CLOCK SYNCHRONIZATION CIRCUIT AND OPERATION METHOD THEREOF

• US 20090175116A1
• Filed: 06/30/2008
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Incorporated (SK Hynix Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Incorporated (SK Hynix Inc.)
• Inventors: Yoon, Dae-Kum, Song, Taek-Sang, Kim, Kyung-Hoon, Kwon, Dae-Han
• Granted Patent: US 7,855,933 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 365/233.120
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/22 Read-write [R-W] timing or clocking circuits; Read-write [R-W] control signal generators or management
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/222 Clock generating, synchronizing or distributing circuits within memory device
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 8/18 Address timing or clocking circuits; Address control signal generation or management, e.g. for row address strobe [RAS] or column address strobe [CAS] signals
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2005/00208 using differential stages
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/0805 the loop being adapted to provide an additional control signal for use outside the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/083 the reference signal being additionally directly applied to the generator
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/0891 the up-down pulses controlling source and sink current generators, e.g. a charge pump
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/0995 the oscillator comprising a ring oscillator
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/24 using a reference signal directly applied to the generator

Abstract

A semiconductor memory device with a clock synchronization circuit capable of performing a desired phase/frequency locking operation, without the jitter peaking phenomenon and the pattern jitter of an oscillation control voltage signal using injection locking. The device includes a phase-locked loop that detects a phase/frequency difference between a feedback clock signal and a reference clock signal to generate an oscillation control voltage signal corresponding to the detected phase/frequency difference, and generates the feedback clock signal corresponding to the oscillation control voltage signal. An injection locking oscillation unit sets up a free running frequency in response to the oscillation control voltage signal and generates an internal clock signal which is synchronized with the reference clock signal.

Claims

1. A semiconductor memory device having a clock synchronization circuit, the clock synchronization circuit comprising:

a phase-locked loop configured to detect a phase/frequency difference between a feedback clock signal and a reference clock signal to generate an oscillation control voltage signal corresponding to the detected phase/frequency difference, and generate the feedback clock signal corresponding to the oscillation control voltage; and

an injection locking oscillation unit configured to set up a free running frequency in response to the oscillation control voltage signal and generate an internal clock signal which is synchronized with the reference clock signal.

2. The semiconductor memory device of claim 1, wherein the injection locking oscillation unit includes:

a filtering unit configured to output a filtered control voltage signal by filtering the oscillation control voltage signal; and

an injection locking voltage controlled oscillator configured to receive the filtered control voltage signal and generate the internal clock signal at a frequency corresponding to the reference clock signal.

3. The semiconductor memory device of claim 2, wherein the filtering unit includes a low pass filter.

4. The semiconductor memory device of claim 2, wherein the injection locking voltage controlled oscillator includes:

an injection locking delay cell configured to receive the filtered control voltage signal, the reference clock signal and the internal clock signal and output an output clock signal corresponding to the reference clock signal; and

a normal delay cell configured to generate the internal clock signal by delaying the output clock signals for a predetermined time according to the filtered control voltage signal.

5. The semiconductor memory device of claim 4, wherein the reference clock signal has the same frequency as the output clock signal.

6. The semiconductor memory device of claim 4, wherein the injection locking delay cell includes:

an input/output unit configured to receive the reference clock signal and the internal clock signal and output the output clock signal in synchronization with the reference clock signal;

a loading unit having a loading value corresponding to the filtered control voltage signal; and

a biasing unit configured to provide an operation current to the injection locking delay cell in response to a bias voltage.

7. The semiconductor memory device of claim 6, wherein the input/output unit includes:

a first input unit connected between differential output terminals and the biasing unit, configured to differentially receive the reference clock signal; and

a second input unit connected between the differential output terminals and the biasing unit, configured to differentially receive the internal clock signal.

8. The semiconductor memory device of claim 1, further comprising a level shifting unit configured to shift a voltage level of the reference clock signal to a predetermined voltage level.

9. A clock synchronization circuit comprising:

a phase/frequency detecting unit configured to detect a phase/frequency difference between a reference clock signal and a feedback clock signal and output a detection signal;

a charge pumping unit configured to perform a charge pumping operation in response to the detection signal;

a control voltage generating unit configured to generate an oscillation control voltage signal according to the charge pumping operation;

a voltage controlled oscillator configured to generate the feedback clock signal according to the oscillation control voltage signal; and

an injection locking oscillator configured to set up a free running frequency in response to the oscillation control voltage signal and generate an internal clock signal in synchronization with the reference clock signal.

10. The clock synchronization circuit of claim 9, further comprising:

a first dividing unit configured to divide the feedback clock signal of the voltage controlled oscillator and provide the divided feedback clock signal to the phase/frequency detecting unit; and

a second dividing unit configured to divide the reference clock signal and provide the divided reference clock signal to the phase/frequency detecting unit.

