Multi-level signaling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9509535-B2
Application number	US-201514918346-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 20, 2015
Priority date	Mar 21, 2008
Publication date	Nov 29, 2016
Grant date	Nov 29, 2016

Abstract

Apparatus are disclosed, such as those involving a transmitter circuit that is configured to generate multi-level signals based on a plurality of data digits. One such transmitter circuit includes a signal output and an encoder configured to provide control signals based at least partially on the plurality of data digits. The transmitter circuit also includes a first set of switches configured to receive one or more of the control signals, and to selectively conduct a first or second voltage reference to the signal output. The transmitter circuit further includes first and second voltage drop circuits that provide third and fourth voltage references, respectively. The third and fourth voltage references have voltage levels between those of the first and second voltage references. The transmitter circuit also includes a second set of switches configured to receive one or more of the control signals, and selectively conduct the third or fourth voltage reference to the signal output.

First claim

I claim:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a first integrated circuit die comprising a transmitter circuit, the transmitter circuit comprising an encoder configured to generate at least three control signals and a push: pull circuit configured to generate a multi-level signal having more than two signal levels, wherein each of the more than two signal levels corresponds to a different data input value provided to the encoder, wherein the push-pull circuit includes a first set of switches and a second set of switches configured to receive the at least control signals, and further includes first and second voltage drop circuits both coupled to the first set of switches; and
a second integrated circuit die stacked with the first integrated circuit die, the second integrated circuit die configured to receive the multi-level signal from the first integrated circuit die.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the multi-level signal has a voltage swing that is less than a rail-to-rail voltage in a channel between the first integrated circuit die and the second integrated circuit die.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the push-pull circuit comprises:
a first voltage drop circuit configured to adjust a first reference voltage by a first difference;
a first switch configured to conduct the first reference voltage when activated;
a second switch electrically coupled to the first voltage drop circuit, the second switch configured to conduct the first reference voltage adjusted by the first difference when activated; and
wherein the push-pull circuit is configured to generate one of the more than two signal levels of the multi-level signal when the first switch is deactivated and the second switch is activated.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the encoder is configured to generate at least three control signals by converting at least two bits of input data.

5. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the encoder is configured to selectively activate the first switch and the second switch based at least partly on at least two of the at least three control signals.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the transmitter circuit is further configured to maintain the multi-level signal at each of the more than two signal levels.

7. An electronic device comprising:
a first integrated circuit die comprising a transmitter circuit, the transmitter circuit comprising a push-pull circuit configured to generate an output signal maintained at any one of at least four signal levels, the push-pull circuit comprising:
first and second switches, wherein the first switch is configured to activate at least partly in response to a first control signal and conduct a first reference voltage when activated, and wherein the second switch is configured to activate at least partly in response to a second control signal different from the first control signal and conduct the first reference voltage adjusted by a first difference when activated; and

a second integrated circuit die configured to receive the output signal from the first integrated circuit die over a channel between the first integrated circuit die and the second integrated circuit die, the channel having a length in a range from about 100 μm to about 10 mm.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the first integrated circuit die and the second integrated circuit die are stacked over one another.

9. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the transmitter circuit further comprises an encoder configured to convert input data into at least three control signals and to provide the at least three control signals to the push-pull circuit.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the input data comprises a plurality of data digits.

11. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the push-pull circuit is configured to generate a second of the at least four signal levels of the multi-level signal when the second switch is deactivated and the first switch is activated.

12. An electronic device comprising:
a first integrated circuit die comprising a transmitter circuit, the transmitter circuit comprising a push-pull circuit configured to generate a multi-level signal having at least four signal levels, wherein the push-pull circuit comprises:
a voltage drop circuit configured to generate an adjusted voltage reference based on a voltage reference; and
two switches, wherein one of the two switches is configured to activate at least partly in response to a first control signal and conduct the adjusted voltage reference when activated, and wherein the other of the two switches is configured to activate at least partly in response to a different control signal and conduct the voltage reference when activated; and

a second integrated circuit die stacked adjacent to the first integrated circuit die, the second integrated circuit die configured to receive data from the first integrated circuit over a channel between the first integrated circuit die and the second integrated circuit die.

13. The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the channel has a length in a range between about 100 μm to about 10 mm.

14. The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the multi-level signal has a voltage swing of about one third of a rail-to-rail voltage.

15. The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the push-pull circuit comprises:
a voltage drop circuit configured to adjust a reference voltage;
a first switch configured to conduct the reference voltage when activated; and
a second switch configured to conduct the adjusted reference voltage when activated, and wherein the push-pull circuit is configured to generate one of the at least four signal levels of the multi-level signal when the first switch is deactivated and the second switch is activated.

16. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the push-pull circuit is further configured to generate a different one of the at least four signal levels of the multi-level signal when the first switch and the second switch are both activated.

17. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the reference voltage is provided by a voltage source.

18. The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the push-pull circuit comprises:
a first switch configured to couple a first voltage reference to an output node when activated;
a second switch configured to couple a second voltage reference to the output node when activated, wherein the second voltage reference is lower in voltage than the first voltage reference;
a third switch configured to couple a third voltage reference to the output node when activated, wherein the third voltage reference is lower in voltage than the second voltage reference; and
a fourth switch configured to couple a fourth voltage reference to the output node when activated, wherein the fourth voltage reference is lower in voltage than the third voltage reference.

19. The electronic device of claim 18 , wherein the transmitter circuit comprises an encoder configured to selectively activate the first switch, the second switch, the third switch, and the fourth switch based at least partly on input data.

Assignees

• Micron Technology Inc

Inventors

• Hollis Timothy M

Classifications

• H04L25/4927

  using levels matched to the quantisation levels of the channel · CPC title

• H04L25/4923

  using ternary codes (H04L25/4927 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04L25/4917 Primary

  using multilevel codes · CPC title

• H03K19/0002

  Multistate logic (H03K19/02 takes precedence) · CPC title