Current-controlled CMOS logic family

• US 20070170966A1
• Filed: 03/29/2007
• Published: 07/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hairapetian, Armond
• Granted Patent: US 7,486,124 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 327/210
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/04 Modifications for accelerating switching
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/04106 in field-effect transistor switches H03K17/0412, H03K17/0416 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/04163 in field-effect transistor switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/693 Switching arrangements with several input- or output-terminals, e.g. multiplexers, distributors logic circuits H03K19/00; code converters H03M5/00, H03M7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/09432 with coupled sources or source coupled logic H03K19/096 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/215 using field-effect transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/0036 Means reducing energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/356043 with synchronous operation
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/356139 with synchronous operation
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/3562 of the master-slave type

Abstract

Various circuit techniques for implementing ultra high speed circuits use current-controlled CMOS (C³MOS) logic fabricated in conventional CMOS process technology. An entire family of logic elements including inverter/buffers, level shifters, NAND, NOR, XOR gates, latches, flip-flops and the like are implemented using C³MOS techniques. Optimum balance between power consumption and speed for each circuit application is achieve by combining high speed C³MOS logic with low power conventional CMOS logic. The combined C³MOS/CMOS logic allows greater integration of circuits such as high speed transceivers used in fiber optic communication systems.

Claims

1. A circuit, comprising:

an input that is operable to receive an input signal;

a deserializer circuit block, implemented using current-controlled complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (C³MOS) logic wherein logic levels are signaled by current steering in one of two or more branches in response to differential input signals, that is operable to convert the input signal into a parallel signal that includes a plurality of signals such that the plurality of signals includes all information within the input signal; and

an output that is operable to transmit the parallel signal by transmitting each signal of the plurality of signals.

2. The circuit of claim 1, wherein:

a first signal of the plurality of signals includes first information within the input signal; and

a second signal of the plurality of signals includes second information within the input signal.

3. The circuit of claim 1, wherein:

the input signal has a first frequency; and

a first signal of the plurality of signals has a second frequency.

4. The circuit of claim 1, wherein:

the input signal has a first frequency;

a first signal of the plurality of signals has a second frequency; and

the first frequency is higher than the second frequency.

5. The circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one additional circuit block, implemented using conventional CMOS logic wherein substantially zero static current is dissipated, that is operable to receive and process one signal of the plurality of signals within the parallel signal.

6. The circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one additional circuit block, implemented using conventional CMOS logic wherein substantially zero static current is dissipated, that is operable to receive and process the parallel signal.

7. The circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a core processing circuit block, implemented using conventional CMOS logic wherein substantially zero static current is dissipated, that is operable to receive and process the parallel signal thereby generating a processed parallel signal; and

a serializer circuit block, implemented using current-controlled complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (C³MOS) logic wherein logic levels are signaled by current steering in one of two or more branches in response to differential input signals, that is operable to receive the processed parallel signal and to convert the processed parallel signal into a serial output signal such that the serial output signal includes all information within the processed parallel signal.

8. The circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a core processing circuit block, implemented using conventional CMOS logic wherein substantially zero static current is dissipated, that is operable to receive and process the parallel signal thereby generating a processed parallel signal; and

a serializer circuit block, implemented using current-controlled complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (C³MOS) logic wherein logic levels are signaled by current steering in one of two or more branches in response to differential input signals, that is operable to receive the processed parallel signal and to convert the processed parallel signal into a serial output signal such that the serial output signal includes all information within the processed parallel signal; and

wherein;

the input signal has a first frequency;

a first signal of the plurality of signals of the parallel signal has a second frequency;

the processed parallel signal includes a plurality of processed signals;

a first signal of the plurality of processed signals of the processed parallel signal has the second frequency; and

the serial output signal has the first frequency.

9. A circuit, comprising:

an input that is operable to receive a parallel input signal that includes a plurality of input signals;

a serializer circuit block, implemented using current-controlled complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (C³MOS) logic wherein logic levels are signaled by current steering in one of two or more branches in response to differential input signals, that is operable to receive and convert the plurality of input signals of the parallel input signal into a serial output signal such that the serial output signal includes all information within the parallel input signal; and

an output that is operable to transmit serial output signal.

