Simultaneous bi-directional link

• US 20060140287A1
• Filed: 12/23/2004
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rambus Inc.
• Original Assignee: Rambus Inc.
• Inventors: Alon, Elad, Assaderaghi, Fariborz, Chang, Kun-Yung, Pamarti, Sudhakar
• Granted Patent: US 8,509,321 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/260
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/1423 for simultaneous baseband signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/1438 Negotiation of transmission parameters prior to communication modified according to link quality H04L1/0001
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/1461 Suppression of signals in the return path, i.e. bidirectional control circuits

Abstract

A memory system with a simultaneous bi-directional link includes a controller, a memory device and a set of signal lines coupled to the controller and the memory device. Simultaneous communication between the controller and the memory device on the set of signal lines uses a first band of frequencies, and between the memory device and the controller on the set of signal lines uses a second band of frequencies. The controller is configured to dynamically adjust the first band of frequencies based on a predetermined data rate between the controller and the memory device and to dynamically adjust the second band of frequencies based on a predetermined data rate between the memory device and the controller.

Claims

1. A memory system, comprising:

a controller;

a memory device; and

a set of signal lines, coupled to the controller and the memory device, for simultaneous communication between the controller and the memory device using a first band of frequencies and between the memory device and the controller using a second band of frequencies, wherein the controller is configured to dynamically adjust the first band of frequencies based on a predetermined data rate between the controller and the memory device and to dynamically adjust the second band of frequencies based on a predetermined data rate between the memory device and the controller.

2. The memory system of claim 1, wherein the controller includes control logic to dynamically adjust the first band of frequencies and the second band of frequencies based on the predetermined data rate between the controller and the memory device and the predetermined data rate between the memory device and the controller.

3. The memory system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined data rate between the controller and the memory device is greater than 1 Gbps.

4. The memory system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined data rate between the memory device and the controller is greater than 1 Gbps.

5. The memory system of claim 1, wherein the set of signal lines has a length less than 1 m.

6. The memory system of claim 1, wherein the set of signal lines includes at least a passband sub-channel corresponding to the second band of frequencies and a baseband sub-channel corresponding to the first band of frequencies.

7. The memory system of claim 6, wherein in one mode of operation the controller is configured to allocate a substantially zero band of frequencies to the first band of frequencies and a maximum band of frequencies to the second band of frequencies in order to transfer data from the memory device to the controller at a maximum rate.

8. The memory system of claim 6, wherein the baseband sub-channel corresponds to the first band of frequencies is used for communication between the controller and the memory device and between the memory device and the controller.

9. The memory system of claim 1, wherein in at least one mode of operation the set of signal lines uses multi-tone communication over a plurality of sub-channels including at least a baseband sub-channel and a passband sub-channel, wherein a first device selected from the set consisting of the controller and the memory device is configured to transmit a data stream in the plurality of sub-channels including at least the baseband sub-channel and the passband sub-channel, and wherein each sub-channel communicating a subset of the data stream, the subset of the data stream having a symbol rate less than a symbol rate of the data stream.

10. The memory system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of sub-channels comprise approximate orthogonal frequency bands, wherein each respective frequency band is defined at least in part by a respective low-pass filter and a respective frequency band corresponding to the passband sub-channel is further defined by a respective vector that frequency shifts signals into a range of frequencies corresponding to the passband sub-channel, and wherein the respective vector corresponds to a respective sequence of N elements, the respective vector is substantially orthogonal to respective vectors used to define other sub-bands, and the respective vectors are substantially orthogonal during a finite time interval corresponding to each sequence of N elements.

11. The memory system of claim 10, wherein receive circuits in a second device selected from the set comprising the controller and the memory device include an integrator and the integrator integrates signals in a respective sub-channel for substantially the finite time interval.

12. The memory system of claim 10, wherein each respective sub-channel corresponds to at least one frequency band that at least partially overlaps a frequency band for at least one other respective sub-channel.

13. The memory system of claim 10, wherein each respective sub-channel corresponds to a group of frequency bands at least one of which overlaps a frequency band for at least one other respective sub-channel.

14. The memory system of claim 9, wherein signals in the baseband sub-channel are modulated using a first modulation code and signals in the passband sub-channel are modulated using a second modulation code.

15. The memory system of claim 14, wherein the first modulation code is four-level pulse amplitude modulation (4-PAM) and the second modulation code is two-level, on-off keying (2-OOK).

16. The memory system of claim 14, wherein the first modulation code and the second modulation code are selected from the group consisting of two-level pulse amplitude modulation (2-PAM), four-level pulse amplitude modulation (4-PAM), eight-level pulse amplitude modulation (8-PAM), sixteen-level pulse amplitude modulation (16-PAM), two-level on-off keying (2-OOK), four-level pulse on-off keying (4-OOK), eight-level on-off keying (8-OOK) and sixteen-level on-off keying (16-OOK).

17. The memory system of claim 9, further comprising a control channel for communicating to the memory device adjustments to the plurality of sub-channels.

