U.S. patent application number 09/510299 was filed with the patent office on 2002-02-21 for variable delay circuit and semiconductor integrated circuit device.
Invention is credited to Eto, Satoshi, Higashiho, Mitsuhiro, Kano, Hideki, Kawabata, Kuninori, Kitamoto, Ayako, Koga, Toru, Matsumiya, Masato, Nakamura, Toshikazu, Nishimura, Koichi, Okajima, Yoshinori, Taguchi, Masao, Takita, Masato.
Application Number | 20020021157 09/510299 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27454844 |
Filed Date | 2002-02-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020021157 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Eto, Satoshi ; et
al. |
February 21, 2002 |
VARIABLE DELAY CIRCUIT AND SEMICONDUCTOR INTEGRATED CIRCUIT
DEVICE
Abstract
A variable delay circuit includes a first gate having a first
delay amount, and a second gate having a second delay amount
greater than the first delay amount. A difference between the first
delay amount and the second delay time is less than the first delay
amount.
Inventors: |
Eto, Satoshi; (Kawasaki-shi,
JP) ; Taguchi, Masao; (Kawasaki-shi, JP) ;
Matsumiya, Masato; (Kawasaki-shi, JP) ; Nakamura,
Toshikazu; (Kawasaki-shi, JP) ; Takita, Masato;
(Kawasaki-shi, JP) ; Higashiho, Mitsuhiro;
(Kasugai-shi, JP) ; Koga, Toru; (Kawasaki-shi,
JP) ; Kano, Hideki; (Kawasaki-shi, JP) ;
Kitamoto, Ayako; (Kawasaki-shi, JP) ; Kawabata,
Kuninori; (Kawasaki-shi, JP) ; Nishimura, Koichi;
(Kawasaki-shi, JP) ; Okajima, Yoshinori;
(Kawasaki-shi, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ARENT FOX KINTNER PLOTKIN & KAHN PLLC
1050 CONNECTICUT AVENUE N W
SUITE 400
WASHINGTON
DC
20036-5339
|
Family ID: |
27454844 |
Appl. No.: |
09/510299 |
Filed: |
February 22, 2000 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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09510299 |
Feb 22, 2000 |
|
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08934783 |
Sep 22, 1997 |
|
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6049239 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
327/277 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H03L 7/087 20130101;
H03L 7/0805 20130101; H04L 7/033 20130101; H03K 5/131 20130101;
G06F 1/10 20130101; H03K 5/133 20130101; H03L 7/07 20130101; H03L
7/0818 20130101; H03L 7/0814 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
327/277 |
International
Class: |
H03L 007/06 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 27, 1996 |
JP |
8-349286 |
Jan 20, 1997 |
JP |
9-008012 |
Jan 31, 1997 |
JP |
9-019213 |
May 16, 1997 |
JP |
9-127586 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A variable delay circuit comprising: a first gate having a first
delay amount; and a second gate having a second delay amount
greater than the first delay amount, a difference between the first
delay amount and the second delay time being less than the first
delay amount.
2. A variable delay circuit comprising: a first gate line which has
first gates cascaded via intermediate nodes and receives an input
signal; a second gate line which has second gates cascaded via
intermediate nodes, the second gates having a delay amount
different from that of the first gates; and switches respectively
connecting the intermediate nodes of the first gate line and those
of the second gate line, one of the switches being closed to
connect the first gate line and the second gate line together so
that the input signal applied to the first gate line passes through
a part of the first gate line, said one of the switches, and a part
of the second gate line.
3. The variable delay circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the
first gate line includes n first gates; and each of the second
gates has the following delay amount:[(n+1)/n]tdwhere td denotes
the delay time of each of the first gates.
4. A variable delay circuit comprising: a first gate line which has
first gates cascaded via intermediate nodes and receives an input
signal; a second gate line which has second gates cascaded via
intermediate nodes; and switches respectively connecting the
intermediate nodes of the first gate line and those of the second
gate line, one of the switches being closed to connect the first
gate line and the second gate line together so that the input
signal applied to the first gate line passes through a part of the
first gate line, said one of the switches, and a part of the second
gate line, the intermediate nodes of the first gate line having a
wiring load different from that of the intermediate nodes of the
second gate line.
5. A variable delay circuit comprising: a first gate line which has
first gates cascaded via intermediate nodes and receives an input
signal; a second gate line which has second gates cascaded via
intermediate nodes, the second gates having a delay amount
different from that of the first gates; switches respectively
connecting the intermediate nodes of the first gate line and those
of the second gate line; and a control circuit which turns ON one
of the switches being closed to connect the first gate line and the
second gate line together so that an output signal obtained by
causing the input signal applied to the first gate line to pass
through a part of the first gate line, said one of the switches,
and a part of the second gate line and the input signal have a
given phase difference.
6. A variable delay circuit comprising: a first gate line which has
first gates cascaded via intermediate nodes and receives an input
signal; a second gate line which has second gates cascaded via
intermediate nodes, the intermediate nodes of the first gate line
having a wiring load different from that of the intermediate nodes
of the second gate line; switches respectively connecting the
intermediate nodes of the first gate line and those of the second
gate line; and a control circuit which turns ON one of the switches
being closed to connect the first gate line and the second gate
line together so that an output signal obtained by causing the
input signal applied to the first gate line to pass through a part
of the first gate line, said one of the switches, and a part of the
second gate line and the input signal have a given phase
difference.
7. The variable delay circuit as claimed in claim 5, wherein said
control circuit comprises: a third gate line which has third gates
cascaded and receives the input signal; a fourth gate line which
has fourth gates cascaded and receives the output signal; phase
comparators which are provided between the intermediate nodes of
the third gate line and those of the fourth gate line and compare
the phases of the input signal and the output signal with each
other at the intermediate nodes; and logic gates each receiving
output signals of two adjacent phase comparators among the phase
comparators, the switches being controlled by respective output
signals of the logic gates.
8. The variable delay circuit as claimed in claim 7, wherein each
of the phase comparators comprises: a first flip-flop connected to
one of the intermediate nodes of the third gate line and one of the
intermediate nodes of the fourth gate line; a second flip-flop
which outputs the output signal of the phase comparator to the
corresponding one of the logic gates; and a gate circuit which is
provided between the first and second flip-flops and supplies
output signals of the first flip-flop to the second flip-flop with
a delay.
9. The variable delay circuit as claimed in claim 6, wherein said
control circuit comprises: a third gate line which has third gates
cascaded and receives the input signal; a fourth gate line which
has fourth gates cascaded and receives the output signal; phase
comparators which are provided between the intermediate nodes of
the third gate line and those of the fourth gate line and compare
the phases of the input signal and the output signal with each
other at the intermediate nodes; and logic gates each receiving
output signals of two adjacent phase comparators among the phase
comparators, the switches being controlled by respective output
signals of the logic gates.
10. The variable delay circuit as claimed in claim 9, wherein each
of the phase comparators comprises: a first flip-flop connected to
one of the intermediate nodes of the third gate line and one of the
intermediate nodes of the fourth gate line; a second flip-flop
which outputs the output signal of the phase comparator to the
corresponding one of the logic gates; and a gate circuit which is
provided between the first and second flip-flops and supplies
output signals of the first flip-flop to the second flip-flop with
a delay.
11. A semiconductor integrated circuit device comprising: a first
DLL (Delayed Locked Loop) circuit which delays an input signal; and
a second DLL circuit which has a precision higher than that of the
first DLL circuit, the first DLL circuit performing a phase control
operation independently of that of the second DLL circuit, a delay
amount control of the second DLL circuit depending on that of the
first DLL circuit, the input signal being delayed by the first and
second DLL circuits so that an output signal thus obtained has a
given phase relationship with the input signal.
12. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
11, wherein: the second DLL circuit is in a reset state when the
first DLL circuit performs the delay amount control; and the second
DLL circuit performs the delay amount control when the input signal
and the output signal are pulled in phase by the first DLL
circuit.
13. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
11, wherein: when the first DLL circuit has a precision td, the
second DLL circuit can control a delay amount including a range of
.+-.td; and when the input signal and the output signal have a
phase difference exceeding the range +td in the first DLL, the
first DLL circuit outputs a reset signal to the second DLL circuit
so that the second DLL circuit is caused to have a predetermined
delay amount.
14. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
13, wherein the predetermined delay amount of the second DLL
circuit is equal to half of a variable delay amount range of the
second DLL circuit.
15. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
12, wherein: each of the first and second DLL circuits has first
and second routes through which the input signal passes; and the
second routes of the first and second DLL circuits are dummy delay
circuits which provide the same delay amounts as those of the first
routes of the first and second DLL circuits.
16. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
11, wherein: the second DLL circuit includes first and second delay
elements having mutually different delay amounts; and a difference
between the delay amounts of the first and second delay elements
corresponds to a precision of the second DLL circuit.
17. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
11, wherein: the first DLL circuit includes first and second
flip-flops; the first flip-flop has a set terminal which receives a
delayed version of a first clock signal related to the input signal
obtained through a first delay element and a reset terminal which
receives a second clock signal related to the output signal; the
second flip-flop has a set terminal which receives a delayed
version of the second clock signal obtained through a second delay
element and a reset terminal which receives the first clock signal;
and output signals of the first and second flip-flops indicating a
result of a phase comparing operation for the phase control
operation.
18. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
17, wherein: each of the first and second flip-flops has first and
second NAND gates; the first NAND gate has a first input terminal
which serves as the set terminal, a second input terminal, and an
output terminal; and the second NAND gate has a first input
terminal which serves as the reset terminal, a second input
terminal which is connected to the output terminal of the first
NAND gate and forms an output terminal Q, and an output terminal
which is connected to the second input terminal of the first NAND
gate and forms an output terminal /Q.
19. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
17, wherein: each of the first and second flip-flops has first and
second NAND gates; the first NAND gate has a first input terminal,
a second input terminal which serves as the set terminal, and an
output terminal; and the second NAND gate has a first input
terminal which is connected to the output terminal of the first
NAND gate and forms an output terminal /Q, a second input terminal
which serves as the reset terminal, and an output terminal which is
connected to the first input terminal of the first NAND gate and
forms an output terminal Q.
20. The semiconductor integrated circuit terminal, as claimed in
claim 18, wherein: each of the first and second NAND gates has
first and second P-channel transistors and first and second
N-channel transistors; the first P-channel transistor has a source
connected to a first power source, a gate connected to a first
input terminal, and a drain connected to an output terminal; the
second P-channel transistor has a source connected to the first
power source, a gate connected to a second input terminal, and a
drain connected to the output terminal; the first N-channel
transistor has a source connected to a drain of the second
N-channel transistor, a gate connected to the first input terminal,
and a drain connected to the output terminal; and the second
N-channel transistor has a source connected to the second power
source, a gate connected to the second input terminal, and the
drain.
21. The semiconductor integrated circuit terminal, as claimed in
claim 19, wherein: each of the first and second NAND gates has
first and second P-channel transistors and first and second
N-channel transistors; the first P-channel transistor has a source
connected to a first power source, a gate connected to a first
input terminal, and a drain connected to an output terminal; the
second P-channel transistor has a source connected to the first
power source, a gate connected to a second input terminal, and a
drain connected to the output terminal; the first N-channel
transistor has a source connected to a drain of the second
N-channel transistor, a gate connected to the first input terminal,
and a drain connected to the output terminal; and the second
N-channel transistor has a source connected to the second power
source, a gate connected to the second input terminal, and the
drain.
22. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
17, wherein the first and second delay elements have a circuit
configuration identical to that of one stage of the first DLL
circuit.
23. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
11, wherein the first and second DLL circuits have respective delay
circuits which are formed by a combination of logic elements.
24. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
16, wherein: the first and second delay elements are formed by
logic elements; and the first delay element has a fan-out different
from that of the second delay element.
25. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
16, wherein: the first and second delay elements are formed by
logic elements; and the first delay element is supplied with a
power supply voltage different from that supplied to the second
delay element.
26. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
11, wherein the second DLL circuit comprises a delay circuit which
includes at least one of a capacitance and a resistance.
27. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
11, wherein the second DLL circuit comprises a delay circuit which
includes a variable capacitance which is controlled so that the
given phase relationship can be obtained.
28. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
11, wherein the second DLL circuit comprises a delay circuit which
includes a variable resistance which is controlled so that the
given phase relationship can be obtained.
29. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
11, wherein the second DLL circuit comprises a delay circuit which
includes a capacitance and resistance which are controlled so that
the given phase relationship can be obtained.
30. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
13, wherein: the second DLL circuit includes a delay circuit having
a shift register; and the predetermined delay amount of the second
DLL circuit corresponds to a center position of the shift
register.
31. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
17, wherein the first and second delay elements include at least
one of a capacitance and a resistance.
32. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
17, wherein the first and second delay elements comprise a variable
capacitance which is controlled so that the given phase
relationship can be obtained.
33. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
17, wherein the first and second delay elements comprise a delay
circuit which includes a variable resistance which is controlled so
that the given phase relationship can be obtained.
34. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
17, wherein the first and second delay elements comprise a delay
circuit which includes a capacitance and resistance which are
controlled so that the given phase relationship can be
obtained.
35. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
11, wherein: the first and second DLL circuits comprise respective
delay circuits; and the delay circuit of the second DLL circuit has
a variable range exceeding that defined by the precision of the
delay circuit of the first DLL circuit.
36. A semiconductor integrated circuit device comprising: a first
DLL (Delayed Locked Loop) circuit which delays an input signal; and
a second DLL circuit which has a precision higher than that of the
first DLL circuit, the second DLL circuit operating independently
of the first DLL circuit, the input signal being delayed by the
first and second DLL circuits so that an output signal thus
obtained has a given phase relationship with the input signal.
37. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
36, wherein: the first DLL circuit comprises a first controller
which performs a delay control so that the input and output signals
have the given phase relationship with the precision of the first
DLL circuit; and the second DLL circuit comprises a second
controller which performs a delay control so that the input and
output signals have the given phase relationship with the precision
of the second DLL circuit.
38. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
37, wherein the second DLL circuit comprises: a comparator which
determines whether the phase difference between the input signal
and the output signal corresponds to one of n predetermined phase
differences where n is an integer; and a delay circuit which has a
delay amount corresponding to said one of the n predetermined phase
differences.
39. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
38, wherein the delay circuit comprises a circuit which provides
delay amounts which respectively correspond to the n predetermined
phase differences.
40. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
38, wherein: said comparator comprises n delay circuits which have
respective delay amounts corresponding to the n phase differences;
and the input signal is compared with output signals of the n delay
circuits.
41. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
36, wherein the second DLL circuit is provided at an output side of
the first DLL circuit.
42. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
38, wherein the delay circuit comprises delay parts having
different delay amounts, each of the delay parts having at least
one of a capacitance and a resistance.
43. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
38, wherein the delay circuit comprises delay parts having
different delay amounts, said delay parts including respective
logic elements having mutually different delay amounts.
44. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
11, further comprising a memory array, wherein data read from the
memory array can be output to an external circuit in synchronism
with the output signal.
46. The semiconductor integrated circuit device as claimed in claim
36, further comprising a memory array, wherein data read from the
memory array can be output to an external circuit in synchronism
with the output signal.
47. A phase comparator circuit comprising: a first flip-flop which
is supplied with first and second signals and makes a decision
whether the first signal leads to the second signal; a first delay
circuit which delays the first signal by a first delay amount; a
second delay circuit which delays the second signal by a second
delay amount different from the first delay amount; and a second
flip-flop which is supplied with an output signal of the first
delay circuit and an output signal of the second delay circuit and
makes a decision whether the output signal of the first delay
circuit leads to the output signal of the second delay circuit.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a variable delay circuit
such as a digital DLL (Delayed Locked Loop) circuit, and a
semiconductor integrated circuit device equipped with such as a DLL
circuit.
