Low voltage clock swing tolerant sequential circuits for dynamic power savings

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11424734-B2
Application number	US-202117327365-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 21, 2021
Priority date	May 4, 2020
Publication date	Aug 23, 2022
Grant date	Aug 23, 2022

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses, and methods for implementing low voltage clock swing sequential circuits are described. An input signal is coupled to the gates of a first P-type transistor and a first N-type transistor of a first transistor stack. A low voltage swing clock signal is coupled to the gate of a second N-type transistor of the first transistor stack. An inverse of the input signal is coupled to the gates of a second P-type transistor and a third N-type transistor of a second transistor stack. The low-swing clock is coupled to the gate of a fourth N-type transistor of the second transistor stack. A first end of one or more enabling P-Type transistors with gates coupled to the low-swing clock is coupled to the first P-type transistor's drain, and a second end of the one or more enabling P-Type transistors is coupled to the second P-type transistor's drain.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A circuit comprising:
a pair of cross-coupled inverters enabled by a pair of pull-up transistors, wherein sources of the pair of pull-up transistors are coupled to a supply voltage at a first voltage level;
one or more clock-gated P-type transistors coupled between drains of the pair of pull-up transistors, wherein gates of the one or more clock-gated P-type transistors are coupled to a clock signal, wherein a clock logic high level is equal to a second voltage level less than the first voltage level; and
a pair of clock-gated N-type transistors coupled in parallel to state nodes of the pair of cross-coupled inverters.

2. The circuit as recited in claim 1 , wherein:
a gate of a first pull-down transistor of a pair of pull-down transistors is configured to receive an input signal;
a gate of a second pull-down transistor of the pair of pull-down transistors is configured to receive an inverse of the input signal; and
a data logic high level of the input signal is equal to the first voltage level.

3. The circuit as recited in claim 1 , wherein when the clock signal is at the clock logic high level, the one or more clock-gated P-type transistors are configured to counteract the pair of clock-gated N-type transistors to cause one of the state nodes to reach the first voltage level.

4. The circuit as recited in claim 1 , wherein:
a drain of each transistor of the pair of clock-gated N-type transistors is coupled to a corresponding state node of the pair of cross-coupled inverters; and
a source of each transistor of the pair of clock-gated N-type transistors is coupled to a drain of a corresponding transistor of a pair of pull-down transistors.

5. The circuit as recited in claim 1 , wherein:
a source of a first P-type transistor of the one or more clock-gated P-type transistors is coupled to a drain of a first transistor of the pair of pull-up transistors;
a drain of the first P-type transistor is coupled to a drain of a second P-type transistor of the one or more clock-gated P-type transistors; and
a source of the second P-type transistor is coupled to a drain of a second transistor of the pair of pull-up transistors.

6. The circuit as recited in claim 1 , wherein:
a source of each of a first P-type transistor and a second P-type transistor of the one or more clock-gated P-type transistors is coupled to the supply voltage at the first voltage level;
a drain of the first P-type transistor is coupled to a source of a third P-type transistor;
a drain of the second P-type transistor is coupled to a source of a fourth P-type transistor; and
a gate of each of the third P-type transistor and the fourth P-type transistor is coupled to a logic low level.

7. The circuit as recited in claim 6 , wherein:
one or more P-type transistors with a gate coupled to a logic low level are connected in series between the drain of the third P-type transistor and a drain of a first transistor of the pair of pull-up transistors; and
one or more P-type transistors with a gate coupled to a logic low level are connected in series between the drain of the fourth P-type transistor and a drain of a second transistor of the pair of pull-up transistors.

8. A method comprising:
supplying a pair of pull-up transistors with a supply voltage at a first voltage level;
enabling, by the pair of pull-up transistors, a pair of cross-coupled inverters;
receiving a clock signal at gates of one or more clock-gated P-type transistors coupled between drains of the pair of pull-up transistors, wherein a clock logic high level is equal to a second voltage level less than the first voltage level; and
receiving the clock signal at gates of a pair of clock-gated N-type transistors coupled in parallel to state nodes of the pair of cross-coupled inverters.

9. The method as recited in claim 8 , further comprising:
receiving an input signal by a gate of a first pull-down transistor of a pair of pull-down transistors; and
receiving an inverse of the input signal by a gate of a second pull-down transistor of the pair of pull-down transistors, wherein a data logic high level of the input signal is equal to the first voltage level.

10. The method as recited in claim 8 , further comprising counteracting, by the one or more clock-gated P-type transistors, the pair of clock-gated N-type transistors to cause one of the state nodes to reach the first voltage level when the clock signal is at the clock logic high level.

11. The method as recited in claim 8 , wherein:
a drain of each transistor of the pair of clock-gated N-type transistors is coupled to a corresponding state node of the pair of cross-coupled inverters; and
a source of each transistor of the pair of clock-gated N-type transistors is coupled to a drain of a corresponding transistor of a pair of pull-down transistors.

12. The method as recited in claim 8 , wherein:
a source of a first P-type transistor of the one or more clock-gated P-type transistors is coupled to a drain of a first transistor of the pair of pull-up transistors;
a drain of the first P-type transistor is coupled to a drain of a second P-type transistor of the one or more clock-gated P-type transistors; and
a source of the second P-type transistor is coupled to a drain of a second transistor of the pair of pull-up transistors.

13. The method as recited in claim 8 , wherein:
a source of each of a first P-type transistor and a second P-type transistor of the one or more clock-gated P-type transistors is coupled to the supply voltage at the first voltage level;
a drain of the first P-type transistor is coupled to a source of a third P-type transistor;
a drain of the second P-type transistor is coupled to a source of a fourth P-type transistor; and
a gate of each of the third P-type transistor and the fourth P-type transistor is coupled to a logic low level.

14. The method as recited in claim 13 , wherein:
one or more P-type transistors with a gate coupled to a logic low level are connected in series between the drain of the third P-type transistor and a drain of a first transistor of the pair of pull-up transistors; and
one or more P-type transistors with a gate coupled to a logic low level are connected in series between the drain of the fourth P-type transistor and a drain of a second transistor of the pair of pull-up transistors.

15. A system comprising:
a clock generator circuit; and
logic circuitry comprising:
a pair of cross-coupled inverters enabled by a pair of pull-up transistors, wherein sources of the pair of pull-up transistors are coupled to a supply voltage at a first voltage level;
one or more clock-gated P-type transistors coupled between drains of the pair of pull-up transistors, wherein gates of the one or more clock-gated P-type transistors are coupled to a clock signal, wherein a clock logic high level is equal to a second voltage level less than the first voltage level; and
a pair of clock-gated N-type transistors coupled in parallel to state nodes of the pair of cross-coupled inverters.

16. The system as recited in claim 15 , wherein:
a gate of a first pull-down transistor of a pair of pull-down transistors is configured to receive an input signal;
a gate of a second pull-down transistor of the pair of pull-down transistors is configured to receive an inverse of the input signal; and
a data logic high level of the input signal is equal to the first voltage level.

17. The system as recited in claim 15 , wherein when the clock signal is at the clock logic high level, the one or more clock-gated P-type transistors

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Venugopal Vivekanandan
• Bhatia Ajay
• Ye Qi

Classifications

• H03K3/037

  Bistable circuits · CPC title

• H03K5/135 Primary

  by the use of time reference signals, e.g. clock signals · CPC title

• H03K3/012 Primary

  Modifications of generator to improve response time or to decrease power consumption · CPC title

• Y02D10/00

  Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management · CPC title