18. The memory system of claim 1, wherein the set of signal lines uses multi-tone communication over N sub-channels and the controller determines how many of the N sub-channels are used for communication between the controller and the memory device and how many of the N sub-channels are used for communication between the memory device and the controller.

19. The memory system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to dynamically adjust at least one circuit in the controller and the memory device so as to adjust the first band of frequencies and the second band of frequencies.

20. The memory system of claim 19, wherein adjustment of the at least one circuit modifies at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of a respective low-pass corner frequency, a respective frequency band corresponding to a bandpass filter and a respective frequency of a sinusoidal signal.

21. A memory system, comprising:

a controller;

a memory device; and

a set of signal lines, coupled to the controller and the memory device, for simultaneous communication between the controller and the memory device using a first band of frequencies and between the memory device and the controller using a second band of frequencies, the set of signal lines including a baseband sub-channel and a passband sub-channel;

wherein the controller is configured to dynamically adjust each of the first band of frequencies and the second band of frequencies to a value between zero and a maximum band of frequencies based on a predetermined unidirectional data rate that is greater than 1 Gbps, the unidirectional data rate for communicating a unidirectional data stream.

22. The memory system of claim 21, wherein the controller includes control logic to dynamically adjust the first band of frequencies and the second band of frequencies based on the predetermined unidirectional data rate.

23. The memory system of claim 21, wherein the baseband sub-channel corresponds to the first band of frequencies and is used for communication both between the controller and the memory device and between the memory device and the controller.

24. The memory system of claim 21, wherein the controller and the memory device include cross-talk reduction circuitry configured to reduce cross-talk between transmit and receive circuits associated with the baseband sub-channel.

25. The memory system of claim 21, wherein the baseband sub-channel is defined by a first low-pass filter, and the passband sub-channel is defined by a second low-pass filter, a bandpass filter and a sinusoidal signal that frequency shifts signals into a range of frequencies corresponding to the passband sub-channel.

26. The memory system of claim 21, wherein a receive circuit in a device selected from the set consisting of the controller and the memory device includes an integrator and the integrator integrates signals in the passband sub-channel for substantially the finite time interval.

27. The memory system of claim 21, wherein the passband sub-channel corresponds to at least one frequency band that at least partially overlaps a frequency band for at least another sub-channel.

28. The memory system of claim 21, wherein the passband sub-channel corresponds to a group of frequency bands at least one of which overlaps a frequency band for at least another sub-channel.

29. The memory system of claim 21, further comprising one or more additional passband sub-channels.

30. The memory system of claim 21, wherein the passband sub-channel corresponds to the second band of frequencies and the baseband sub-channel corresponds to the first band of frequencies, and signals in the baseband sub-channel are modulated using four-level pulse amplitude modulation (4-PAM) and signals in the passband sub-channel are modulated using two-level, on-off keying (2-OOK).

31. The memory system of claim 21, wherein the passband sub-channel corresponds to the second band of frequencies and the baseband sub-channel corresponds to the first band of frequencies, and signals in the baseband sub-channel are modulated using two-level pulse amplitude modulation (2-PAM) and signals in the passband sub-channel are modulated using two-level, on-off keying (2-OOK).

32. The memory system of claim 21, wherein the passband sub-channel corresponds to the second band of frequencies and the baseband sub-channel corresponds to the first band of frequencies, and in at least one mode of operation the second band of frequencies is zero, the first band of frequencies is the maximum band of frequencies and signals in the baseband sub-channel are modulated using four-level pulse amplitude modulation (4-PAM).

33. The memory system of claim 21, further comprising a control channel for communicating to the memory device adjustments to the baseband sub-channel and the passband sub-channel.

34. The memory system of claim 21, wherein the set of signal lines uses multi-tone communication over N sub-channels and the controller determines how many of the N sub-channels are used for communication between the controller and the memory device and how many of the N sub-channels are used for communication between the memory device and the controller.

35. The memory system of claim 21, wherein the controller is configured to dynamically adjust at least one circuit in the controller and the memory device so as to adjust the first band of frequencies and the second band of frequencies.

36. The memory system of claim 35, wherein adjustment of the at least one circuit modifies at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of a respective low-pass corner frequency, a respective frequency band corresponding to bandpass filter and a respective frequency of a sinusoidal signal.

37. A method of communication in a memory system having a controller and a memory device coupled by a set of signal lines, comprising:

adjusting a first band of frequencies between the controller and the memory device based on a predetermined data rate between the controller and the memory device;

adjusting a second band of frequencies between the memory device and the controller based on a predetermined data rate between the memory device and the controller; and

simultaneously communicating data between the controller and the memory device and the memory device and the controller.

38. A memory system, comprising:

a control means;

a memory means; and

a communication means for simultaneously communicating between the control means and the memory means using a first band of frequencies and between the memory means and the control means using a second band of frequencies, wherein the control means includes a configuration means to dynamically adjust the first band of frequencies based on a predetermined data rate between the control means and the memory means and to dynamically adjust the second band of frequencies based on a predetermined data rate between the memory means and the control means.