Switch selectable terminator for differential and pseudo-differential signaling

• US 20070290712A1
• Filed: 06/19/2006
• Published: 12/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gomez, Carlos I., Truong, Bao G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,391,231 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 326/30
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/003 Modifications for increasing the reliability for protection
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/0175 Coupling arrangements; Interface arrangements interface arrangements for digital computers G06F3/00, G06F13/00

Abstract

An active terminator is configured with switches to select between terminating two lines for transmitting one differential signal pair or two single ended signals terminated in a pseudo-differential receiver. The receiver circuitry is configured with three differential comparators. One differential comparator receives both signal lines and other two differential comparators each receive one signal line and a reference voltage. The signal lines are terminated in a resistive voltage divider with electronic switches coupling the positive and ground voltages. The top and bottom nodes of the resistor divider in both terminators are cross-coupled with pass gates. In the pseudo-differential mode the pass gates are OFF and the electronic switches are ON with known resistances. In the differential mode, the electronic switches are OFF and the pass gates are ON with known resistances. The pass gate and switch resistances are sized with the resistors to insure a desired termination impedance.

Claims

1. A termination network for configuring the termination of first and second adjacent transmission lines for either two data line pseudo-differential signaling or single data line true differential signaling comprising:

first circuitry coupled to the first transmission line and configured in response to a first logic state of a first control signal to terminate the first transmission line in a first impedance referenced to a first bias voltage for pseudo-differential signaling;

second circuitry coupled to the second transmission line and configured in response to the first logic state of the first control signal to terminate the second transmission line in a second impedance referenced to a second bias voltage for pseudo-differential signaling; and

third circuitry for coupling the first circuitry to the second circuitry thus configuring the first and second circuitry as a third impedance termination between the first and second transmission lines in response to a second logic state of the first control signal for true differential signaling.

2. The termination network of claim 1, wherein the first circuitry comprises:

a first resistor network having a first node, a second node and a common node coupled to the first transmission line;

a first electronic switch having a positive node coupled to a first voltage potential, a power node coupled to the first node of the first resistor network, and a control node coupled to turn ON the first electronic switch in response to the first logic state of the first control signal thereby coupling the power node of the first electronic switch to the positive node; and

a second electronic switch having a negative node coupled to a second voltage potential, a power node coupled to the second node of the first resistor network, and a control node coupled to turn ON the second electronic switch in response to the first logic state of the first control signal thereby coupling the power node of the second electronic switch to the negative node.

3. The termination network of claim 2, wherein the second circuitry comprises:

a second resistor network having a first node, a second node and a common node coupled to the second transmission line;

a third electronic switch having a positive node coupled to the first voltage 5 potential, a power node coupled to the first node of the second resistor network, and a control node coupled to turn ON the third electronic switch in response to the first logic state of the first control signal thereby coupling the power node of the third electronic switch to the positive node; and

a fourth electronic switch having a negative node coupled to a second voltage potential, a power node coupled to the second node of the second resistor network, and a control node coupled to turn ON the fourth electronic switch in response to the first logic state of the first control signal thereby coupling the power node of the fourth electronic switch to the negative node.

4. The termination network of claim 3, wherein the third circuitry comprises:

a double pole single throw electronic switch having first and second inputs coupled to the first and second nodes, respectively, of the first circuitry and first and second outputs coupled to the third and fourth nodes, respectively, of the second circuitry, wherein the first and second inputs are coupled to the first and second outputs, respectively, in response to the second logic state of the first control signals.

5. The termination network of claim 4, wherein the double pole single throw electronic switch comprises:

a first pass gate having source node as the first input, a drain node as the first output, and a first gate node coupled to the first control signal and a second gate node coupled to a complement of the first control signal; and

a second pass gate having source node as the second input, a drain node as the second output, and a first gate node coupled to the first control signal and a second gate node coupled to a complement of the first control signal.

6. The termination network of claim 5, wherein the first and second pass gates each comprise:

a P channel field effect transistor (PFET) having a source terminal coupled to the source node, a drain terminal coupled as the drain node and a gate terminal coupled to the first gate node; and

an N channel field effect transistor (NFET) having a drain terminal coupled to the source node, a source terminal coupled as the drain node and a gate terminal coupled to the second gate node.

7. The termination network of claim 3, wherein the first and third electronic switches have pre-determined ON state resistances between their power nodes and their positive nodes.

8. The termination network of claim 7, wherein the second and fourth electronic switches have pre-determined ON state resistances between their power nodes and their negative nodes.

9. The termination network of claim 1 further comprising:

a first differential comparator having a positive input coupled to the first transmission line, a negative input coupled to a reference voltage and an output generating a first detected data signal in response to an amplified difference between a signal received on the first transmission line and the reference voltage when the first control signal has the first logic state; and

a second differential comparator having a positive input coupled to the second transmission line, a negative input coupled to the reference voltage and an output generating a second detected data signal in response to an amplified difference between a signal received on the second transmission line and the reference voltage when the first control signal has the first logic state.