[0003] Recently, there has been considerable advance of the
operation speed and integration density of semiconductor integrated
circuit devices. Under the above situation, it is required to
provide a clock signal synchronized with an external clock signal
to a given circuit. More particularly, a synchronous DRAM device
(hereinafter simply referred to as an SDRAM device) is required to
supply a clock signal synchronized with an external clock signal to
output buffer circuits. Such a clock signal can be obtained through
a DLL circuit, which receives the external clock signal. As the
frequency of the DLL circuit is increased, the DLL circuit is
required to be configured with higher precision. In order to meet
the above requirement, the DLL circuit should be equipped with a
variable delay circuit having high precision.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional variable delay
circuit. The circuit shown in FIG. 1 includes a plurality of delay
elements, for example, 10 delay elements G1 through G10, which are
connected in series. Hereinafter, the delay elements G1 through G10
are referred to as gates. Each of the gates G1 through G10 has a
unit delay time td. The inputs of the gates G1 through G10 are
operably connected to an input node IN through switches SW1 through
SW10, respectively. The output of the gate G10 is connected to an
output node OUT.
[0006] The ON/OFF of the switches SW1 through SW10 are controlled
by a control circuit, which is not shown in FIG. 1. The control
circuit closes one of the switches SW1 through SW10 in accordance
to a necessary delay time. In FIG. 1, only the switch SW7 is
closed. A signal applied to the input node IN passes through four
gates G7 through G10 and is thus delayed by 4 td. That is, the
output signal obtained at the output node OUT lags behind the input
signal applied to the input node IN by 4 td. The variable delay
circuit is capable of defining the delay time between td and 10 td
by selecting one of the switches SW1 through SW10.
[0007] It should be noted that the variable delay circuit shown in
FIG. 1 can provide the delay times equal to an integer multiple of
the unit delay time td. In other words, the variable delay circuit
shown in FIG. 1 cannot define the delay time at a precision (step)
less than the unit delay time td. For example, the circuit cannot
define a delay time of 2.5 td.
[0008] If a semiconductor integrated circuit device such as an
SDRAM device operates at a relatively low operation frequency, the
conventional delay circuit shown in FIG. 1 can be equipped with the
device. The digital DLL circuit built in the SDRAM device produces
an internal clock signal synchronized the external clock signal.
Hence, an influence of a clock signal line formed on the SDRAM
device can be eliminated from the internal clock signal, and data
can be output to the outside of the device in synchronism with the
external clock signal. However, if the SDRAM device is required to
operate at a frequency as high as 100 MHz, the DLL circuit which
should be mounted on the SDRAM device is required to have a
capability of finer delay control.
[0009] As has been described previously, the digital DLL circuit
has a delay circuit made up of a plurality of gates (unit delay
circuits) connected in series, the gates being formed of logic
gates. Usually, the unit delay circuit has a minimum delay time
approximately equal to 200 ps. In order to realize the SDRAM device
which operates at an operation frequency equal to or higher than
100 MHz, the digital DLL circuit is required to realize a fine
delay control in which a delay time less than 200 ps can be
controlled. In principle, the precision of the delay control can be
improved by using a unit delay circuit having a delay time less
than 200 ps.
[0010] However, the DLL circuit employing such a fine unit delay
circuit requires a large number of unit delay elements in order to
ensure a certain delay time. In this case, an increased circuit
scale should be realized on the chip.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel
and useful variable delay circuit capable of controlling the delay
time with a high precision.
[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
compact variable delay circuit which can be configured without an
increase in the circuit scale.
[0013] A further object of the present invention is to provide a
semiconductor integrated circuit device equipped with a variable
delay circuit as described above.
[0014] The above objects of the present invention are achieved by a
variable delay circuit comprising: a first gate having a first
delay amount; and a second gate having a second delay amount
greater than the first delay amount, a difference between the first
delay amount and the second delay time being less than the first
delay amount.
[0015] The above objects of the present invention are also achieved
by a variable delay circuit comprising: a first gate line which has
first gates cascaded via intermediate nodes and receives an input
signal; a second gate line which has second gates cascaded via
intermediate nodes, the second gates having a delay amount
different from that of the first gates; and switches respectively
connecting the intermediate nodes of the first gate line and those
of the second gate line. One of the switches is closed to connect
the first gate line and the second gate line together so that the
input signal applied to the first gate line passes through a part
of the first gate line, the one of the switches, and a part of the
second gate line.
[0016] The above variable delay circuit may be configured so that:
the first gate line includes n first gates; and each of the second
gates has the following delay amount:
[(n+1)/n]td
[0017] where td denotes the delay time of each of the first
gates.
[0018] The above objects of the present invention are also achieved
by a variable delay circuit comprising: a first gate line which has
first gates cascaded via intermediate nodes and receives an input
signal; a second gate line which has second gates cascaded via
intermediate nodes; and switches respectively connecting the
intermediate nodes of the first gate line and those of the second
gate line. One of the switches is closed to connect the first gate
line and the second gate line together so that the input signal
applied to the first gate line passes through a part of the first
gate line, the one of the switches, and a part of the second gate
line, the intermediate nodes of the first gate line having a wiring
load different from that of the intermediate nodes of the second
gate line.
[0019] The above objects of the present invention are also achieved
by a variable delay circuit comprising: a first gate line which has
first gates cascaded via intermediate nodes and receives an input
signal; a second gate line which has second gates cascaded via
intermediate nodes, the second gates having a delay amount
different from that of the first gates; switches respectively
connecting the intermediate nodes of the first gate line and those
of the second gate line; and a control circuit which turns ON one
of the switches being closed to connect the first gate line and the
second gate line together so that an output signal obtained by
causing the input signal applied to the first gate line to pass
through a part of the first gate line, the one of the switches, and
a part of the second gate line and the input signal have a given
phase difference.
[0020] The above objects of the present invention are also achieved
by a variable delay circuit comprising: a first gate line which has
first gates cascaded via intermediate nodes and receives an input
signal; a second gate line which has second gates cascaded via
intermediate nodes, the intermediate nodes of the first gate line
having a wiring load different from that of the intermediate nodes
of the second gate line; switches respectively connecting the
intermediate nodes of the first gate line and those of the second
gate line; and a control circuit which turns ON one of the switches
being closed to connect the first gate line and the second gate
line together so that an output signal obtained by causing the
input signal applied to the first gate line to pass through a part
of the first gate line, the one of the switches, and a part of the
second gate line and the input signal have a given phase
difference.
[0021] The above variable delay circuit may be configured so that
the control circuit comprises: a third gate line which has third
gates cascaded and receives the input signal; a fourth gate line
which has fourth gates cascaded and receives the output signal;
phase comparators which are provided between the intermediate nodes
of the third gate line and those of the fourth gate line and
compare the phases of the input signal and the output signal with
each other at the intermediate nodes; and logic gates each
receiving output signals of two adjacent phase comparators among
the phase comparators. The switches are controlled by respective
output signals of the logic gates.
[0022] The above variable delay circuit may be configured so that
each of the phase comparators comprises: a first flip-flop
connected to one of the intermediate nodes of the third gate line
and one of the intermediate nodes of the fourth gate line; a second
flip-flop which outputs the output signal of the phase comparator
to the corresponding one of the logic gates; and a gate circuit
which is provided between the first and second flip-flops and
supplies output signals of the first flip-flop to the second
flip-flop with a delay.
[0023] The above variable delay circuit may be configured so that
the control circuit comprises: a third gate line which has third
gates cascaded and receives the input signal; a fourth gate line
which has fourth gates cascaded and receives the output signal;
phase comparators which are provided between the intermediate nodes
of the third gate line and those of the fourth gate line and
compare the phases of the input signal and the output signal with
each other at the intermediate nodes; and logic gates each
receiving output signals of two adjacent phase comparators among
the phase comparators. The switches are controlled by respective
output signals of the logic gates.
[0024] The above variable delay circuit may be configured so that
each of the phase comparators comprises: a first flip-flop
connected to one of the intermediate nodes of the third gate line
and one of the intermediate nodes of the fourth gate line; a second
flip-flop which outputs the output signal of the phase comparator
to the corresponding one of the logic gates; and a gate circuit
which is provided between the first and second flip-flops and
supplies output signals of the first flip-flop to the second
flip-flop with a delay.
[0025] The above objects of the present invention are also achieved
by a semiconductor integrated circuit device comprising: a first
DLL (Delayed Locked Loop) circuit which delays an input signal; and
a second DLL circuit which has a precision higher than that of the
first DLL circuit, the first DLL circuit performing a phase control
operation independently of that of the second DLL circuit, a delay
amount control of the second DLL circuit depending on that of the
first DLL circuit, and the input signal being delayed by the first
and second DLL circuits so that an output signal thus obtained has
a given phase relationship with the input signal.
[0026] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that: the second DLL circuit is in a reset state when
the first DLL circuit performs the delay amount control; and the
second DLL circuit performs the delay amount control when the input
signal and the output signal are pulled in phase by the first DLL
circuit.
[0027] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that: when the first DLL circuit has a precision td,
the second DLL circuit can control a delay amount including a range
of .+-.td; and when the input signal and the output signal have a
phase difference exceeding the range .+-.td in the first DLL, the
first DLL circuit outputs a reset signal to the second DLL circuit
so that the second DLL circuit is caused to have a predetermined
delay amount.
[0028] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that the predetermined delay amount of the second DLL
circuit is equal to half of a variable delay amount range of the
second DLL circuit.
[0029] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that: each of the first and second DLL circuits has
first and second routes through which the input signal passes; and
the second routes of the first and second DLL circuits are dummy
delay circuits which provide the same delay amounts as those of the
first routes of the first and second DLL circuits.
[0030] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that: the second DLL circuit includes first and
second delay elements having mutually different delay amounts; and
a difference between the delay amounts of the first and second
delay elements corresponds to a precision of the second DLL
circuit.
[0031] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that: the first DLL circuit includes first and second
flip-flops; the first flip-flop has a set terminal which receives a
delayed version of a first clock signal related to the input signal
obtained through a first delay element and a reset terminal which
receives a second clock signal related to the output signal; the
second flip-flop has a set terminal which receives a delayed
version of the second clock signal obtained through a second delay
element and a reset terminal which receives the first clock signal;
and output signals of the first and second flip-flops indicating a
result of a phase comparing operation for the phase control
operation.
[0032] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that: each of the first and second flip-flops has
first and second NAND gates; the first NAND gate has a first input
terminal which serves as the set terminal, a second input terminal,
and an output terminal; and the second NAND gate has a first input
terminal which serves as the reset terminal, a second input
terminal which is connected to the output terminal of the first
NAND gate and forms an output terminal Q, and an output terminal
which is connected to the second input terminal of the first NAND
gate and forms an output terminal/Q.
[0033] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that: each of the first and second flip-flops has
first and second NAND gates; the first NAND gate has a first input
terminal, a second input terminal which serves as the set terminal,
and an output terminal; and the second NAND gate has a first input
terminal which is connected to the output terminal of the first
NAND gate and forms an output terminal/Q, a second input terminal
which serves as the reset terminal, and an output terminal which is
connected to the first input terminal of the first NAND gate and
forms an output terminal Q.
[0034] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that: each of the first and second NAND gates has
first and second P-channel transistors and first and second
N-channel transistors; the first P-channel transistor has a source
connected to a first power source, a gate connected to a first
input terminal, and a drain connected to an output terminal; the
second P-channel transistor has a source connected to the first
power source, a gate connected to a second input terminal, and a
drain connected to the output terminal; the first N-channel
transistor has a source connected to a drain of the second
N-channel transistor, a gate connected to the first input terminal,
and a drain connected to the output terminal; and the second
N-channel transistor has a source connected to the second power
source, a gate connected to the second input terminal, and the
drain.
[0035] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that: each of the first and second NAND gates has
first and second P-channel transistors and first and second
N-channel transistors; the first P-channel transistor has a source
connected to a first power source, a gate connected to a first
input terminal, and a drain connected to an output terminal; the
second P-channel transistor has a source connected to the first
power source, a gate connected to a second input terminal, and a
drain connected to the output terminal; the first N-channel
transistor has a source connected to a drain of the second
N-channel transistor, a gate connected to the first input terminal,
and a drain connected to the output terminal; and the second
N-channel transistor has a source connected to the second power
source, a gate connected to the second input terminal, and the
drain.
[0036] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that the first and second delay elements have a
circuit configuration identical to that of one stage of the first
DLL circuit.
[0037] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that the first and second DLL circuits have
respective delay circuits which are formed by a combination of
logic elements.
[0038] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that: the first and second delay elements are formed
by logic elements; and the first delay element has a fan-out
different from that of the second delay element.
[0039] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that: the first and second delay elements are formed
by logic elements; and the first delay element is supplied with a
power supply voltage different from that supplied to the second
delay element.
[0040] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that the second DLL circuit comprises a delay circuit
which includes at least one of a capacitance and a resistance.
[0041] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that the second DLL circuit comprises a delay circuit
which includes a variable capacitance which is controlled so that
the given phase relationship can be obtained.
[0042] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that the second DLL circuit comprises a delay circuit
which includes a variable resistance which is controlled so that
the given phase relationship can be obtained.
[0043] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that the second DLL circuit comprises a delay circuit
which includes a capacitance and resistance which are controlled so
that the given phase relationship can be obtained.
[0044] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that: the second DLL circuit includes a delay circuit
having a shift register; and the predetermined delay amount of the
second DLL circuit corresponds to a center position of the shift
register.
[0045] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that the first and second delay elements include at
least one of a capacitance and a resistance.
[0046] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that the first and second delay elements comprise a
variable capacitance which is controlled so that the given phase
relationship can be obtained.
[0047] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that the first and second delay elements comprise a
delay circuit which includes a variable resistance which is
controlled so that the given phase relationship can be
obtained.
[0048] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that the first and second delay elements comprise a
delay circuit which includes a capacitance and resistance which are
controlled so that the given phase relationship can be
obtained.
[0049] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that: the first and second DLL circuits comprise
respective delay circuits; and the delay circuit of the second DLL
circuit has a variable range exceeding that defined by the
precision of the delay circuit of the first DLL circuit.
[0050] The aforementioned objects of the present invention are
achieved by a semiconductor integrated circuit device comprising: a
first DLL (Delayed Locked Loop) circuit which delays an input
signal; and a second DLL circuit which has a precision higher than
that of the first DLL circuit, the second DLL circuit operating
independently of the first DLL circuit, the input signal being
delayed by the first and second DLL circuits so that an output
signal thus obtained has a given phase relationship with the input
signal.
[0051] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that: the first DLL circuit comprises a first
controller which performs a delay control so that the input and
output signals have the given phase relationship with the precision
of the first DLL circuit; and the second DLL circuit comprises a
second controller which performs a delay control so that the input
and output signals have the given phase relationship with the
precision of the second DLL circuit.
[0052] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that the second DLL circuit comprises: a comparator
which determines whether the phase difference between the input
signal and the output signal corresponds to one of n predetermined
phase differences where n is an integer; and a delay circuit which
has a delay amount corresponding to the one of the n predetermined
phase differences.
[0053] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that the delay circuit comprises a circuit which
provides delay amounts which respectively correspond to the n
predetermined phase differences.
[0054] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that: the comparator comprises n delay circuits which
have respective delay amounts corresponding to the n phase
differences; and the input signal is compared with output signals
of the n delay circuits.
[0055] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that the second DLL circuit is provided at an output
side of the first DLL circuit.
[0056] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that the delay circuit comprises delay parts having
different delay amounts, each of the delay parts having at least
one of a capacitance and a resistance.
[0057] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may be
configured so that the delay circuit comprises delay parts having
different delay amounts, the delay parts including respective logic
elements having mutually different delay amounts.
[0058] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may
further comprise a memory array, wherein data read from the memory
array can be output to an external circuit in synchronism with the
output signal.
[0059] The above semiconductor integrated circuit device may
further comprise a memory array, wherein data read from the memory
array can be output to an external circuit in synchronism with the
output signal.