10. The circuit of claim 9, wherein:

a first signal of the plurality of input signals includes first information;

a second signal of the plurality of signals includes second information; and

the serial output signal includes the first information followed by the second information.

11. The circuit of claim 9, wherein:

a first signal of the plurality of input signals has a first frequency; and

the serial output signal has a second frequency.

12. The circuit of claim 9, wherein:

a first signal of the plurality of input signals has a first frequency;

the serial output signal has a second frequency; and

the second frequency is higher than the first frequency.

13. The circuit of claim 9, further comprising:

at least one additional circuit block, implemented using conventional CMOS logic wherein substantially zero static current is dissipated, that is operable to provide one signal of the plurality of input signals within the parallel input signal to the serializer circuit block.

14. The circuit of claim 9, further comprising:

at least one additional circuit block, implemented using conventional CMOS logic wherein substantially zero static current is dissipated, that is operable to provide the parallel input signal to the serializer circuit block.

15. The circuit of claim 9, further comprising:

a deserializer circuit block, implemented using current-controlled complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (C³MOS) logic wherein logic levels are signaled by current steering in one of two or more branches in response to differential input signals, that is operable to receive a serial input signal and to convert the serial input signal to at least one additional parallel input signal that includes at least one additional plurality of input signals such that the at least one additional plurality of input signals includes all information within the at least one additional parallel input signal; and

a core processing circuit block, implemented using conventional CMOS logic wherein substantially zero static current is dissipated, that is operable to receive and process the at least one additional plurality of input signals of the at least one additional parallel input signal thereby generating the parallel input signal that includes the plurality of input signals.

16. The circuit of claim 9, further comprising:

a deserializer circuit block, implemented using current-controlled complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (C³MOS) logic wherein logic levels are signaled by current steering in one of two or more branches in response to differential input signals, that is operable to receive a serial input signal and to convert the serial input signal to at least one additional parallel input signal that includes at least one additional plurality of input signals such that the at least one additional plurality of input signals includes all information within the at least one additional parallel input signal; and

a core processing circuit block, implemented using conventional CMOS logic wherein substantially zero static current is dissipated, that is operable to receive and process the at least one additional plurality of input signals of the at least one additional parallel input signal thereby generating the parallel input signal that includes the plurality of input signals; and

wherein;

the serial input signal has a first frequency;

a first signal of the at least one additional plurality of input signals of the at least one additional parallel signal has a second frequency;

a first signal of the plurality of input signals of the parallel signal has the second frequency;

the serial output signal has the first frequency.

17. A circuit, comprising:

an input that is operable to receive a serial input signal;

a deserializer circuit block, implemented using current-controlled complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (C³MOS) logic wherein logic levels are signaled by current steering in one of two or more branches in response to differential input signals, that is operable to convert the serial input signal into a parallel signal that includes a plurality of input signals such that the plurality of input signals includes all information within the serial input signal;

a core processing circuit block, implemented using conventional CMOS logic wherein substantially zero static current is dissipated, that is operable to receive and process the parallel signal thereby generating a processed parallel signal;

a serializer circuit block, implemented using current-controlled complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (C³MOS) logic wherein logic levels are signaled by current steering in one of two or more branches in response to differential input signals, that is operable to receive the processed parallel signal and to convert the processed parallel signal into a serial output signal such that the serial output signal includes all information within the processed parallel signal; and

an output that is operable to transmit the serial output signal.

18. The circuit of claim 17, wherein:

the serial input signal has a first frequency;

the parallel signal has a second frequency;

the processed parallel signal has the second frequency; and

the serial output signal has the first frequency.

19. The circuit of claim 17, wherein:

the processed parallel signal includes a plurality of processed input signals; and

the core processing circuit block includes a plurality of parallel implemented CMOS processors such that each CMOS processor of the plurality of CMOS processors is operable to process one input signal of the plurality of input signals thereby generating one processed input signal of the plurality of processed input signals.

20. The circuit of claim 17, wherein:

the deserializer circuit block, the core processing circuit block, and the serializer circuit block are all implemented on a single silicon die.