10. The termination network of claim 1 further comprising a third differential comparator having a positive input coupled to the first transmission line, a negative input coupled to the second transmission line, and an output generating a detected differential data signal in response to an amplified difference between a signal level received on the first transmission line and a signal level received on the second transmission line when the first control signal has the second logic state.

11. The termination network of claim 8, wherein the first resistor network comprises:

a first resistor having a first terminal coupled as the first node and a second node coupled to the common node; and

a second resistor having a first terminal coupled as the second node and a second node coupled to the common node.

12. The termination network of claim 11, wherein the second resistor network comprises:

a first resistor having a first terminal coupled as the first node and a second node coupled to the common node; and

a second resistor having a first terminal coupled as the second node and a second node coupled to the common node.

13. The termination network of claim 12, wherein the first impedance terminating the first transmission line when the first control signal has the first logic state comprises the combination of;

the first resistor of the first resistor network in series with the ON resistance of the first electronic switch, in parallel with, the second resistor of the first resistor network in series with the ON resistance of the second electronic switch.

14. The termination network of claim 13, wherein the second impedance terminating the second transmission line when the first control signal has the first logic state comprises the combination of;

the first resistor of the second resistor network in series with the ON resistance of the third electronic switch, in parallel with, the second resistor of the second resistor network in series with the ON resistance of the fourth electronic switch.

15. The termination network of claim 14, wherein the third impedance termination between the first and second transmission lines when the first control signal has the second logic state comprises the series combination of the resistance of the first pass gate, the first resistor of the first resistor network, and the second resistor of the second resistor network, in parallel with, the series combination of the resistance of the second pass gate, the first resistor of the second resistor network, and the second resistor of the first resistor network.

16. A data processing system comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU);

a random access memory (RAM);

an input output (I/O) interface unit; and

a bus for coupling the CPU, RAM and I/O interface unit, the data processing system having a termination network for configuring the termination of first and second adjacent transmission lines for either two data line pseudo-differential signaling or single data line true differential signaling having first circuitry coupled to the first transmission line and configured in response to a first logic state of a first control signal to terminate the first transmission line in a first impedance referenced to a first bias voltage for pseudo-differential signaling, second circuitry coupled to the second transmission line and configured in response to the first logic state of the first control signal to terminate the second transmission line in a second impedance referenced to a second bias voltage for pseudo-differential signaling, and third circuitry for coupling the first circuitry to the second circuitry thus configuring the first and second circuitry as a third impedance termination between the first and second transmission lines in response to a second logic state of the first control signal for true differential signaling.

17. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein the first circuitry comprises:

a first resistor network having a first node, a second node and a common node coupled to the first transmission line;

a first electronic switch having a positive node coupled to a first voltage potential, a power node coupled to the first node of the first resistor network, and a control node coupled to turn ON the first electronic switch in response to the first logic state of the first control signal thereby coupling the power node of the first electronic switch to the positive node; and

a second electronic switch having a negative node coupled to a second voltage potential, a power node coupled to the second node of the first resistor network, and a control node coupled to turn ON the second electronic switch in response to the first logic state of the first control signal thereby coupling the power node of the second electronic switch to the negative node.

18. The data processing system of claim 17, wherein the second circuitry comprises:

a second resistor network having a first node, a second node and a common node coupled to the second transmission line;

a third electronic switch having a positive node coupled to the first voltage potential, a power node coupled to the first node of the second resistor network, and a control node coupled to turn ON the third electronic switch in response to the first logic state of the first control signal thereby coupling the power node of the third electronic switch to the positive node; and

a fourth electronic switch having a negative node coupled to a second voltage potential, a power node coupled to the second node of the second resistor network, and a control node coupled to turn ON the fourth electronic switch in response to the first logic state of the first control signal thereby coupling the power node of the fourth electronic switch to the negative node.

19. The data processing system of claim 18, wherein the third circuitry comprises:

a double pole single throw electronic switch having first and second inputs coupled to the first and second nodes, respectively, of the first circuitry and first and second outputs coupled to the third and fourth nodes, respectively, of the second circuitry, wherein the first and second inputs are coupled to the first and second outputs, respectively, in response to the second logic state of the first control signals.

20. The termination network of claim 19, wherein the double pole single throw electronic switch comprises:

a first pass gate having source node as the first input, a drain node as the first output, and a first gate node coupled to the first control signal and a second gate node coupled to a complement of the first control signal; and

a second pass gate having source node as the second input, a drain node as the second output, and a first gate node coupled to the first control signal and a second gate node coupled to a complement of the first control signal