[0060] It is another object of the present invention to provide a
phase comparator circuit comprising: a first flip-flop which is
supplied with first and second signals and makes a decision whether
the first signal leads to the second signal; a first delay circuit
which delays the first signal by a first delay amount; a second
delay circuit which delays the second signal by a second delay
amount different from the first delay amount; and a second
flip-flop which is supplied with an output signal of the first
delay circuit and an output signal of the second delay circuit and
makes a decision whether the output signal of the first delay
circuit leads to the output signal of the second delay circuit.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0061] Another objects, features and advantages of the present
invention will become more apparent from the following detailed
description when read in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, in which:
[0062] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional variable delay
circuit;
[0063] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a variable delay circuit
configured according to the principle of the present invention;
[0064] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a phase comparator circuit
configured according to the principle of the present invention;
[0065] FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of a variable delay circuit;
[0066] FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram of a configuration of phase
comparators shown in FIG. 3;
[0067] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a semiconductor integrated
circuit device (digital DLL circuit device) according to an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0068] FIG. 7 is a timing chart of an outline of the operations of
the device shown in FIG. 6;
[0069] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a carry-up operation of the
device shown in FIG. 6;
[0070] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a carry-down operation of the
device shown in FIG. 6;
[0071] FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram of a frequency divider shown in
FIG. 6;
[0072] FIG. 11 is a waveform diagram of signals observed at nodes
of the frequency divider shown in FIG. 10;
[0073] FIG. 12 is a timing chart of an operation of the device
related to the operation of the frequency divider;
[0074] FIGS. 13A, 13B and 13C are diagrams of a delay circuit which
can be employed in the device shown in FIG. 6;
[0075] FIG. 14 is a circuit diagram of a delay control circuit used
in block 3 of the device shown in FIG. 6;
[0076] FIG. 15 is a timing chart of an operation of the delay
control circuit shown in FIG. 14;
[0077] FIG. 16 is a circuit diagram of a phase comparator part of a
phase comparator circuit used in block 3 of the device shown in
FIG. 6;
[0078] FIGS. 17A, 17B and 17C are diagrams of an operation of the
phase comparator part shown in FIG. 16;
[0079] FIG. 18 is a circuit diagram of an amplifier part of the
phase comparator circuit used in the device shown in FIG. 6;
[0080] FIG. 19 is a timing chart of an operation of a JK flip-flop
used in the amplifier part shown in FIG. 18;
[0081] FIG. 20 is a timing chart of an operation of the amplifier
part which is carried out when a count-up operation is
performed;
[0082] FIG. 21 is a timing chart of an operation of the amplifier
part which is carried out when no count operation is carried
out;
[0083] FIG. 22 is a timing chart of an operation of the amplifier
part which is carried out when a count-down operation is
performed;
[0084] FIG. 23 is a circuit diagram of a configuration of a fine
delay circuit used in the device shown in FIG. 6;
[0085] FIG. 24 is a circuit diagram of a phase comparator part of a
phase comparator circuit employed in block 10 shown in FIG. 6;
[0086] FIGS. 25A, 25B and 25C are timing charts of operations of
the phase comparator circuit shown in FIG. 24;
[0087] FIG. 26 is a circuit diagram of a delay control circuit
employed in block 10 shown in FIG. 6;
[0088] FIG. 27 is a circuit diagram of a NAND gate used to form the
flip-flop
[0089] FIG. 28 is a circuit diagram of another configuration of the
fine delay circuit used in block 10 shown in FIG. 6;
[0090] FIG. 29 is a block diagram of a variation of the device
shown in FIG. 6;
[0091] FIG. 30 is a block diagram of a semiconductor integrated
circuit device (digital DLL circuit) according to another
embodiment of the present invention;
[0092] FIG. 31 is a circuit diagram of a phase comparator part of a
phase comparator circuit used in block 3 shown in FIG. 30;
[0093] FIGS. 32A, 32B and 32C are timing charts of operations of
the phase comparator part shown in FIG. 31;
[0094] FIG. 33 is a circuit diagram of a fine delay circuit used in
block 10 shown in FIG. 30;
[0095] FIG. 34 is a circuit diagram of a fine dummy delay circuit
used in block 10 shown in FIG. 30;
[0096] FIG. 35 is a circuit diagram of a fine phase comparator part
used in block 10 shown in FIG. 30;
[0097] FIGS. 36A, 36B, 36C and 36D are timing charts of operations
of the fine phase comparator circuit shown in FIG. 35;
[0098] FIG. 37 is a circuit diagram of another configuration of the
fine delay circuit used in block 10 shown in FIG. 30;
[0099] FIG. 38 is a circuit diagram of another configuration of the
fine dummy delay circuit used in block 10 shown in FIG. 30;
[0100] FIG. 39 is a circuit diagram of another configuration of the
fine phase comparator circuit used in block 10 shown in FIG.
30;
[0101] FIGS. 40A, 40B, 40C and 40D are timing charts of operations
of the fine phase comparator circuit shown in FIG. 39;
[0102] FIG. 41 is a block diagram of an SDRAM device to which the
digital DLL circuit of the present invention can be applied;
[0103] FIG. 42 is a timing chart of an outline of the operation of
the SDRAM device shown in FIG. 41;
[0104] FIG. 43 is a block diagram of parts of the SDRAM device
shown in FIG. 41;
[0105] FIG. 44 is a circuit diagram of an output circuit of the
device shown in FIG. 41; and
[0106] FIG. 45 is a circuit diagram of a dummy output circuit shown
in FIG. 29.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0107] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a variable delay circuit which
is configured in accordance with the present invention. The
variable delay circuit shown in FIG. 2 includes 10 gates (unit
delay elements or circuits) G1 through G10, each having the unit
delay time td. Further, the variable delay circuit shown in FIG. 2
includes 9 gates G11 through G19 connected in series. Each of the
gates G11 through G11 has a delay time loner than the delay time td
of the gates G1 through G10. The delay time of the gates G11
through G19 is equal to, for example, 1.1 td. The difference
between the delay time of the gates G1-G5 and that of the gates
G11-G15 is less than the shorter delay time, that is, the delay
time of the gates G1-G5.
[0108] Further, the variable delay circuit shown in FIG. 2 has 10
switches SW0 through SW9. The switch SW0 is provided between the
input node IN and the gate Gi. The switches SW1 through SW9 are
provided intermediate nodes n11-n19 and intermediate nodes n1-n9,
respectively. The gates G1 through G10 connected in series form a
first gate line, and the gates G11 through G19 connected in serial
form a second gate line. The gates G1 through G19 can be formed of
logic elements such as inverters.
[0109] An input signal is applied to the input node IN, and is
delayed by a selected delay time. An output signal thus delayed is
obtained via the output node OUT.
[0110] The ON/OFF control of the 10 switches SW0 through SW9 is
carried out by a control circuit, which is not shown in FIG. 2 for
the sake of simplicity. The control circuit closes one of the
switches SW0 through SW9 in accordance with the required delay
time.
[0111] In FIG. 2, only the switch SW6 is closed. In this case, the
input signal applied to the input node IN passes through gates G11,
G12, G13, G14, G16, G16, G7, G8, G9 and G10 in this sequence, and
is applied to the output node OUT. Hence, a delay time of 10.6 td
can be obtained as follows:
6.times.1.1td+4.times.td=1.6 td.
[0112] If only the switch SW0 is closed, a delay time of 10 td can
be obtained. If only the switch SW1 is closed, a delay time of 10.1
td can be obtained. In this manner, the variable delay circuit
shown in FIG. 2 can define the variable delay time between 10 td
and 10.9 td with a precision of 0.1 td, and thus has a precision
that is ten times that of the circuit shown in FIG. 1.
[0113] The first gate line is not limited to 10 gates, but is
equipped with an arbitrary number of gates. In general, when the
first gate line is made up of n gates (n is an integer), the second
gate line is equipped with gates, each having a delay time equal to
(n+1)/n.td.
[0114] Various modifications of the circuit shown in FIG. 2 can be
made. For example, four gates each having a delay time 2.2 td can
be employed instead of the gates G1l through G19. Switches are
provided to the outputs of the four gates. In this case, the
variable delay circuit has the variable delay between 10 td and
10.8 td with a precision of 0.2 td.
[0115] As has been described, the gate G1l has a longer delay time
than the gate G1, and has 1.1 times the delay time of the gate G1.
The delay time of each gate can be adjusted in various manners. For
example, if the gates G1-G19 have a CMOS structure, the P-channel
MOS transistor and the N-channel MOS transistor are formed so as to
have a mutually different size (one of the channel length and the
channel width). In another manner, a capacitor or a resistor is
coupled to the output of each gate so that a longer unit delay time
can be obtained.
[0116] The switches SW0 through SW9 can be formed of MOS
transistors. In this case, the transistors can be turned ON and OFF
by controlling the gate potentials thereof.
[0117] A description will now be given of an embodiment of the
present invention in which the variable delay circuit shown in FIG.
2 is applied to a phase synchronizing circuit which can produce an
internal clock signal synchronized with the external clock
signal.
[0118] The above phase synchronizing circuit includes the variable
delay circuit shown in FIG. 2 and a phase comparator circuit shown
in FIG. 3. An internal clock signal Int.CLK which should be
synchronized with an external clock signal Ext.CLK is applied to
the input node IN of the variable delay circuit shown in FIG. 2.
The variable delay circuit shown in FIG. 2 can delay the internal
clock signal Int.CLK with the delay time between 10 td and 10.9 td
with a precision of 0.1 td. The delay time of the internal clock
signal Int.CLK can be selected by the phase comparator circuit
shown in FIG. 3.
[0119] Referring to FIG. 3, the phase comparator circuit includes a
first gate line having gates I1 through I10 and a second gate line
having gates I11 through I20. The gates I1 through I10 have a delay
time td, and the gates I11 through I20 have a delay time 1.1 td.
The gates I1 through I20 can be formed of inverters. The first gate
line has 11 nodes NO through N10, and the second gate line has 11
nodes N0' through N20, as shown in FIG. 3.
[0120] The phase comparator circuit includes 11 phase comparators 0
through 10. The phase comparator 0 is connected between the nodes
N0 and N0'. The phase comparators 1 through 10 are connected
between the nodes N1-N10 and N11-N20, respectively.
[0121] The first gate line is supplied with the external clock
signal Ext.CLK, which is delayed by the delay time 10 td. The
delayed external clock signal Ext.CLK is output via the output node
OUT. The second gate line is supplied with the internal clock
signal Int.CLK, which is delayed by the gates I11 through I20. The
internal clock signal Int.CLK is also applied to the input node IN
of the variable delay circuit shown in FIG. 2. At the nodes N1i
(i=1, 2, . . . , 10) of the second gate line, delayed internal
clock signals having delay times equal to i.times.1.1 td can be
obtained. The phase comparators 0 through 10 compare the signals
obtained at the nodes N0-N10 with the signals obtained at the nodes
N0'-N20. For example, the comparator 1 compares the signal obtained
at the node N1 with the signal obtained at the node N11. If the
phase of the signal obtained at the node N11 leads to the phase of
the signal obtained at the node N1, the phase comparator 1 outputs
a binary logic 1 signal to its node a. If the phase of the signal
obtained at the node N11 lags behind the phase of the signal
obtained at the node N1, the phase comparator 1 outputs a binary
logic 0 signal to the node a.
[0122] The phase comparator circuit shown in FIG. 3 further
includes exclusive-OR gates EOR1 through EOR10. Each of the
exclusive-OR gates EOR1 through EOR10 receives the output signals
of the two adjacent phase comparators, and makes a decision as to
whether the two signals indicate the same logic level as each
other. The decision results of the exclusive-OR gates EOR1 to EOR10
are applied to the switches SW0 to SW9 shown in FIG. 2. For
example, the exclusive-OR gate EOR2 receives the output signals of
the phase comparators 1 and 2, and compares the logic levels
thereof with each other. If the logic levels of the signals are the
same as each other, the switch SW1 is supplied with one of the
output signals of the comparators 1 and 2. If the logic levels of
the signals are not the same as each other,the switch SW1 is
supplied with the other output signal.
[0123] A description will now be given of the operation of the
phase synchronizing circuit made up of the circuits shown in FIGS.
2 and 3.
[0124] The phase synchronizing circuit operates as follows, when
the external clock signal Ext.CLK and the internal clock signal
Int.CLK have almost the same phase as each other. In this case, the
phase of the internal clock signal obtained at the node N0'
slightly leads to the phase of the external clock signal obtained
at the node N0. Hence, the phase comparator 0 outputs the output
signal indicative of logic 1. The remaining phase comparators 1-9
output the output signals indicative of logic 0 because the phase
of the external clock signal leads to the phase of the internal
clock signal at the respective nodes.
[0125] Only the exclusive-OR gate EOR1 among the gates EOR1-EOR10
outputs the logic level different from the logic levels of the
other gates EOR2-EOR10. Hence, only the switch SW0 is closed while
the switches SW1-SW9 are maintained in the open state. Hence, the
internal clock signal Int.CLK applied to the input node IN shown in
FIG. 2 is delayed by the delay time equal to 10 td, and is then
output to the output node OUT. In the phase comparator circuit
shown in FIG. 3, the external clock signal Ext.CLK is delayed by
the delay time equal to 10 td, and is then output to the output
node OUT. Originally, the internal clock signal and the external
clock signal are in phase. Hence, the delayed internal clock signal
obtained at the output node OUT shown in FIG. 2 has the same phase
as that of the delayed external clock signal obtained at the output
node OUT shown in FIG. 3.
[0126] The phase synchronizing circuit operates as follows if the
phase of the internal clock signal Int.CLK leads to that of the
external clock signal Ext.CLK. It will now be assumed that the
phase of the internal clock signal Int.CLK leads to that of the
external clock signal Ext.CLK by a time of 0.1 td. In this case,
the phase comparators 0 and 1 output the logic 1 signals, while the
other phase comparators 210 output the logic 0 signals. Hence, only
the exclusive-OR gate EOR2 turns ON the corresponding switch SW1,
while the other exclusive-OR gates EOR1 and EOR3-EOR10 maintain the
corresponding switches in the open state. Hence, the internal clock
signal Int.CLK is delayed by the delay time 10.1 td and is then
output to the output node OUT shown in FIG. 2. The external clock
signal Ext.CLK is delayed by the delay time 10 td, and is then
output to the output node OUT shown in FIG. 3. Originally, the
internal clock signal leads to the external clock signal by the
time 0.1 td. Hence, the phase of the internal clock signal obtained
at the output node OUT shown in FIG. 2 coincides with that of the
internal clock signal obtained at the output node OUT shown in FIG.
3.
[0127] FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of a detailed configuration of
the variable delay circuit shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows 10 stages
of gates G1-G10, while FIG. 4 shows 5 stages of gates G1-G5 for the
sake of simplicity.
[0128] Each of the gates G1 through G5 shown in FIG. 4 is made up
of a NAND gate and an inverter. Each of the gates G1-G10 has the
same structure as shown in FIG. 4. Similarly, each of the gates
G11-G15 is made up of a NAND gate and an inverter. Each of the
gates G11-G19 shown in FIG. 2 has the same structure as shown in
FIG. 4. Each of the switches SW0 to SW4 is formed of a NAND gate.
When the output signal of the corresponding exclusive-OR gate is
low, the output signals of the switches SW0-SW4 is fixed at the
high level irrespective of the logic levels of the signals supplied
thereto from the second gate line. Hence, the signals from the
gates of the second gate line are not applied to the first gate
line including the gates G1-G5. Each of the gates G1-G5 of the
first gate line functions as a two-stage inverter, and similarly
each of the gates G11-G15 of the second gate line functions as a
two-stage inverter.
[0129] Each of the switches SW0-SW4 supplies the corresponding one
of the gates G1-G5 of the first gate line with the inverted version
of the signal from the corresponding one of the gates G11-G15 of
the second gate line, when the output signal of the corresponding
exclusive-OR gate is high. In this case, each of the gates G1-G5 of
the first gate line functions as a two-stage inverter, and
similarly each of the gates G11-G15 of the second gate line
functions as a two-stage inverter.
[0130] In FIG. 4, only the switch SW2 is closed, and the signal
applied to the input node IN passes through the gates G11, G12, the
switch SW2, and the gates G3-G5.
[0131] It should be noted that the gates G11-G15 of the second gate
line have the same circuit configuration and transistor size as
those of the gates G1-G5 of the first gate line. That is, the delay
time of the gates G1-G5 is the same as that of the gates G11-G15.
However, the NAND gates respectively serving as the switches
SW0-SW4 are connected to intermediate nodes n11-n14. Hence, the
wiring loads between the adjacent gates of the second gate line are
greater than those between the adjacent gates of the first gate
line. The difference between the wiring loads of the first and
second gate lines makes the delay time of each of the gates G11-G15
longer than longer than that of each of the gates G1-G5.