11. The clock synchronization circuit of claim 9, wherein the reference clock signal has the same frequency as the internal clock signal.

12. The clock synchronization circuit of claim 9, wherein the injection locking oscillator includes:

a filtering unit configured to output a filtered control voltage signal by filtering the oscillation control voltage signal; and

an injection locking voltage controlled oscillator configured to receive the filtered control voltage signal and generate the internal clock signal at a frequency corresponding to the reference clock signal.

13. The clock synchronization circuit of claim 12, wherein the filtering unit includes a low pass filter.

14. The clock synchronization circuit of claim 12, wherein the injection locking voltage controlled oscillator includes:

an injection locking delay cell configured to receive the filtered control voltage signal, the reference clock signal and the internal clock signal and output an output clock signal corresponding to the reference clock signal; and

a normal delay cell configured to generate the internal clock signal by delaying the output clock signals for a predetermined time according to the filtered control voltage signal.

15. The clock synchronization circuit of claim 14, wherein the reference clock signal has the same frequency as the output clock signal.

16. The clock synchronization circuit of claim 14, wherein the injection locking delay cell includes:

an input/output unit configured to receive the reference clock signal and the internal clock signal and output the output clock signal in synchronization with the reference clock signal;

a loading unit having a loading value corresponding to the filtered control voltage signal; and

a biasing unit configured to provide an operation current to the injection locking delay cell in response to a bias voltage.

17. The clock synchronization circuit of claim 16, wherein the input/output unit includes:

a first input unit connected between differential output terminals and the biasing unit, configured to differentially receive reference clock signal; and

a second input unit connected between the differential output terminals and the biasing unit, configured to differentially receive the internal clock signal.

18. The clock synchronization circuit of claim 9, further comprising a level shifting unit configured to shift a voltage level of the reference clock signal to a predetermined voltage level.

19. A method for driving a clock synchronization circuit, the method, comprising:

performing a phase/frequency locking operation between a reference clock signal and a feedback clock signal to generate an oscillation control voltage signal; and

setting up a free running frequency in response to the oscillation control voltage signal and performing an injection clocking operation to generate an internal clock signal in synchronization with the reference clock signal.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the performing the phase/frequency locking operation includes:

outputting a phase/frequency difference between the reference clock signal and the feedback clock signal as a detection signal;

performing a charge pumping operation in response to the detection signal;

generating the oscillation control voltage signal according to the charge pumping operation; and

generating the feedback clock signal according to the oscillation control voltage signal.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising dividing the reference clock signal;

and

dividing the feedback clock signal.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the performing the injection clocking operation includes:

performing a low pass filtering operation of the oscillation control voltage signal; and

generating the internal clock signal at a frequency corresponding to the reference clock signal in response to a filtered oscillation control voltage signal and.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the generating the internal clock signal includes:

receiving the reference clock signal and a feedback signal of the internal clock signal to generate an output clock signal corresponding to the reference clock signal; and

generating the internal clock signal by delaying the output clock signal for a predetermined time corresponding to the filtered oscillation control voltage signal.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the reference clock signal has the same frequency as the output clock signal.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the reference clock signal has the same frequency as the internal clock signal.

26. A clock synchronization circuit, comprising:

a phase/frequency detecting unit configured to detect a phase/frequency difference between a reference clock signal and a feedback clock signal and output a detection signal;

a charge pumping unit configured to perform a charge pumping operation in response to the detection signal;

a control voltage generating unit configured to generate an oscillation control voltage signal according to the charge pumping operation;

a voltage controlled oscillator configured to generate internal source clock signals with a frequency corresponding to the oscillation control voltage signal;

a dividing unit configured to divide the internal source clock signals to output the feedback clock; and

an injection locking oscillator configured to set up a free running frequency in response to the oscillation control voltage signal and generate an internal clock signal in response to the internal source clock signals.

27. The clock synchronization circuit of claim 26, wherein the voltage controlled oscillator includes a plurality of delay cells configured to generate the internal source clock signals having a predetermined phase difference from each other.

28. The clock synchronization circuit of claim 27, wherein the injection locking oscillator includes:

a filtering unit configured to output a filtered control voltage signal by filtering the oscillation control voltage signal; and

an injection locking voltage controlled oscillator configured to receive the filtered control voltage signal and generate the internal clock signal in response to the internal source clock signals.

29. The clock synchronization circuit of claim 28, wherein the injection locking voltage controlled oscillator includes a plurality of injection locking delay cells configured to generate the internal clock signal in response to the internal source clock signals.

30. The clock synchronization circuit of claim 28, wherein the injection locking voltage controlled oscillator includes:

a first injection locking delay cell configured to generate a pre internal clock signal in response to the filtered control voltage signal, one of the internal source clock signals and the internal clock signal; and

a second injection locking delay cell configured to generate the internal clock signal in response to the filtered control voltage signal, the other of the internal source clock signals and the pre internal clock signal.