Clock distribution system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10520974-B2
Application number	US-201514746377-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 22, 2015
Priority date	Jun 22, 2015
Publication date	Dec 31, 2019
Grant date	Dec 31, 2019

Abstract

One embodiment includes a clock distribution system. The system includes a standing-wave resonator configured to receive and to resonate a sinusoidal clock signal. The standing-wave resonator includes at least one anti-node portion associated with a peak current amplitude of the sinusoidal clock signal. The system also includes at least one clock line interconnecting each of the at least one anti-node portion and an associated circuit. The at least one clock line can be configured to propagate the sinusoidal clock signal for timing functions associated with the associated circuit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A clock distribution system comprising:
a standing-wave resonator configured to receive and to resonate a sinusoidal clock signal, the standing-wave resonator comprising at least one anti-node portion associated with a peak current amplitude of the sinusoidal clock signal; and
at least one clock line inductively coupled to each of the at least one anti-node portion of the standing-wave resonator and to at least one conductor of an associated circuit, the at least one clock line being configured to inductively provide the sinusoidal clock signal for timing functions associated with the associated circuit.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least one anti-node portion comprises a predetermined length of the standing-wave resonator defined by a current amplitude of the sinusoidal clock signal that is between a predetermined current amplitude threshold associated with the sinusoidal clock signal and the peak current amplitude associated with an absolute anti-node.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one clock line comprises a plurality of clock lines coupled to each of the at least one anti-node portion along the predetermined length of the at least one anti-node portion.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein each of the plurality of clock lines is inductively coupled to the at least one anti-node portion at a predetermined inductance magnitude based on a distance from the absolute anti-node along a length of the respective at least one of the anti-node portions to provide a substantially equal current amplitude in each of the plurality of clock lines.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the predetermined inductance is based on at least one of a radial distance of the respective one of the plurality of clock lines relative to the respective at least one of the anti-node portions and an orientation of the respective one of the plurality of clock lines relative to the respective at least one of the anti-node portions.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one anti-node portion comprises a plurality of anti-node portions, wherein the sinusoidal clock signal is a harmonic sinusoidal signal associated with a wavelength corresponding to a physical length of the standing-wave resonator, such that each of the plurality of anti-node portions corresponds to each of a respective plurality of peaks associated with the harmonic sinusoidal signal, and wherein each of the plurality of anti-node portions is coupled to at least one clock line.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein each of the plurality of anti-node portions are arranged collinearly with respect to an axis extending along the standing-wave resonator, wherein each portion of the standing-wave resonator between and interconnecting the plurality of anti-node portions is either non-linear or comprises a shunt capacitor that is coupled to ground.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one clock line comprises a plurality of clock lines coupled to each of the at least one anti-node portion, wherein the plurality of clock lines comprises a first set of clock lines extending in a first direction orthogonal to the respective anti-node portion and a second set of clock lines extending in a second direction orthogonal to the respective anti-node portion and having a different orientation relative to the first direction.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the associated circuit is a reciprocal quantum logic (RQL) circuit, wherein the sinusoidal clock signal comprises an in-phase sinusoidal clock signal on a first standing-wave resonator and a quadrature-phase sinusoidal clock signal on a second standing-wave resonator, the in-phase and quadrature-phase sinusoidal clock signals being arranged 90° out-of-phase with respect to each other.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the first standing-wave resonator comprises a plurality of first standing-wave resonators that are each configured to receive the in-phase sinusoidal clock signal and wherein the second standing-wave resonator comprises a plurality of second standing-wave resonators that are each configured to receive the quadrature-phase sinusoidal clock signal, the first and second pluralities of standing-wave resonators being interdigitated with respect to each other.

11. An integrated circuit chip comprising the clock distribution system of claim 1 .

12. A clock distribution system comprising:
a standing-wave resonator configured to receive and to resonate a sinusoidal clock signal, the standing-wave resonator comprising at least one anti-node portion associated with a predetermined length of the standing-wave resonator defined by a current amplitude of the sinusoidal clock signal that is between a predetermined current amplitude threshold associated with the sinusoidal clock signal and a peak current amplitude of the sinusoidal clock signal associated with an absolute anti-node; and
a plurality of clock lines that are each inductively coupled to an associated circuit and to one of the at least one anti-node portion at a predetermined inductance magnitude based on a distance from the absolute anti-node along a length of the respective one of the at least one anti-node portion to provide a substantially equal current amplitude in each of the plurality of clock lines, the plurality of clock lines being configured to propagate the sinusoidal clock signal for timing functions associated with the associated circuit.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the predetermined inductance is based on at least one of a radial distance of the respective one of the plurality of clock lines relative to the respective at least one of the anti-node portions and an orientation of the respective one of the plurality of clock lines relative to the respective at least one of the anti-node portions.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the at least one anti-node portion comprises a plurality of anti-node portions, wherein the sinusoidal clock signal is a harmonic sinusoidal signal associated with a wavelength corresponding to a physical length of the standing-wave resonator, such that each of the plurality of anti-node portions corresponds to each of a respective plurality of peaks associated with the harmonic sinusoidal signal, and wherein each of the plurality of anti-node portions is coupled to a plurality of clock lines.

15. The system of claim 12 , wherein the associated circuit is a reciprocal quantum logic (RQL) circuit, wherein the sinusoidal clock signal comprises an in-phase sinusoidal clock signal on a first standing-wave resonator and a quadrature-phase sinusoidal clock signal on a second standing-wave resonator, the in-phase and quadrature-phase sinusoidal clock signals being arranged 90° out-of-phase with respect to each other.

16. An integrated circuit (IC) chip comprising:
a reciprocal quantum logic (RQL) circuit configured to operate based on an in-phase sinusoidal clock signal and a quadrature-phase sinusoidal clock signal;
a first standing-wave resonator configured to receive and to resonate the in-phase sinusoidal clock signal;
a second standing-wave resonator configured to receive and to resonate the quadrature-phase sinusoidal clock signal, the first and second standing-wave resonators each comprising at least one anti-node portion associated with a peak current amplitude of the respective in-phase and quadrature-phase sinusoidal clock signals; and
at least one clock line inductively coupled to the RQL circuit and inductively coupled to each of the at least one anti-node portion of each of the first and second standing-wave resonators, the at least one clock line b

Assignees

• Strong Joshua A
• Herr Anna Y
• Herr Quentin P
• Shauck Steven B
• Northrop Grumman Systems Corp

Inventors

• Strong Joshua A
• Herr Anna Y
• Herr Quentin P
• Shauck Steven B

Classifications

• G06F1/04

  Generating or distributing clock signals or signals derived directly therefrom · CPC title

• G06F1/10 Primary

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

• G06F1/32

  Means for saving power · CPC title

• G06F13/4243

  with synchronous protocol · CPC title

• G06F1/0321

  Waveform generators, i.e. devices for generating periodical functions of time, e.g. direct digital synthesizers (G06F1/0314, G06F1/035 take precedence) · CPC title