[0132] FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram of another configuration of the
phase comparator circuit. The circuit shown in FIG. 5 includes a
first flip-flop circuit FF-12, a pulse signal generating circuit
91, a second flip-flop circuit FF-34, and a gate circuit 92. The
first flip-flop circuit FF-12 receives the internal clock signal
Int.CLK and the external clock signal Ext.CLK. The pulse signal
generating circuit 91 detects a state in which both the internal
and external clock signals are high, and generates a pulse signal
having a given constant width from the time that the above state is
detected. The second flip-flop circuit FF-34 receives the two
output signals of the first flip-flop circuit FF-12. The gate
circuit 92 inverts the output signals of the flip-flop circuit
FF-12 in accordance with the pulse signal produced by the pulse
signal generating circuit 91, and supplies the inverted versions of
the output signals of the first flip-flop circuit FF-12 to the
second flip-flop circuit FF-34.
[0133] A description will now be given of an operation of the phase
comparator circuit shown in FIG. 5. In the initial state, the
internal clock signal Int.CLK and the external clock signal Ext.CLK
are both low, and the output nodes a and b of the first flip-flop
circuit FF-12 are both high. The first flip-flop circuit FF-12
inverts the output node from the high level to the low level, at
which output node either the internal clock signal Int.CLK or the
external clock signal Ext.CLK rises in advance of the other. For
example, the internal clock signal Int.CLK rises earlier than the
external clock signal Ext.CLK, the output node a is changed from
the high level to the low level, while the output node b is
maintained at the high level.
[0134] Then, the internal clock signal Int.CLK and the external
clock signal Ext.CLK both switch to the high level. When the output
state of the first flip-flop circuit FF-12 is settled, the pulse
signal generating circuit 91 outputs the pulse signal to the gate
circuit 92. The gate circuit 92 is opened by the above pulse
signal, and the output signals of the nodes a and b of the first
flip-flop circuit FF-12 are inverted by the gate circuit 92, and
are then supplied to the second flip-flop circuit FF-34. The
circuit FF-34 latches the output signals of the gate circuit 92,
and supplies the output node OUT with the signal which is
equivalent to the inverted version of the signal obtained at the
node d shown in FIG. 5.
[0135] As described above, the phase comparator circuit shown in
FIG. 5 outputs the low-level signal to the output node OUT when the
internal clock signal Int.CLK rises in advance of that of the
external clock signal Ext. CLK, and outputs the high-level signal
to the output node OUT when the internal clock signal Int.CLK rise
after the external clock signal Ext.CLK rises.
[0136] A description will now be given of an application of the
above-mentioned variable delay circuit to the digital DLL circuit.
In short, the DLL circuit of the present invention is characterized
not only by the variable delay circuit but also unique
configurations. Examples of the unique configurations are use of
two DLL lines having different precision values, use of a frequency
divider, a delay control of the variable delay circuit, and the
configuration of the phase comparator circuit.
[0137] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a digital DLL circuit device
according to an embodiment of the present invention. The
configuration shown in FIG. 6 can be formed by a semiconductor
integrated circuit technique. The device shown in FIG. 6 includes a
first DLL circuit 3 and a second DLL circuit 10. The second DLL
circuit 10 is located at the output side of the first DLL circuit
3, and a precision higher than that of the first DLL circuit 3. An
input clock signal is externally supplied to a clock input pad 1
and an input circuit 21 functioning as a clocked buffer, and is
subjected to a delay control by the first DLL circuit 3. The
delayed clock signal that is output by the first DLL circuit 3 is
delayed by the second DLL circuit 10 with a precision higher than
of the first DLL circuit 3. Hence, an output (internal) clock
signal having a given phase relationship with the input clock
signal applied to the pad 1 can be produced. The output signal of
the second DLL circuit 10 is applied, through a clock signal line,
to an output circuit 51 connected to a data bus. The output circuit
51 buffers data on the data bus in synchronism with the output
clock signal supplied from the second DLL circuit 10, and outputs
the buffered data to a data output pad 6.
[0138] The DLL circuit shown in FIG. 6 includes a dummy output
circuit 41, a dummy input circuit 42 and a dummy circuit 43. The
dummy output circuit 41 has a delay amount (time) equal to the sum
of the delay amount of the clock signal line from the second DLL
circuit 3 to the output circuit 51 and the delay amount within the
output circuit 51. The dummy circuit 42 has the same delay amount
as that of the input circuit 21. The dummy circuit 43 has a given
delay amount, which will be described later.
[0139] The first DLL circuit 3 and the second DLL circuit 10
operate separately. In other words, the phase comparing operation
of the first DLL circuit 3 is carried out independently of that of
the second DLL circuit 10. More particularly, the clock signal
obtained from the dummy output circuit 41 via the dumpy input
circuit 42 is independently phase-compared with the input clock
signal from the input circuit 21, so that a given phase difference
can be obtained. The given phase difference corresponds to k
periods (k is an integer equal to or greater than 1) by which the
clock signal on the dummy circuit side lags behind the input clock
signal. In this case, the input clock signal on the dummy circuit
side can be handled so that it is substantially in phase with the
input clock signal, although the former clock signal actually lags
behind the later clock signal by the k periods. Hence, data output
by the output circuit 51 can be synchronized with the input clock
signal applied to the clock input pad 1.
[0140] The control of the delay amount of the second DLL circuit 10
is followed by the control of the delay-amount of the first DLL
circuit 3. More particularly, the second DLL circuit 10 is in a
reset state in response to a reset signal from the first DLL
circuit 3 when the first DLL circuit 3 is executing the delay
control. The second DLL circuit 10 is in a state in which the delay
control can be executed when a signal S0 is in phase with a signal
S3 in the first DLL circuit 3 (that is, when the external clock
signal applied to the input pad 1 is in phase with the data output
via the data output pad 6 with the precision of the first DLL
circuit 3). Hence, if a large amount of delay is required, the
two-stage delay control can be realized. More particularly, the
first stage of the delay control is carried out by the first DLL
circuit 3 and pulls the signals S0 and S3 in phase with the
precision of the first DLL circuit 3. Then, the second state of the
delay control is carried out by the second DLL circuit 10 and pulls
the signals S0 and S3 in phase with the precision of the second DLL
circuit 10 that is higher than the precision of the first DLL
circuit 3.
[0141] The use of the DLL circuits having the different control
precision levels means that the phase control is carried out in a
hierarchical formation. In the structure shown in FIG. 6 is made up
of two hierarchical phase control levels. It will now be assumed
that two hierarchical levels correspond to two digits. In this
case, the lower digit is controlled by the second DLL circuit 10,
and the upper digit is controlled by the first DLL circuit 3.
Hence, a carry-up operation and a carry-down operation are required
between the first DLL circuit 3 and the second DLL circuit 10. For
example, when the first DLL circuit 3 has a precision of td, the
second DLL circuit 10 is required to control the delay amount
within a range including .+-.td. When the result of the phase
comparing operation by the first DLL circuit 3 is out of the range
.+-.td, the first DLL circuit 3 outputs the reset signal to the
second DLL circuit 10 to set the delay amount of the second DLL
circuit 10 to a predetermined value. The above reset signal
corresponds to the carry-up or carry-down operation. When the
result of the phase comparing operation is out of the range .+-.td,
the second DLL circuit 10 no longer provides a sufficient delay
amount. In this case, the delay amount should be controlled
(varied) by the first DLL circuit 3. The control of the delay
amount by the first DLL circuit 3 means that the carry-up or
carry-down occurs between the first DLL circuit 3 and the second
DLL circuit 10.
[0142] When the result of the phase comparing operation by the
first DLL circuit 3 is out of the range .+-.td, the second DLL
circuit 10 is set to the predetermined delay amount, which is equal
to, for example, half the delay amount which can be varied by the
second DLL circuit 10. That is, when the second DLL circuit 10 is
reset, the delay amount equal to half the variable range .+-.td of
the second DLL circuit 10 is set to the second DLL circuit 10.
Hereinafter, the delay amount equal to half the variable range
.+-.td of the second DLL circuit 10 is referred to as a reference
delay amount. In the case where the second DLL circuit 10 is in the
operable state, the delay amount of the second DLL circuit 10 can
be varied by increasing or decreasing the reference delay amount.
As will be described later, the dummy circuit 43 provides the same
delay amount as the reference delay amount.
[0143] The detail structures of the first DLL circuit 3 and the
second DLL circuit 10 will be described with reference to FIG.
6.
[0144] The first DLL circuit 3 includes a frequency divider 30, a
phase comparator circuit 31 serving as a digital phase comparator,
a delay control circuit 32, a delay circuit 33 and the dummy delay
circuit 34. The frequency divider 30 divides the frequency of the
external clock signal S1 supplied thereto via the input circuit 21,
and thus produces signals S2 and S3 having an identical frequency
lower than that of the external clock signal S1. The signal S2 is
output to the dummy delay circuit 34, and the signal S3 is supplied
to a first input of the phase comparator circuit 31. A second input
of the phase comparator circuit 31 is supplied with the output
signal of the dummy delay circuit 34 via the dummy output circuit
41, the dummy input circuit 42 and the dummy circuit 43. The output
signal of the dummy circuit 43 is labeled S0.
[0145] The phase comparator circuit 31 compares the phases of the
signals S0 and S3 with each other, and controls the delay control
circuit 32 on the basis of the results of the above comparing
operation. More particularly, the phase comparator circuit 31
determines the phase difference between the signals S0 and D3 falls
within the range .+-.td. When it is determined that the phase
difference is out of the range .+-.td, the phase comparator circuit
31 is required to greatly vary the delay amount and varies the
respective delay amounts of the delay circuit 33 and the dummy
delay circuit 34 by one step (which corresponds to the minimum
variable delay amount and the precision of the first DLL circuit
3). The delay circuit 33 and the dummy delay circuit 34 always have
an identical delay amount. In this case, the phase comparator
circuit 31 outputs a reset signal to the second DLL circuit 10 in
order to reset a fine delay circuit 12 and a fine dummy delay
circuit 13, which circuits will be described later. In response to
the reset signal, the fine delay circuit 12 and the fine dummy
delay circuit 13 are set to a delay amount equal to half the
variable range. The output signal of the delay circuit 33 is
applied to the fine delay circuit 12 of the second DLL circuit
10.
[0146] The second DLL circuit 10 includes, in addition to the fine
delay circuit 12 and the fine dummy delay circuit 13, a fine phase
comparator circuit 14 and a delay control circuit 15. The fine
delay circuit 12 is capable of controlling the delay amount with a
precision higher than that of the delay circuit 33. Similarly, the
fine dummy delay circuit 13 is capable of controlling the delay
amount with a precision higher than that of the dummy delay circuit
34. The fine phase comparator circuit 14 compares the phases of the
signal S3 output by the frequency divider 30 and the output signal
of the fine dummy delay circuit 13 with each other, and control the
delay control circuit 15 so that the fine delay circuit 12 and the
fine dummy delay circuit 13 have an identical delay amount. When
the fine delay circuit 12 and the fine dummy delay circuit 13 have
a precision td', the fine phase comparator circuit 14 determines
whether the phase difference falls within the range between 0 and
td'. If it is determined that the phase difference is out of the
above range, the fine delay circuit 12 and the fine dummy delay
circuit 13 are controlled to increase or decrease the delay amount
by td'. When the delay control circuit 15 receives the reset signal
from the phase comparator circuit 31, the circuit 15 resets the
fine delay circuit 12 and the fine dummy delay circuit 13. Hence,
the fine delay circuit 12 and the fine dummy delay circuit 13 are
set to the aforementioned reference delay amount.
[0147] A description will now be given, with reference to FIG. 7,
of an operation of the device shown in FIG. 6 which is carried out
when the internal (output) clock signal is in synchronism with the
external clock signal. The external clock signal now labeled .o
slashed.ext shown in FIG. 7 is applied to the input terminal 1, and
is delayed by tin by the input circuit 20. Then, the delayed input
external clock signal is applied to the frequency divider 30 as
signal S1. The phase comparator circuit 31 receives the signal S0
from the dummy circuit 43. The signal S0 has a delay amount equal
to the sum of the delay amounts given to the signal S1 via the
delay circuit 33, the fine delay circuit 12, the output circuit 51
and the input circuit 21. The delay amount of the frequency divider
30 is neglected for the sake of simplicity. Hence, the signal S0
can be handled so that the signal S1 passes through the dummy delay
circuit 34, the dummy output circuit 41, the dummy input circuit 42
and the dummy delay circuit 34, and is then output.
[0148] Now, the following delay amounts will be defined:
[0149] Rtd: delay amount of the dummy delay circuit 34;
[0150] tout: delay amount of the dummy output circuit 41;
[0151] tin: delay amount of the dummy input circuit 42;
[0152] th: delay amount of the dummy circuit 43.
[0153] In this case, the signal S0 is as shown in FIG. 7. The delay
amount th of the dummy circuit 43 is half the maximum delay amount
of the fine delay circuit 12 (also half the maximum delay amount of
the fine dummy delay circuit 13). That is, the delay amount th
corresponds to the center of the variable delay range. For example,
if the fine delay circuit 12 can vary the delay amount within the
range between 10 td and 10.8 td, the delay amount th will be equal
to 10.4 td. A range depicted by a dotted area on the waveform of
the signal S0 corresponds to the aforementioned range .+-.td.
[0154] The fine phase comparator circuit 14 receives the signal S3
from the frequency divider 30 and the signal S4 output by the fine
dummy delay circuit 13. The signal S4 corresponds to a signal
obtained in such a way that the signal S1 passes through the dummy
output circuit 41, the dummy input circuit 42 and the fine dummy
delay circuit 13. The fine dummy delay circuit 13 has a delay
amount Ptd. If Ptd=th, then the signal S4 rises at the same time as
the signal S0. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7, the output signal
of the delay circuit 33 lags behind the signal S1 by the delay
amount Rtd, and is further delayed by Ptd by the fine delay circuit
12. Since the output signal of the fine delay circuit 12 is delayed
by the delay amount tout of the output circuit 51, the internal
(output) clock signal finally obtained can be synchronized with the
external (input) clock signal .o slashed.ext.
[0155] In the device shown in FIG. 6, when the first DLL circuit 3
has a precision of td, the second DLL circuit 10 can control the
delay amount including the range .+-.td, as has been described
previously. When the result of the phase comparing operation by the
first DLL circuit 3 is out of the range .+-.td, the first DLL
circuit 3 outputs the reset signal to the second DLL circuit 10 so
that the second DLL circuit 10 can be set to the given delay
amount. A further description will now be given, with reference to
FIGS. 8 and 9, of the operations of the first DLL circuit 3 and the
second DLL circuit 10 including the carry-up and carry-down
operations.
[0156] It will now be assumed that the circuit shown in FIG. 6 is
in the static state in which the circuit stably operates. In this
state, the delay amounts of the first DLL circuit 3 and the second
DLL circuit 10 are maintained. If a certain factor (for example, a
variation in the power supply voltage or temperature) destroys the
phase-synchronized state between the input and output clock
signals, the following delay control is carried out.
[0157] In the graphs shown on the uppermost portion of FIGS. 8 and
9, the vertical axes denote the voltage, and the horizontal axes
denote the phase difference between the signals S3 and S4 which are
compared with each other by the fine phase comparator 14. Further,
[1] through [5] indicate timings at which the phase comparing
operation is carried out. It is assumed that the delay circuit 33
has a precision (unit delay amount) td of 200 ps, and the fine
delay circuit 12 has a precision td' of 60 ps. Bar graphs [0]-[5]
shown in FIG. 8 show operations of the delay circuit 33 and the
fine delay circuit 12 when the carry-up operation takes place.
Similarly, bar graphs [0]-[5] shown in FIG. 9 show operations of
the delay circuit 33 and the fine delay circuit 12 when the
carry-down operation takes place. More particularly, the bar graphs
[0]-[5] show the states of the delay circuits 33 and 12 every 60 ps
until the phase difference between the signals S3 and S4 becomes
equal to 300 ps from 0 ps. In FIGS. 8 and 9, the delay circuit 33
has stages N when the phase difference is equal to 0 ps, and only
stages N-1, N. N+1 and N+2 are shown. In FIGS. 8 and 9, all the
stages of the fine delay circuit 12 are illustrated.
[0158] First, the carry-up operation will be described with
reference to FIG. 8. The delay circuit 33 has the N delay stages
and the fine delay circuit 12 has the delay amount equal to half
the whole delay amount, when there is no phase difference (0 ps).
