parallel pair of resonator ribs.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein each of the plurality of resonator ribs comprises a plurality of bends arranged in an interleaved anti-parallel configuration with respect to each other, wherein each of the at least one transformer-coupling line comprises the plurality of inductive couplings with respect to each of the plurality of resonator ribs.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the at least one transformer-coupling line comprises a plurality of inductive-coupling portions, wherein each of the inductive-coupling portions is inductively coupled to a portion of each of the plurality of resonator ribs in the interleaved anti-parallel configuration.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least one resonator rib comprises an inductive load proximal to a coupling of the respective at least one resonator rib to the at least one resonator spine.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one resonator spine comprises an in-phase resonator spine that propagates an in-phase clock signal and a quadrature-phase resonator spine that propagates a quadrature-phase clock signal, wherein the in-phase resonator spine comprises at least one in-phase resonator rib and quadrature-phase resonator spine comprises at least one quadrature-phase resonator rib.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the at least one transformer-coupling line is inductively coupled to a subset of the at least one in-phase resonator rib and to a subset of the at least one quadrature-phase resonator rib to inductively generate the clock current at a phase-shift relative to a phase of the in-phase clock signal and a phase of the quadrature-phase clock signal.

14. An integrated circuit (IC) chip comprising the clock distribution system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one resonator rib is arranged on a clock distribution layer of the IC chip in parallel portions, wherein the IC chip further comprises at least one of a first transformer layer that is arranged above the clock distribution layer of the IC chip and a second transformer layer that is arranged below the clock distribution layer of the IC chip, wherein the at least one transformer-coupling line comprises:
a first portion associated with the first transformer layer that is inductively coupled to the at least one resonator rib via a first surface of the at least one resonator rib; and
a second portion associated with the second transformer layer that is inductively coupled to the at least one resonator rib via a second surface of the at least one resonator rib opposite the first surface, wherein the first and second portions of the respective the at least one transformer-coupling line are conductively coupled by at least one conductive via.

15. A clock distribution system comprising:
at least one resonator spine that propagates a sinusoidal clock signal;
at least one resonator rib conductively coupled to the at least one resonator spine and arranged as a standing wave resonator; and
at least one transformer-coupling line, each of the at least one transformer-coupling line being conductively coupled to an associated circuit and comprising a plurality of bends to form a plurality of inductive-coupling portions, each of the plurality of inductive coupling portions being inductively coupled to the at least one resonator rib to inductively generate a clock current corresponding to the sinusoidal clock signal to provide functions for the associated circuit.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein each of the at least one resonator rib comprises a plurality of bends to facilitate the plurality of inductive couplings at each of a plurality of inductive-coupling portions of the at least one transformer-coupling line to the respective at least one resonator rib.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the at least one resonator rib comprises a plurality of resonator ribs, wherein each of the at least one transformer-coupling line is inductively coupled to each of the plurality of resonator ribs.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the at least one resonator spine comprises a plurality of resonator spines, wherein each of the plurality of resonator ribs is conductively coupled to a respective one of the plurality of resonator spines.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein each of the plurality of resonator ribs are configured as linear extensions between the respective one of the plurality of resonator spines and a low-voltage rail, such that each of the plurality of resonator ribs are arranged as at least one anti-parallel pair of resonator ribs, wherein each of the at least one transformer-coupling line is inductively coupled to the at le

Assignees

• Strong Joshua A
• Nielsen Max Earl
• Northrop Grumman Systems Corp

Inventors

• Strong Joshua A
• Nielsen Max Earl

Classifications

• G06F1/10 Primary

  Distribution of clock signals {, e.g. skew} · CPC title