At this time, the delay circuits 33 and 12 are located in initial
state [0] shown in FIG. 8. When the phase difference becomes equal
to 60 ps, the fine delay circuit 12 increases the number of stages
by 1 (state [1]). When the phase difference becomes equal to 120 ps
the fine delay circuit 12 increases the number of stages by 1
(state [2]). When the phase difference becomes equal to 180 ps, the
fine delay circuit 12 increases the number of stages by 1 (state
[3]). When the phase difference becomes equal to 240 ps, the delay
circuit 33 increases the number of stages by 1 so that it has N+1
stages (state [4]). Further, the fine delay circuit 12 is reset to
the center position (state [4]). When the phase difference becomes
equal to 300 ps, the fine delay circuit 12 increases the number of
stages by 1 (state [5]).
[0159] The carry-down operation will be described with reference to
FIG. 9. It will now be assumed that the initial state [0] in the
carry-down operation corresponds to state [4] shown in FIG. 8. In
the above initial state [0], the delay circuit 33 is set to N+1
stages, and the fine delay circuit 12 is reset to the center. When
the phase difference becomes equal to -60 ps, the fine delay
circuit 12 decreases the number of stages by 1 (state [1]). When
the phase difference becomes equal to -120 ps, the fine delay
circuit 12 decreases the number of stages by 1 (state [2]). When
the phase difference becomes equal to -180 ps, the fine delay
circuit 12 decreases the number of stages by 1 (state [3]). When
the phase difference becomes equal to -240 ps, the delay circuit 33
decreases the number of stages by 1 so that it has N stages (state
[4]). Further, the fine delay circuit 12 is reset to the center
(state [4]). When the phase difference becomes equal to -300 ps,
the fine delay circuit 12 decreases the number of stages by 1
(state [5]).
[0160] In the above operation, the delay circuit 33 operates
separately from the fine delay circuit 12, which is reset to the
center when the number of stages of the delay circuit 33 is
changed. It can be thus said that the fine delay circuit 12
automatically measures the delay amount of one stage of the delay
circuit 33. Hence, even if a phase difference is caused by the
temperature or the power supply voltage, it can be corrected by the
smooth carry-up or carry-down operation between the delay circuit
33 and the fine delay circuit 12. In a case where the fine delay
circuit 12 has a variable delay range over 200 ps which is the
precision of the delay circuit 33, the smoother carry-up or
carry-down operation can be ensured even if the first DLL circuit 3
has a ratio of variation in delay to temperature or power supply
voltage different from that of the second DLL circuit 10.
[0161] The above description is directed to the basic structure and
operation of the digital DLL circuit device using the two DLL
circuits 3 and 10. The following description will be directed to
the detail of these circuits.
[0162] FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram of the frequency divider 30 of
the first DLL circuit 3. FIG. 11 is a waveform diagram of nodes of
the frequency divider 30. As shown in FIG. 10, the frequency
divider 30 is equipped with three stages of counters 301, 302 and
303, each of which counters is equipped with a plurality of NAND
gates and an inverter. The frequency divider 30 divides the
frequency of the signal S1 (the external clock signal obtained at
the output of the input circuit 21) so that the signals S2 and S3
can be produced. In FIG. 10, a reference letter A denotes the
output signal of the counter 301, and a reference letter B denotes
the output signal of the counter 302. The signals S1, S2, S3, A and
B are shown in FIG. 11. The frequency divider 30 is not limited to
the circuit shown in FIG. 10 but can be formed by using a
combination of various logic gates.
[0163] Referring to FIG. 11, the frequency divider 30 divides the
input clock signal S1 at a frequency dividing ratio of 1/8 in order
to produce the signal S2 having a frequency equal to 1/8 of the
frequency of the signal S1. The signal S2 has a high-level section
equal to one cycle of the signal S1 and a low-level section equal
to seven cycles thereof. The signal S2 and S3 have the
complementary relationship.
[0164] FIG. 12 shows the phase relationships among the signals
S0-S3. As shown in FIG. 12, the phase comparator circuit 31
performs the phase comparing operation every eight cycles of the
signal S1. The signal S0 lags behind the signal S1 by one cycle and
is synchronized with the signal S1. Hence, the output clock signal
in the output circuit 51 is synchronized with the external clock
signal located prior to one cycle.
[0165] It is possible to define the preceding cycles of the
external clock signal at which the output clock signal is started
to be generated by changing the cycle "a" of the signal S2 in the
frequency divider 30. For example, when the signal S2 has the
period "a" equal to three clocks of the signal S1, the output clock
signal synchronized with the external clock signal located prior to
the three cycles can be produced. By changing the period "a"+"b" of
the signal S2, it is possible to change the timing at which the
phase comparing operation is carried out.
[0166] If the sum of the delay amount of the input circuit 21, the
minimum delay amount of the delay circuit 33, the minimum delay
amount of the fine delay circuit 12, the delay amount of the clock
line and the delay amount of the output circuit 51 is shorter than
one cycle of the external clock signal, it is possible to produce
the internal clock signal synchronized with the external clock
signal located prior to one cycle. If the above sum exceeds one
cycle of the external clock signal, it is necessary to synchronize
the internal clock signal with the external clock signal located
prior to two or more cycles. In this case, the period "a" is set to
2 cycles or more.
[0167] FIGS. 13A, 13B and 13C show an example of the internal
structures of the delay circuit 33 of the first DLL circuit 3 and
the dummy delay circuit 34. More particularly, FIG. 13A shows a
unit delay element (gate) for one bit, and FIG. 13B is a timing
chart of an operation of the unit delay element shown in FIG. 13A.
FIG. 13C shows a configuration in which a plurality of unit delay
elements are cascaded.
[0168] As shown in FIG. 13A, the unit delay element is made up of
two NAND gates 401 and 402, and an inverter 403. Referring to FIG.
13B, a signal .o slashed.E is an enable signal. When the enable
signal .o slashed.E is high (H), the unit delay element is
activated. FIG. 13B shows the enable signal .o slashed.E is high
and the unit delay element is enabled. A signal IN is an input
signal applied to the unit delay element, and a signal .o slashed.N
is transferred from the unit delay element located at the
right-hand side of the unit delay element shown in FIG. 13A.
Further, a symbol OUT denotes the output signal of the unit delay
element shown in FIG. 13A. The output signal OUT is the signal ON
for the unit delay element located at the left-hand side of the
unit delay element shown in FIG. 13A. Signals 4a-1 and 4a-2 shown
in FIG. 13B are obtained at nodes 4a-1 and 4a-2 shown in FIG.
13A.
[0169] When the signal .o slashed.N is low (L), the output signal
OUT is low. When the signal .o slashed.N is high and the signal .o
slashed.E is low, the output signal OUT is high. When the signal .o
slashed.N is high and the signal .o slashed.E is high, the output
signal OUT is high if the input signal IN is low, and is low if the
input signal IN is high.
[0170] The unit delay element shown in FIG. 13A can be summarized
as follows. When the enable signal .o slashed.E is high and the
input signal IN rises, the input signal IN is allowed to pass
through the elements 401-403 as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 13A.
When the enable signal .o slashed.E is low, the input signal IN is
inhibited to pass through the NAND gate 401.
[0171] In FIG. 13C, only three stages of unit delay elements are
shown. In practice, a larger number of unit delay elements are
cascaded in order to realize the delay circuits 33 and the dummy
delay circuit 34. The stages of unit delay elements are supplied
with respective enable signals .o slashed.E-1, .o slashed.E-2 and
.o slashed.E-3, which are controlled by the delay control circuit
32, as will be described later.
[0172] In FIG. 13C, the enable signal .o slashed.E-2 is high and
the unit delay element located at the center is thus activated.
Hence, the input signal IN is allowed to pass through the NAND gate
401-2. The enable signals .o slashed.E-1 and .o slashed.E-3 are
low, and thus the input signal IN cannot pass through the NAND
gates 401-1 and 401-3.
[0173] The output signal OUT of the unit delay element located at
the right-hand side of the central unit delay element is high, and
thus the input signal IN can pass through the NAND gate 402-2, and
then passes through the inverter 403-2. The output signal OUT of
the inverter 403-2 is low and is supplied to the unit delay element
located at the left-hand side of the central unit delay element as
the output signal OUT. Since the enable signal .o slashed.E-1 is
low, the output signal of the NAND gate 401-1 is high. Hence, the
low-level output signal OUT from the central unit delay element can
pass through the NAND gate 402-1 and is applied to the next stage
via the inverter 403-1.
[0174] As described above, the input signal IN is switched back by
the activated unit delay element. The delay amount can be varied by
selecting one of the unit delay elements to be activated. The delay
amount depends on the number of NAND gates and the number of
inverters through which the input signal passes.
[0175] FIG. 14 is a circuit diagram of an example of the delay
control circuit 32 shown in FIG. 6. The delay control circuit 32
has unit delay control circuits 430-2 equal in number to the stages
of each of the delay circuit 33 and the dummy delay circuit 34. The
output signals of the respective stages of the unit delay control
circuits 430-2 serve as the aforementioned enable signals .o
slashed.E applied to the respective stages of each of the delay
circuit 33 and the dummy delay circuit 34.
[0176] The unit delay control circuit 430-2 includes a flip-flop
made up of a NAND gate 432-2 and an inverter 433-2, a NOR gate
431-2, and transistors 435-2, 437-2, 438-2 and 439-2. The
transistors 435-2 and 438-3 are connected in series, and are
located on one side of the flip-flop. The transistors 437-2 and
439-2 are connected in series, and are located on the other side of
the flip-flop. The gate of the transistor 438-2 is connected to a
node 5a-2 of the unit delay control circuit located at the previous
stage. The gate of the transistor 439-2 is connected to a node 5a-5
of the unit delay element located at the following stage. A set
signal .o slashed.SE used for the count-up operation is applied to
the corresponding transistor of each of the even-numbered stages.
Another set signal .o slashed.SO used for the count-up operation is
applied to the corresponding transistor of each of the odd-numbered
stages. A reset signal .o slashed.RE used for the count-down
operation is applied to the corresponding transistor of each of the
even-numbered stages. Another reset signal .o slashed.RO used for
the count-down operation is applied to the corresponding transistor
of each of the odd-numbered stages.
[0177] As shown in FIG. 14, the set signal .o slashed.SO is applied
to the gate of the transistor 435-2 of the unit delay control
circuit 430-2 located at the center and assigned an odd number. The
reset signal .o slashed.RO is applied to the gate of the transistor
437-2 of the unit delay control circuit 430-2. The set signal .o
slashed.SE and the reset signal .o slashed.RE are applied to the
two unit delay control circuits at both sides of the unit delay
control circuit 430-2. The NOR gate 431-2 is supplied with a signal
obtained at a node 5a-1 of the previous stage and a signal obtained
at a node 5a-4 of the circuit 430-2. A signal .o slashed.R is used
to reset the unit delay control circuits. The signal .o slashed.R
is temporarily set to the low level, and is then maintained at the
high level.
[0178] FIG. 15 is a timing chart of an operation of the delay
control circuit 32. First, the reset signal .o slashed.R is
temporarily set to the low level. Hence, the nodes 5a-1, 5a-3 and
5a-5 are set to the high level, and the nodes 5a-2, 5a-4 and 5a-6
are set to the low level. When the count-up operation is carried
out, the count-up signals (set signals) .o slashed.E and .o
slashed.O alternatively switch to the high and low levels.
[0179] When the set signal .o slashed.SE switches from the low
level to the high level, the node 5a-1 is grounded and becomes low,
while the node 5a-2 is switched to the high level. When the node
5a-2 is switched to the high level, the enable signal .o
slashed.E-1 is switched to the low level from the high level. This
is latched by the flip-flop. Hence, even if the set signal .o
slashed.SE is returned to the low level, the enable signal .o
slashed.E-1 is maintained at the low level. When the node 5a-1 is
switched to the low level, the enable signal .o slashed.E-2 is
switched to the high level from the low level. Since the node 5a-2
is switched to the high level, the transistor 438-2 is turned ON.
When the set signal .o slashed.SO switches from the low level to
the high level, the node 5a-3 is grounded and becomes low, while
the node 5a-4 is switched to the high level. Hence, the enable
signal .o slashed.E-2 is switched to the low level from the high
level. This is latched by the flip-flop. Hence, even if the set
signal .o slashed.SO is returned to the low level, the enable
signal .o slashed.E-2 is maintained at the low level.
[0180] When the node 5a-3 is switched to the low level, the enable
signal .o slashed.E-3 is switched to the high level from the low
level. When the set signals .o slashed.SE and .o slashed.SO
alternately switch to the high and low levels, the enable signal .o
slashed.E set to the high level shifts rightwards. Hence, if the
comparison result of the phase comparator circuit 31 indicates the
delay amount should be increased, the set signals .o slashed.SE and
.o slashed.SO are alternately switched to the high level.
[0181] When the set signals .o slashed.SE and .o slashed.SO and the
reset signals .o slashed.RE and .o slashed.RO are all maintained at
the low level, the stage which outputs the high-level enable signal
.o slashed.E is fixed. Hence, if the comparison result of the phase
comparator circuit 31 indicates that the current delay amount
should be maintained, the set signals .o slashed.SE and .o
slashed.SO and the reset signals .o slashed.RE and .o slashed.RO
are all maintained at the low level.
[0182] When the count-down operation is carried out, the reset
signals .o slashed.RE and .o slashed.RO are alternately input.
Hence, the high-level enable signal .o slashed.E shifts
leftwards.
[0183] In the above manner, the delay control stage circuit which
outputs the high-level enable signal .o slashed.E can be made to
shift rightwards or leftwards one by one. The high-level enable
signals .o slashed.E thus generated are applied to the unit delay
elements, and one of the signals .o slashed.E is set to the high
level. Hence, the delay control can be performed with the precision
of the unit delay time.
[0184] A description will now be given of the phase comparator
circuit 31 shown in FIG. 6. The phase comparator circuit 31
includes a phase comparator part shown in FIG. 16, and an amplifier
part shown in FIG. 18.
[0185] In FIG. 16, .o slashed.out and .o slashed.ext correspond to
the output signal (S0) and the external clock signal (S3),
respectively. The phase of the signal .o slashed.out is detected
with respect to the signal .o slashed.ext. Symbols .o slashed.a
through .o slashed.e denote signals shown in FIG. 16, which are
supplied to the amplifier part shown in FIG. 18.
[0186] As shown in FIG. 16, the phase comparator part of the phase
comparator circuit 31 includes flip-flops 421 and 422, latch
circuits 425 and 426, a circuit 424, a delay circuit 423, and a
delay circuit 430. Each of the flip-flops 421 and 422 is made up of
two NAND gates. The latch circuits 425 and 426 latch the states of
the flip-flops 421 and 422, respectively. The circuit 424 generates
an activating signal which activates the latch circuits 425 and
426. The delay circuit 423 delays the external clock signal next by
the unit delay amount. The delay circuit 430 delays the signal .o
slashed.out by the unit delay amount. The flip-flop 421 performs
the phase comparing operation within the range between -td and 0.
The flip-flop 422 performs the phase comparing operation within the
range between 0 and +td.
[0187] FIG. 17A shows a case where the signal Out leads, over td,
to the signal .o slashed.ext serving as the reference for the
comparing operation. In this case, the signal .o slashed.out
switches to the high level before the signal .o slashed.ext
switches to the high level. When the signals .o slashed.out and .o
slashed.ext are both low, the nodes 6a-2, 6a-3, 6a-4 and 6a-5 of
the flip-flops 421 and 422 are all high.
[0188] When the signal .o slashed.out switches from the low level
to the high level, the node 6a-4 is switched to the low level, and
the node 6a-0 i switched to the high level with the unit delay
(td). Hence, the node 6a-2 is switched to the low level.
Thereafter, the signal .o slashed.ext switches to the high level,
and the node 6a-1 is switched to the high level with the unit
delay. At this time, the potentials of the two output terminals of
each of the flip-flops 425 and 426 (that is, the potentials of the
nodes 6a-2, 6a-3, 6a-4 and 6a-5) have been already settled. Hence,
no changes of the states of the flip-flops 425 and 426 take place.
Hence, the nodes 6a,-2, 6a-3, 6a-4 and 6a-5 are respectively low,
high, low and high.
[0189] When the external clock signal .o slashed.ext changes from
the low level to the high level, the output signal .o slashed.a of
the circuit 424 is switched to the high level, and the pulse is
temporarily applied to the node 6a-6. This node 6a-6 is the input
of the latch circuit 425 and the input of the NAND gate 426. Hence,
the NAND gate 426 is temporarily activated, and the latch circuits
425 and 426 latch the potentials of the output terminals of the
flip-flops 421 and 422. Finally, the output signals .o slashed.b,
.o slashed.c, .o slashed.d and .o slashed.e are respectively high,
low, high and low.
[0190] FIG. 17B shows a case where the signals .o slashed.out and
.o slashed.ext have almost the same phase (within .+-.td) as each
other and switch to the high level at almost the same times. When
the signal .o slashed.out switches to the high level within the
time difference between the rising of the signal .o slashed.out and
the rising of the potential at the node 6a-1, the node 6a-3 of the
flip-flop 421 is switched to the high level because the signal .o
slashed.ext switches to the high level. The node 6a-1 of the
flip-flop 422 is continuously low, and thus the node 6a-4 is
switched to the low level. Thereafter, the node 6a-1 is switched to
the low level. At this time, the state of the flip-flop 422 has
been settled, and no change of the state thereof does not occur.
Then, the node 6a-6 is temporarily switched to the high level, and
thus the latch circuits 425 and 426 latch the states of the
flip-flops 421 and 422. Hence, the output signals .o slashed.b, .o
slashed.c, .o slashed.d and .o slashed.e are respectively low,
high, high and low.
[0191] FIG. 17C shows a case where the signal .o slashed.out lags,
over td, behind the signal .o slashed.ext, and switches to the high
level after the signal .o slashed.ext switches to the high level.
In this case, the states of the flip-flops 421 and 422 are changed,
and the nodes 6a-3 and 6a-5 are switched to the low level. Finally,
the signals .o slashed.b, .o slashed.c, .o slashed.d and .o
slashed.e are respectively low, high, low and high.
[0192] In the above-mentioned manner, it is possible to detect
three cases shown in FIGS. 17A, 17B and 17C. The three cases are
indicated by using the signals .o slashed.b, .o slashed.c, .o
slashed.d and .o slashed.e, which are then used to determine which
one of the count-up operation, count-down operation and no-count
operation should be carried out in the delay control circuit
32.
[0193] Referring to FIG. 18, the amplifier part of the phase
comparator circuit 31 includes a JK flip-flop 427, and an amplifier
428 made up of NAND gates and inverters. The JK flip-flop 427 is
supplied with the output signal .o slashed.a from the phase
comparator part shown in FIG. 16. The potentials of nodes 7a-9 and
7a-11 depend on the output signal .o slashed.a. The amplifier 428
receives the two output signals of the JK flip-flop 427 and the
output signals .o slashed.b-.o slashed.e, and generate the set
signals .o slashed.SE and .o slashed.O and the reset signals .o
slashed.RE and .o slashed.RO. The amplifier part shown in FIG. 18
also include a circuit 431, which produces the reset signal .o
slashed.R from the signals .o slashed.b and .o slashed.e. If the
signal .o slashed.out leads to or lags behind the signal .o
slashed.ext over .+-.td, the reset signal .o slashed.R is high. In
the other cases, the reset signal .o slashed.R is low.
[0194] The JK flip-flop 427 operates as shown in FIG. 19. When the
signal .o slashed.a is switched to the low level at time T1, the
nodes 7a-1 and 7a-10 are switched to the high level. When the node
7a-1 is switched to the high level, the potentials of the nodes
7a-5, 7a-6 and 7a-7 are changed. However, the signal .o slashed.a
is low, and thus the potential of the node 7a-8 is not changed.
Hence, the potential of the node (output) 8a-9 is not changed, only
the node 7a-11 is changed from the low level to the high level.
When the signal .o slashed.a is changed from the low level to the
high level at time T2, the node 7a-8 is changed from the high level
to the low level, and the potential of the node 7a-10 is not
changed because the potential of the node 7a-7 is not changed. The
output node 7a-9 is changed from the low level to the high level,
and the potential of the output node 7a-11 is not changed. In the
above manner, the output nodes 7a-9 and 7a-11 the JK flip-flop
circuit 427 are alternately switched to the high level and the low
level in synchronism with the signal .o slashed.a.
[0195] FIG. 20 is a timing chart of an operation of the
aforementioned amplifier part 428 which should be performed when
the count-up operation is required. FIG. 21 is a timing chart of an
operation of the amplifier part 428 which should be performed which
no count operation is required. FIG. 22 is a timing chart of an
operation of the amplifier part 428 which should be performed when
the count-down operation is required. A description will now be
given, with reference to FIGS. 20 through 22, of the operations of
the amplifier part 428.
[0196] FIG. 20 shows a case where the signal .o slashed.out
switches to the high level before the signal .o slashed.ext
switches to the high level. In this case, the signals .o slashed.b,
.o slashed.c, .o slashed.d and .o slashed.e applied to the
amplifier part 428 are high, low, high and low, respectively. The
node 7a-12 is switched to the high level and the node 7a-13 is
fixed to the low level. The set signals .o slashed.SO and .o
slashed.SE are changed in accordance with the JK flip-flop 427,
while the reset signals .o slashed.RO and .o slashed.RE are not
changed because the potential of the node 7a-13 is low.
[0197] FIG. 21 shows a case where the signals .o slashed.out and .o
slashed.ext are switched to the high level at almost the same time.
In this case, the signals .o slashed.b, .o slashed.c, .o slashed.d
and .o slashed.e applied to the amplifier part 428 are low, high,
high and low, respectively. The nodes 7a-12 and 7a-13 are fixed to
the low level. Hence, the set signals .o slashed.SE and .o
slashed.SO and the reset signals .o slashed.RE and .o slashed.RO
are fixed to the low level.
[0198] FIG. 22 shows a case where the signal .o slashed.out
switches to the high level after the signal .o slashed.ext switches
to the high level. In this case, the signals .o slashed.b, .o
slashed.c, .o slashed.d and .o slashed.e applied to the amplifier
part 428 are low, high, low and high, respectively. The node 7a-12
is fixed to the low level, and the node 7a-13 is fixed to the high
level. Hence, the reset signals .o slashed.RE and .o slashed.RO are
changed in accordance with the state of the JK flip-flop 427, while
the set signals .o slashed.SE and .o slashed.SO are not changed
because the node 7a-13 is low.
[0199] A description will now be given of the detail of the second
DLL circuit 10.
[0200] FIG. 23 is a circuit diagram of an example of the fine delay
circuit 12 built in the second DLL circuit 10. The fine delay
circuit 12 includes a plurality of stages, and each of the stages
includes, in addition to the aforementioned NAND gates 401-1, 402-1
and the inverter 403-1, a NAND gate 404-1 and an inverter 405-1.
Hence, each stage has two delay lines. The logic elements
illustrated with hatching, that is, the NAND gate 404-1 and the
inverter 405-1 make it possible to realize the delay control with a
precision finer than the unit delay amount (for example, 200 ps) of
the unit delay element made up of the NAND gate 402-1 and the
inverter 403-1. The difference between the delay amounts of the two
delay lines is due to the difference between the delay caused by
the NAND gate 402-1 and the inverter 403-1 and the delay caused by
the NAND gate 404-1 and the inverter 405-1. The above difference
corresponds to the precision of the fine delay circuit 12.
[0201] In FIG. 23, the input signal IN passes through two unit
delay elements illustrated with hatching, the NAND gate 401-1
located at the center and three unit delay elements illustrated
without hatching. If only the NAND gate 401-1 located at the
right-hand side of the above NAND gate 401-1 is opened, the input
signal IN passes through three unit delay elements illustrated with
hatching, the NAND gate 401-1 and two unit delay elements
illustrated without hatching. The difference between the delay
amounts of the above two cases is equal to the difference between
the delay of the unit delay element with hatching and the delay of
the unit delay element without hatching. If the unit delay element
made up of the NAND gate 402-1 and the inverter 403-1 has a delay
amount of 200 ps, and the unit delay element made up of the NAND
gate 404-1 and the inverter 405-1 has a delay amount of 260 ps, the
difference is 60 ps, which is the precision of the fine
delay-circuit 12. Hence, selecting the NAND gate 401 to be opened,
it is possible to obtain delay amounts of 60 ps, 120 ps, 180 ps and
240 ps. Even if the input signal passes through any route, each
route includes only one NAND gate 401. Hence, the presence of the
NAND gate 401 does not affect the difference between the delay
amounts of the two unit delay elements. The operation shown in
FIGS. 8 and 9 (-300 ps to 300 ps) can be realized by the fine delay
circuit 12 which has 11 stages.
[0202] It is possible to realize the unit delay elements having
different delay amounts in various manners. For example, NAND gates
and inverters having different characteristics are used to form the
two unit delay elements. When NAND gates and inverters having
identical characteristics are used, different power supply voltages
are applied thereto. It is also possible to obtain different delay
amounts even if the NAND gates and inverters have the same
characteristics and the same power supply voltage is employed. In
this case, the different delay amounts result from the difference
in the fan-out. It will now be assumed that all the NAND gates
shown in FIG. 23 have an identical characteristic and all the
inverters shown therein have an identical characteristic. In this
case, the fan-out of the inverter 405-1 is 2, while the fan-out of
the inverter 403-1 is 1. In this case, a difference equal to 60-70
ps can be obtained.
[0203] The fine dummy delay circuit 13 has the same configuration
as that of the dummy delay circuit 12.
[0204] The fine phase comparator circuit 14 employed in the second
DLL circuit 10 is the same as the phase comparator circuit 31 shown
in FIGS. 16 and 18 except for the following. The difference between
the circuits 10 and 31 is illustrated in FIG. 24.
[0205] FIG. 24 shows a phase comparing part of the fine phase
comparator circuit 14. The delay circuit 430 made up of one NAND
gate and one inverter is provided between the flip-flops 421 and
422. A NAND gate 431 is provided between the delay circuits 430 and
423. The output signal of the inverter of the delay circuit 430 is
input to the NAND gate of the delay circuit 423 via the NAND gate
431.
[0206] The delay circuits 423 and 430 have the same configuration
as the unit delay element of the fine delay circuit 12. The fan-out
of the inverter of the delay circuit 423 is 1, while the fan-out of
the inverter of the delay circuit 430 is 2 due to the presence of
the NAND gate 431. That is, the load of the inverter of the delay
circuit 430 is greater than that of the inverter of the delay
circuit 423. By providing the delay circuits 423 and 430 thus
configured between the flip-flops 421 and 422, it is possible to
determine whether the signals S0 (.o slashed.out) and S3 (.o
slashed.ext) have a phase difference within the range between 0 and
td'.
[0207] The other parts of the fine phase comparator circuit 14 are
the same as corresponding those of the phase comparator circuit 31
shown in FIGS. 16 and 18.
[0208] FIGS. 25A, 25B and 25C are timing charts of operations of
the fine phase comparator circuit 14.
[0209] Referring to FIG. 25A, which shows an operation which is
carried out when the count-up operation should be carried out. When
the signal .o slashed.out switches from the low level to the high
level, the node 7a-2 is switched to the low level. Due to the
function of the delay circuit 430, the node 7a-0 is switched to the
high level with a delay equal to td+td' from the time when the
signal .o slashed.out switches to the high level. Then, the signal
.o slashed.ext switches to the high level, and the node 7a-1 is
switched, due to the function of the delay circuit 423, to the high
level with a delay equal to td from the time when the signal .o
slashed.ext switches to the high level. The nodes 7a-3 and 7a-5 are
maintained at the high level. Hence, in response to the potential
change of the node 7a-6, the signals .o slashed.b, .o slashed.c, .o
slashed.d and .o slashed.e are high, low, high and low,
respectively.
[0210] FIG. 25B shows a case when no count operation is required.
In this case, the phase difference between the signals .o
slashed.out and .o slashed.ext falls within the range of 0 to td'.
The signals .o slashed.b, .o slashed.c, .o slashed.d and .o
slashed.e are low, high, high and low, respectively, as shown in
FIG. 25B.
[0211] FIG. 25C shows a case where the count-down operation is
required. In this case, the signals .o slashed.b, .o slashed.c, .o
slashed.d and .o slashed.e are low, high, low and high,
respectively.
[0212] FIG. 26 is a circuit diagram of the delay control circuit
15. A left-side part of the circuit with respect to the central
broken line is the same as that shown in FIG. 14. A right-side part
of the circuit slightly differs from the left-side part. This is
directed to resetting the fine delay circuit 12 and the fine dummy
delay circuit 13 to the respective center positions when the delay
control circuit 15 receives the reset signal .o slashed.R from the
phase comparator circuit 31. In this case, only the corresponding
NOR gate outputs the high-level signal. The output signal of the
NAND gate 432-3 close to the broken line is input to the NOR gate
431-2 of the previous stage. The output signal of the inverter
433-3 is input to the NOR gate 431-3. The output signal of the NAND
gate 432-4 close to the broken line is input to the NOR gate 431-4,
and the output signal of the inverter 433-4 is input to the NOR
gate 431-3. When the reset signal .o slashed.R becomes active
(switches to the high level), nodes have potentials as shown in
FIG. 26. Hence, the high level signal is supplied from only the NOR
gate 431-3 corresponding to the center positions of the delay lines
of the fine delay circuit 12 and the fine dummy delay line 13. In
this case, the other NOR gates output the low-level signals.
[0213] The shift operation of the delay control circuit 15 shown in
FIG. 26 is the same as that which has been described with reference
to FIGS. 14 and 15.
[0214] It will be desirable to consider the following matters in
the practical circuit configuration. For example, when MOS
transistors are used to form the NAND gates of the flip-flops 421
and 422 of the phase comparator circuit 31 and the phase comparator
part of the fine phase comparator circuit 14, the following should
be considered.
[0215] FIG. 27 is a circuit diagram of the NAND gate. The NAND gate
is made up of two P-channel MOS transistors Q10 and Q11, and two
N-channel MOS transistors Q12 and Q13. The source of the transistor
Q10 is connected to a first power source Vcc, and the gate thereof
is connected to a first input terminal IN1. The drain of the
transistor Q10 is connected to an output terminal OUT. The source
of the transistor Q11 is connected to the first power source Vcc,
and the gate thereof is connected to a second input terminal IN2.
The drain of the transistor Q11 is connected to the output terminal
OUT. The source of the transistor Q12 is connected to the drain of
the transistor Q13, and the gate of the transistor Q12 is connected
to the first input terminal IN1. The drain of the transistor Q12 is
connected to the output terminal OUT. The source of the transistor
Q13 is connected to a second power source (ground), and the gate
thereof is connected to the second input terminal IN2. The drain of
the transistor Q13 is connected to the source of the transistor
Q12.
[0216] The response between the input IN1 and the output OUT
slightly differs from that between the input IN2 and the output OUT
due to the above circuit configuration. When each of the flip-flops
421 and 422 is formed by two NAND gates, the two NAND gates are
connected so that two input signals to each of the flip-flops are
received under the same circuit condition. For example, if the set
terminal of the flip-flop 421 corresponds to the terminal IN1 of
the first NAND gate and receives the signal .o slashed.out, the
reset terminal thereof is arranged to correspond to the terminal
IN1 of the second NAND gate and receive the signal .o slashed.ext.
In this case, the other terminal of the first NAND gate corresponds
to the input terminal IN2 and is connected to the output terminal
of the second NAND gate to serve as the Q output terminal. The
other input terminal of the second NAND gate corresponds to the
input terminal IN2 and is connected to the output terminal of the
first NAND gate to serve as the /Q output terminal.
[0217] If the set terminal of the flip-flop 421 corresponds to the
input terminal IN2 of the first NAND gate and receives the signal
.o slashed.out, the reset terminal thereof is arranged to
correspond to the input terminal IN2 of the second NAND gate and
receive the signal .o slashed.ext. In this case, the other input
terminal of the first NAND gate corresponds to the input terminal
IN2 and is connected to the output terminal of the second NAND gate
to serve as the Q output terminal. The other input terminal of the
second NAND gate corresponds to the input terminal IN2 and is
connected to the output terminal of the first NAND gate to serve as
the /Q output terminal.
[0218] Thus, the circuit condition with respect to the signal .o
slashed.out is the same as that with respect to the signal .o
slashed.ext, and a high precision can be ensured.
[0219] FIG. 28 is a circuit diagram of another configuration of the
fine delay circuit 12 and the fine dummy delay circuit 13. The
configuration shown FIG. 28 is made up of two stages, which include
respective capacitors C1 and C2. N-channel MOS transistors Q1 and
Q2, which are connected to the capacitors C1 and C2, respectively,
are controlled by the phase control circuit 15. A capacitance value
of 25 fF corresponds to a delay time of 50 ps, and a capacitance
value of 50 fF corresponds to a delay time of 100 ps. For example,
the capacitor C1 has a capacitance of 50 fF, and the capacitor C2
has a capacitance of 25 fF. Hence, it is possible to configure the
fine delay circuit 12 which is finer than the delay circuit 33.
[0220] The fine delay circuit 12 can be configured by using a
plurality of resistors connected in series and a plurality of
switches respectively connected to the resistors in parallel. By
changing the number of resistors connected between the input and
output terminals of the fine delay circuit 12, the delay amount
thereof can be adjusted. It is also possible to combine the
resistors and capacitors together to configure the fine delay
circuit 12. It will be noted that the total delay amount obtained
by the configuration shown in FIG. 28 includes the delays of
inverter circuits INV1 and INV2, each being made up of two
inverters.
[0221] FIG. 29 shows a variation of the device shown in FIG. 6. The
variation shown in FIG. 29 does not have the frequency divider 30.
Hence, the output signal S1 of the input circuit 21 is directly
applied to the dummy delay circuit 33, the phase comparator circuit
31 and the fine phase comparator circuit 14. As has been described
previously, the frequency divider 30 makes it possible to certainly
execute the phase comparing operation. However, the frequency
divider 30 can be omitted if the following three conditions are
satisfied. The first condition is that the clock frequency is very
low. The second condition is that the relative positional
relationship between the clock signal from the input circuit 21 and
the fed-back clock signal does not exceed one cycle. The third
condition is that there is a time during which the clock signals to
be compared with each other are both high. The configuration shown
in FIG. 29 is designed by taking into account the above three
conditions. The configuration shown in FIG. 29 operates in almost
the same manner as that shown in FIG. 6.
[0222] A description will now be given, with reference to FIG. 30,
of a digital DLL circuit device according to another embodiment of
the present invention. In FIG. 30, parts that are the same as those
shown in the previously described figures are given the same
reference numbers. The device shown in FIG. 30 includes the first
DLL circuit 3 and the second DLL circuit 10, as in the case of FIG.
6. However, there is no hierarchical relationship between the first
DLL circuit 3 and the second DLL circuit 10 shown in FIG. 30. That
is, the first DLL circuit 3 and the second DLL circuit 10 operate
independently, and perform the respective delay controls
independently.
[0223] The second DLL circuit 10 is provided at the output side of
the first DLL circuit 3, and has a precision higher than that of
the first DLL circuit 3. The input clock signal externally applied
to the clock input pad 1 passes through the input circuit 21, and
is delayed by the first DLL circuit 3. The input clock signal
delayed by the first DLL circuit 3 is further delayed by the second
DLL circuit 10 with the higher precision. Finally, the output
(internal) clock signal synchronized with the input clock signal
applied to the pad 1 can be produced. The output signal of the
second DLL circuit 10 is applied, via the clock line, to the output
circuit 51 connected to the data bus. The output circuit 51 buffers
data on the data bus in synchronism with the output clock signal
from the second DLL circuit 10. The buffered data is then output to
a data output pad 6.
[0224] The device shown in FIG. 30 includes a dummy input circuit
22, a dummy wiring line 42, a dummy output circuit 52, and a dummy
load capacitance 7. The dummy input circuit 22, the dummy wiring
line 42 and the dummy output circuit 52 have the same circuit
configurations as those of the input circuit 21, the clock line 41
and the output circuit 51, respectively, and have the same delay
amounts as those thereof. The dummy load capacitance 7 is equal to
the load capacitance coupled to the data output pad 6.
[0225] The first DLL circuit 3 and the second DLL circuit 10
operate independently. More particularly, the first DLL circuit 3
and the second DLL circuit 10 independently perform the respective
phase comparing operations and the delay control operations. The
clock signal obtained from the dummy output circuit 52 via the
dummy input circuit 22 is independently compared, by the phase
comparator circuit 31 and the fine phase comparator circuit 14,
with the input clock signal from the input circuit 21. The delay
amount is independently controlled so as to make the phase
difference equal to zero in the first DLL circuit 3 and the second
DLL circuit 10. In actuality, the output clock signal lags behind
the input clock signal by k periods (k is an integer equal to or
greater than 1). In this state, there is no substantial phase
difference between the input clock signal and the dummy clock
signal. That is, the data output from the output circuit 51 is
synchronized with the input clock signal externally applied to the
clock input pad 1.
[0226] The first DLL circuit 3 includes the frequency divider 30,
the phase comparator circuit 31 serving as a digital phase
comparator, the delay control circuit 32, the delay circuit 33 and
the dummy delay circuit 34. The frequency divider 30
frequency-divides the external clock signal S1 from the input
circuit 21, and thus produces the signals S2 and S3 having a
frequency lower than that of the external clock signal S1. The
signal S2 is output to the dummy delay circuit 34, and the signal
S3 is applied to the first input of the phase comparator circuit
31. The second input of the phase comparator circuit 31 is supplied
with the output signal of the dummy delay circuit 34 via the fine
dummy delay circuit 13, the dummy wiring line 42, the dummy output
circuit 52 and the dummy input circuit 22. The phase comparator
circuit 31 compares the phase of the signal S0 from the dummy input
circuit 22 with that of the signal S3, and controls the delay
control circuit 32 on the basis of the result of the phase
comparing operation. The delay control circuit 32 sets an identical
delay amount based on the output signal of the phase comparator
circuit 31 to the delay circuit 33 and the dummy delay circuit 34.
The output signal of the delay circuit 33 is applied to the fine
delay circuit 12 of the second DLL circuit 10.
[0227] The second DLL circuit 10 includes the fine delay circuit
12, the fine dummy delay circuit 13 and the fine phase comparator
circuit 14. The fine delay circuit 12 is capable of controlling the
delay amount more finely than the delay circuit 33. The fine dummy
delay circuit 13 is fixed to a given amount. The fine phase
comparator circuit 14 compares the phases of the signals S0 and S3,
and controls the delay amount of the fine delay circuit 12. Due to
the function of the first DLL circuit 3, the output clock signal
applied to the output circuit 51 is synchronized with the external
clock signal with the precision of the first DLL circuit 3. In this
state, the phase control can be carried out more finely by
controlling the delay amount of the fine delay circuit 12 on the
basis of the result of the comparing operation of the fine phase
comparator circuit 14.
[0228] It will be noted that the dummy circuit 41 shown in FIG. 6
includes the dummy wiring line 42, the dummy output circuit 52 and
the dummy load capacitance 7 shown in FIG. 30. The output circuit
51 shown in FIG. 30 includes the clock line 41.
[0229] A description will now be given of the detail of the first
DLL circuit 3 shown in FIG. 30. The first DLL circuit 3 shown in
FIG. 30 includes the same parts as those of the first DLL circuit
shown in FIG. 6. A description of those parts will be omitted.
[0230] The phase comparator circuit 31 shown in FIG. 30 will be
described. The phase comparator circuit 31 includes a phase
comparator part shown in FIG. 31 and the aforementioned amplifier
part shown in FIG. 18.
[0231] Referring to FIG. 31, the clock signals .o slashed.out and
.o slashed.ext respectively correspond to the signals S0 and S1
shown in FIG. 30. The phase of the signal .o slashed.out is
detected with respect to the signal .o slashed.ext. The signals .o
slashed.a-.o slashed.e are applied to the amplifier part shown in
FIG. 18. The phase comparator part of the phase comparator circuit
31 includes the aforementioned flip-flops 421 and 422, the latch
circuit 425 and 426, and the circuit 424 which activates the latch
circuits 425 and 426, and the delay circuit 423 having the unit
delay time which defines the tolerable phase difference.
[0232] FIG. 32A shows a case where the clock signal .o slashed.out
leads to the clock signal .o slashed.ext. In this case, the signal
.o slashed.out switches to the high level before the signal .o
slashed.ext switches to the high level. When the signals .o
slashed.out and .o slashed.ext are both low, the nodes 6a-2, 6a-3,
6a-4 and 6a-5 are all high.
[0233] When the signal .o slashed.out switches to the high level,
the nodes 6a-2 and 6a-4 are switched to the low level from the high
level. Then, the signal .o slashed.ext switches to the high level
from the low level, and the node 6a-1 is switched to the high level
with a delay equal to the unit delay time. However, at this time,
the potential of the terminals of the flip-flops 425 and 426 have
already been settled. Hence, the potentials of the nodes 6a-2,
6a-3, 6a-4 and 6a-5 are maintained at the low, high, low and high
levels, respectively.
[0234] When the signal .o slashed.ext switches to the high level,
the output signal .o slashed.a of the circuit 424 is switched to
the high level. Hence, a pulse which temporarily switches to the
high level is applied to the node 6a-6. The node 6a-6 are the input
terminals of the NAND gates of the latch circuits 425 and 426.
Hence, the NAND gates are temporarily activated, and the potentials
of the output terminals of the flip-flops 421 and 422 are latched
in the latch circuits 425 and 426. Finally, the output signals .o
slashed.b, .o slashed.c, .o slashed.d and .o slashed.e are high,
low, high and low, respectively.
[0235] FIG. 32B shows a case where the signals .o slashed.out and
.o slashed.ext have almost the same phases and switch to the high
level at almost the same times. When the signal .o slashed.out
switches to the high level within the time difference between the
rising of the signal .o slashed.out and the rising of the potential
at the node 6a-1, the node 6a-3 of the flip-flop 421 is switched to
the high level because the signal .o slashed.ext switches to the
high level. The node 6a-1 of the flip-flop 422 is continuously low,
and thus the node 6a-4 is switched to the low level. Thereafter,
the node 6a-1 is switched to the low level. At this time, the state
of the flip-flop 422 has been settled, and no change of the state
thereof does not occur. Then, the node 6a-6 is temporarily switched
to the high level, and thus the latch circuits 425 and 426 latch
the states of the flip-flops 421 and 422. Hence, the output signals
.o slashed.b, .o slashed.c, .o slashed.d and .o slashed.e are
respectively low, high, high and low.
[0236] FIG. 32C shows a case where the signal .o slashed.out lags,
over td, behind the signal .o slashed.ext, and switches to the high
level after the signal .o slashed.ext switches to the high level.
In this case, the states of the flip-flops 421 and 422 are changed,
and the nodes 6a-3 and 6a-5 are switched to the low level. Finally,
the signals .o slashed.b, .o slashed.c, .o slashed.d and .o
slashed.e are respectively low, high, low and high.
[0237] In the above-mentioned manner, it is possible to detect
three cases shown in FIGS. 32A, 32B and 32C. The three cases are
indicated by using the signals .o slashed.b, .o slashed.c, .o
slashed.d and .o slashed.e, which are then used to determine which
one of the count-up operation, count-down operation and no-count
operation should be carried out in the delay control circuit
32.
[0238] FIG. 33 is a circuit diagram of a configuration of the fine
delay circuit 12. The circuit 12 shown in FIG. 33 is almost the
same as that shown in FIG. 28, and includes inverter circuits INV1
and INV2 connected in series, two N-channel MOS transistors Q1 and
Q2, and two capacitors C1 and C2. The gates of the transistors Q1
and Q2 are connected to nodes N12 and N03 shown in FIG. 35, which
will be described later.
[0239] FIG. 34 is a circuit diagram of a configuration of the fine
dummy delay circuit 13. The circuit 13 includes inverter circuits
INV3 and INV4 connected in series, two N-channel MOS transistors Q3
and Q4, and two capacitors C3 (50 fF) and C2 (25 fF). The gates of
the transistors Q3 and Q4 are grounded. Hence, the capacitors C3
and C4 are always disconnected from the delay line including the
inverter circuits INV3 and INV4. Hence, the fine dummy delay
circuit 13 has a fixed delay amount defined by the inverter
circuits INV3 and INV4. The capacitors C3 and C4 do not contribute
to the delay operation. However, it is preferable the fine delay
circuit 12 and the fine dummy delay circuit 13 have the same
configuration in order to process the clock signals under the
identical circuit condition.
[0240] FIG. 35 is a circuit diagram of a configuration of the fine
phase comparator circuit 14 shown in FIG. 30. The circuit 14 uses
the clock signal S3 produced by the frequency divider 30 as a
reference signal, and gives the different delay amounts to the
signal S0 from the dummy input circuit 22. Then, the circuit 14
compares the delayed signals given the different delay amounts with
the reference signal S4, and determines the delay amount to be set
in the fine delay circuit 12.
[0241] As shown in FIG. 35, delay circuits 102, 103 and 104 having
different delay amounts are provided to the signal S0 from the
dummy input circuit 22. Each of the delay circuits 102, 103 and 104
has the same configuration as that of the fine delay circuit 12
shown in FIG. 33. However, in order to define the different delay
amounts, the two transistors of each of the delay circuits 102, 103
and 104 are controlled by the different manners. More particularly,
in the delay circuit 102, the capacitor having a capacitance of 25
fF is connected to the delay line via the corresponding transistor,
the gate of which is supplied with the high level. In the delay
circuit 103, the capacitor having a capacitance of 50 fF is
connected to the delay line via the corresponding transistor, the
gate of which is supplied with the high level. In the delay circuit
104, the two capacitors respectively having capacitances of 25 fF
and 50 fF are connected to the delay line via the respective
transistors. A delay circuit 101 having the same configuration as
those of the delay circuits 102-104 is provided to the reference
signal S3 in order to process the signals S0 and S3 under the same
circuit condition. The two capacitors of the delay circuit 101 are
disconnected from the delay line thereof.
[0242] Further, the fine phase comparator circuit 14 includes
flip-flops 105, 106 and 107, latch circuits 109, 110 and 111, a
circuit 108, and a logic circuit 112, as shown in FIG. 35. Each of
the flip-flops 105, 106 and 107 includes two NAND gates. The latch
circuits 109, 110 and 111 latch the states of the flip-flops 105,
106 and 107, respectively. The circuit 108 generates a signal which
activates the latch circuits 109, 110 and 111. The output signals
of the latch circuits 109, 110 and 111 are labeled N0, N02, N11,
N12, N21 and N22, as shown in FIG. 35. The logic circuit 112
receives the signals N02, N11, N12, N21 and N22 and produces a
signal N03 therefrom. The signal N03 is applied to the gate of the
transistor Q2 shown in FIG. 33.
[0243] FIGS. 36A, 36B, 36C and 36D are timing charts of operations
of the fine phase comparator circuit 14 shown in FIG. 35. The
operations shown in these figures are obtained under the condition
that the delay circuit 33 and the dummy delay circuit 34 have a
unit delay time of 200 ps and a 25 fF increase in the capacitance
of the signal delay line causes a delay time of 50 ps. FIGS. 36A,
36B, 36C and 36D show operations observed when the signal S0 leads
the signal S3 by 40 ps, 90 ps, 140 ps and 190 ps, respectively. In
FIGS. 36A-36D, reference symbols A-D, a-1-a-7, N01-N03, N11-N12 and
N21-N22 denote signals obtained at nodes indicated by these symbols
in FIG. 35.
[0244] FIG. 36A shows the case where the signal S0 leads to the
signal S3 by 40 ps. In this case, it is required to disconnect the
capacitors C1 and C2 shown in FIG. 33 from the delay line and thus
make the fine delay circuit 12 have the minimum delay amount. The
signals at the nodes are changed as shown in FIG. 36A, and the
control signals N12 and N03 are both set to the low level.
[0245] FIG. 36B shows the case where the signal S0 leads to the
signal S3 by 90 ps. In this case, it is required to connect only
the capacitor C2 to the delay line and thus increase the delay
amount by 50 ps. The signals at the nodes are changed as shown in
FIG. 36B, and the control signals N12 and N03 are set to the low
and high levels, respectively.
[0246] FIG. 36C shows the case where the signal S0 leads to the
signal S3 by 140 ps. In this case, it is required to connect only
the capacitor C1 to the delay line and thus increase the delay
amount by 100 ps. The signals at the nodes are changed as shown in
FIG. 36C, and the control signals N12 and N03 are set to the high
and low levels, respectively.
[0247] FIG. 36D shows the case where the signal S0 leads to the
signal S3 by 190 ps. In this case, it is required to connect both
the capacitors C1 and C2 to the delay line and thus increase the
delay amount by 150 ps. The signals at the nodes are changed as
shown in FIG. 36D, and the control signals N12 and N03 are both set
to the high level.
[0248] In the above manner, the delay amount is controlled with a
precision of 200 ps by the first DLL circuit 3, and the delay
amount is controlled with a precision of 50 ps by the second DLL
circuit 10. Hence, the fine delay control can be carried out, and
the internal clock signal synchronized with the external clock
signal can be produced.
[0249] A description will now be given of another configuration of
the second DLL circuit 10.
[0250] FIG. 37 shows another configuration of the fine delay
circuit 12 of the second DLL circuit 10. The configuration of the
fine delay circuit 12 shown in FIG. 37 differs from that shown in
FIG. 13C in that logic gates illustrated with hatching are added to
the configuration shown in FIG. 13C in order to make it possible to
control a delay amount less than the unit delay amount 200 ps. In
FIG. 37, the unit delay element having the unit delay amount 200 ps
is assigned a reference number 400. The unit delay element is made
up of the NAND gates 401 and 402 and the inverter 403, as has been
described previously. Another unit delay element 400' having a unit
delay amount different from the unit delay amount 200 ps is
connected to the unit delay element 400. The unit delay element
400' is made up of a NAND gate 402' and an inverter 403'.
[0251] The difference between the unit delay amount of the element
400 and that of the element 400' corresponds to the difference
between the total of the delay amounts of the NAND gate 402' and
the inverter 403' and that of the delay amounts of the NAND gate
402 and the inverter 403. The above difference defines the
precision of the fine delay circuit 12. For example, in a state in
which only the NAND gate receiving the control signal N03 is
opened, the input signal passes through the two unit delay elements
400' and the two unit delay elements 400. When only the NAND gate
receiving the control signal N04 is opened, the input signal passes
through the three unit delay elements 400' and one unit delay
element 400. The difference between the delay amounts applied to
the input signal in the two cases is the difference between the
delay amount of the unit delay element 400 and that of the unit
delay element 400'. For example, if the unit delay elements 400 and
400' have the unit delay amounts 200 ps and 250 ps, respectively,
the difference between the above unit delay amounts is the
precision of the fine delay circuit 12. Hence, by controlling the
NAND gate 401 to be selected, it is possible to obtain delay
amounts of 50 ps, 100 ps and 150 ps.
[0252] The input signal passes through only one NAND gate 401 in
any routes, the output signal includes the delay caused by the NAND
gate 401. In other words, the presence of the NAND gate 401 does
not affect the difference in the delay amount between the different
routes. The control signals N01-N04 shown in FIG. 37 are produced
by the fine phase comparing circuit 14 having a configuration which
will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 39.
[0253] FIG. 38 is a circuit diagram of anther configuration of the
fine dummy delay circuit 13 of the second DLL circuit 10. The fine
dummy delay circuit 13 shown in FIG. 38 is the same as the
configuration shown in FIG. 37 except that one of the two inputs of
the NAND gate 401 located at the first stage is set to the high
level and one of the two inputs of each of the other NAND gates 401
is set to the low level. In this case, the input signal passes
through all the unit delay elements 400.
[0254] FIG. 39 is a circuit diagram of a configuration of the fine
phase comparing circuit 14 used when the configurations shown in
FIGS. 37 and 38 are employed. In FIG. 39, parts that are the same
as those shown in the previously described figures are given the
same reference numbers. As shown in FIG. 39, three delay circuits
122, 123 and 124 having mutually different delay amounts are
provided to the signal S0 from the dummy input circuit 22 shown in
FIG. 33. Each of the delay circuits 122, 123 and 124 is configured
as shown in FIG. 37. The different level setting of the four NAND
gates 401 is required to define the different delay amounts. For
example, the four NAND gates 401 of the delay circuit 122 are
permanently supplied with the low, high, low and low levels,
respectively, as shown in FIG. 39. The level setting for the delay
circuits 123 and 124 is as shown in FIG. 39. A delay circuit 121 is
provided in order to process the signal S3 under the same circuit
configuration as that of each of the delay circuits 122, 123 and
124. The delay circuit 121 has the same configuration as that of
each of the delay circuits 122 through 124. In FIG. 39, a logic
circuit 125 is employed instead of the logic circuit 112 shown in
FIG. 35. The logic circuit 125 is made up of NAND gates and
inverters, and produces the control signals N01 through N04.
[0255] FIGS. 40A, 40B, 40C and 40D are timing charts of operations
of the fine phase comparing circuit 14 having the configuration
shown in FIG. 39. The operations shown in these figures are
obtained under the condition that the delay circuit 33 and the
dummy delay circuit 34 have the unit delay time equal to 200 ps,
the unit delay element 400' illustrated with hatching has the unit
delay time equal to 50 ps. FIGS. 40A, 40B, 40C and 40D show
operations observed when the signal S0 leads the signal S3 by 40
ps, 90 ps, 140 ps and 190 ps, respectively. In FIGS. 40A-40D,
reference symbols A'-D', a-1-a-7, N01-N04 denote signals obtained
at nodes indicated by these symbols in FIG. 39.
[0256] FIG. 40A shows the case where the signal S0 leads to the
signal S3 by 40 ps. In this case, it is required to set the delay
amount of the fine delay circuit 12 to that (the minimum delay
amount) of the delay circuit 121 shown in FIG. 39. The signals at
the nodes are changed as shown in FIG. 40A, and only the control
signal N01 is set to the high level.
[0257] FIG. 40B shows the case where the signal S0 leads to the
signal S3 by 90 ps. In this case, it is required to set the delay
amount of the fine delay circuit 12 to that of the delay circuit
122 shown in FIG. 39. The signals at the nodes are changed as shown
in FIG. 40B, and only the control signal N02 is set to the high
level.
[0258] FIG. 40C shows the case where the signal S0 leads to the
signal S3 by 140 ps. In this case, it is required to set the delay
amount of the fine delay circuit 12 to that of the delay circuit
123 shown in FIG. 39. The signals at the nodes are changed as shown
in FIG. 40C, and only the control signal N03 is set to the high
level.
[0259] FIG. 40D shows the case where the signal S0 leads to the
signal S3 by 190 ps. In this case, it is required to set the delay
amount of the fine delay circuit 12 to that of the delay circuit
124 shown in FIG. 39. The signals at the nodes are changed as shown
in FIG. 40D, and only the control signal N04 is set to the high
level.
[0260] In the above manner, the delay amount is controlled with a
precision of 200 ps by the first DLL circuit 3, and the delay
amount is controlled with a precision of 50 ps by the second DLL
circuit 10. Hence, the fine delay control can be carried out, and
the internal clock signal synchronized with the external clock
signal can be produced.
[0261] The fine delay circuits 12 and 13 are not limited to the
configurations shown in FIGS. 37 and 38. It is possible to use a
plurality of resistors connected in series and a plurality of
switches respectively connected to the resistors in parallel. By
changing the number of resistors connected between the input and
output terminals of the fine delay circuit, the delay amount
thereof can be adjusted. It is also possible to combine the
resistors and capacitors together to configure the fine delay
circuit.
[0262] FIG. 41 is a block diagram of an SDRAM device to which the
above-mentioned digital DLL circuit device is applied. FIG. 42 is a
timing chart of an operation of the SDRAM device shown in FIG. 41.
A pipeline system is applied to the SDRAM device, which includes
two banks #0 and #1 each having 16 Mbits and an eight-bit
width.
[0263] As shown in FIG. 41, the SDRAM device includes DRAM cores
108a and 108b, a clock buffer 101, a command decoder 102, an
address buffer/register and band address selector (address buffer)
103, an I/O data buffer/register 104, control signal latch circuits
105a and 105b, a mode register 106, and column address counters
107a and 107b. Various commands which define operation modes are
defined by a chip select signal /CS, a row address strobe signal
/RAS, a column address strobe signal /CAS and a write enable signal
/WE. The commands are decoded by the command decoder 102, which
controls the corresponding circuits on the basis of the decoded
command. The signals /CS, /RAS, /CAS and /WE are applied to the
control signal latch circuits 105a and 105b, which hold the states
of these signals until the next command is applied.
[0264] The address signal is amplified by the address buffer 103,
which outputs a row address signal applied to the banks #0 and #1.
The row address signal is used as an initial value for the column
address counters 107a and 107b.
[0265] The clock buffer 101 is equipped with an internal clock
generating circuit 121 and an output timing control circuit 122.
The internal clock generating circuit 121 generates an internal
clock signal from an external clock signal CLK. The output timing
control circuit 122 includes the aforementioned digital DLL circuit
device and performs the fine delay control (phase control) so that
the phase-controlled clock signal can be generated.
[0266] The I/O data buffer/register 104 is equipped with a data
input buffer 13 and a data output buffer (output circuit) 51. Data
read from either the DRAM core 108a or 108b is amplified to a given
level by the data output buffer 51, and is output via data pads
DQ0-DQ7 at the timing of the clock signal output by the output
timing control circuit 122. Data externally applied to the data
pads DQ0-DQ7 is applied to the DRAM cores 108a and 108b via the
data input buffer 13. The clock line 41 corresponds to a line
extending from the output timing control circuit 122 to the data
output buffer 51.
[0267] The read operation of the above SDRAM device will be
described with reference to FIG. 42.
[0268] The external clock signal CLK is supplied from a system in
which the present SDRAM device is used. In synchronism with the
rising edges of the external clock signal CLK, various commands,
address signal and input data are latched and data is output.
[0269] When data is read from the DRAM device, an active command
(ACT) defined by the signals /CS, /RAS, /CAS and /WE is applied,
and a row address (Row add.) is applied. Hence, the SDRAM device is
activated, and the word line corresponding to the row address is
selected. Data stored in the cells connected to the selected word
line is output to bit lines and is amplified by a sense
amplifier.
[0270] After the operation time (tRCD) relating to the row address,
a read command (READ) and the column address (Col Add.) are input.
The data sensed by the sense amplifiers selected by the column
address is output to a data bus line and is amplified by a data bus
amplifier. Further, the data amplified by the data bus amplifier is
amplified by the output buffer 51 and is then output to the data
pads DQ. The above operation is the same as that of the
general-purpose DRAM device. However, in the SDRAM device, the
circuits relating to the column address are designed to perform the
pipeline operation, in which read data can be obtained every cycle.
Hence, the data output operation has the cycle of the external
clock signal CLK.
[0271] Generally, there are three different access times, all of
which are defined with respect to the rising edges of the external
clock signal CLK. In FIG. 42, tRAC denotes a row address access
time, tCAC is a column address access time, and tAC denotes a clock
access time.
[0272] FIG. 43 is a block diagram of a part of the SDRAM device
shown in FIG. 41, which part relates to the pipeline operation. The
configuration shown in FIG. 43 has three stages of the
pipeline.
[0273] The circuit part relating to the column address is segmented
into parts in accordance with the flow of the pipeline process. The
segmented parts are called pipes.
[0274] As has been described with respect to FIG. 41, the clock
buffer 101 is equipped with the internal clock generating circuit
121 and the output timing control circuit 122. The output signal of
the internal clock generating circuit 121 is supplied to pipes #1
and #2. The output signal (the phase controlled internal clock
signal) of the output timing control circuit 122 is supplied to the
output circuit 51 (data output buffer) of pipe #3.
[0275] The pipes #1, #2 and #3 are controlled in accordance with
the respective clock signals supplied thereto. Switches SW are
provided between the adjacent pipes, and control the signal
transfer timings. The switches SW are controlled by the clock
signal generated by the internal clock generating circuit 121 of
the clock buffer 101.
[0276] In the pipe #1, the address signal is amplified by the
column address buffer 116 and is then applied to the column decoder
118. Then, the column decoder 118 selects sense amplifiers in a
sense amplifier circuit 117 in accordance with the decoded column
address. In FIG. 43, only one pair of bit lines BL and /BL
extending in a cell array 115 and only one pair of data bus lines
DB and /DB are illustrated for the sake of simplicity. Data sensed
by the selected sense amplifier is transferred to the data bus
lines DB and /DB, and is then amplified by a data bus amplifier
119.
[0277] The pipe #2 includes a data bus control circuit 120, and the
pipe #3 includes the output buffer 51 of the I/O buffer 104. In
FIG. 43, the data input buffer 13 of the I/O buffer 104 is omitted
for the sake of simplicity.
[0278] When the pipes #1, #2 and #3 complete the respective
operations within the respective clock cycles, data can be
transferred in a relay formation by opening and closing the
switches SW in synchronism with the clock signal applied thereto.
Hence, the processes in the pipes #1, #2 and #3 can be carried out
in parallel, and data can be continuously output to the data output
terminal 6 in synchronism with the phase-controlled clock
signal.
[0279] FIG. 44 is a circuit diagram of a configuration of the data
output buffer 51. "Data 1" and "Data 2" are read from the cell
array 115 and are output via the sense amplifier circuit 117, the
data bus amplifier 119 and the data bus control circuit 120. Data
output to the data output terminal 6 is high when "Data 1" and
"Data 2" are both low, and is low when "Data 1" and "Data 2" are
both high. The data output terminal 6 can be maintained in the
high-impedance state when "Data 1" is high and "Data 2" is low. The
setting of the levels of "Data 1" and "Data 2" is carried out by
the data bus control circuit 120. A signal .o slashed.of denotes
the clock signal output by the output timing control circuit 122
(the fine delay circuit 12 in FIG. 30), and serves as an enable
signal of the output circuit 51. A latch circuit 51-3 is made up of
two inverters, and a latch circuit 51-4 is made up of two
inverters.
[0280] When the clock signal .o slashed.of becomes high, data based
on "Data 1" and "Data 2" appears on the data output terminal 6. For
example, when high-level data is output to the terminal 6, the
clock signal .o slashed.of switches to the high level. Hence, a
node 8a-1 is switched to the low level, and a node 8a-2 is switched
to the high level. Thus, two transfer gates, each being made up of
a P-channel MOS transistor an N-channel MOS transistor, are turned
ON. Hence, "Data 1" and "Data 2" are transferred to nodes 8a-3 and
8a-6 via the transfer gates, respectively. Thus, a node 8a-5 is
switched to the low level, and a node 8a-8 is switched to the high
level. As a result, a P-channel MOS transistor 81 is turned ON, and
an N-channel MOS transistor 82 is turned OFF. Hence, the high-level
data is output to the data output terminal 6. When the clock signal
.o slashed.of switches to the low level, the transfer gates are
turned OFF, and the state of the data output terminal 6 is
maintained.
[0281] FIG. 45 is a circuit diagram of the dummy output circuit
shown in FIG. 30. The dummy output circuit 52 has almost the same
configuration as that of the output circuit 51 in order to obtain
almost the same delay time as that of the output circuit 51. The
dummy output circuit 52 differs from the output circuit 51 as
follows. The latch circuits 51-3 and 51-4 shown in FIG. 44 are
replaced by latch circuits 52-3 and 52-4. Each of the latch
circuits 52-3 and 52-4 is made up of an inverter and a NAND gate.
One of the two input terminals of the NAND gates 52-3 and 52-4 is
connected to the dummy line 42 via which the clock signal from the
fine delay circuit 12 is applied thereto. The latch circuits 52-3
and 52-4 output the inverted version of the internal clock signal.
An output node 8a-9 is alternately switched to the high and low
levels in accordance with the clock signal applied to the latch
circuits 52-3 and 52-4. The dummy load capacitance 7 is connected
to the output node 8a-9. The dummy load capacitance 7 has a
capacitance equal to the average external load connected to the
data output terminal 6 of the output circuit 51.
[0282] The present invention is not limited to the specifically
disclosed embodiments, and variations and modifications may be made
without departing from the scope of the present invention. For
example, the logic gates used to form the delay circuits are not
limited to NAND gates and inverters but can be formed by NOR gates
or EOR gates. The present invention is not limited to the SDRAM
device but includes any device which outputs an output signal in
synchronism with the external signal.
* * * * *