Signal transmission apparatus and interconnection structure
First Claim
1. A signal transmission apparatus, comprising:
- a signal transmission line having a transmitting end, a receiving end, and a characteristic impedance, including a signal-line element having a resistance-capacitance delay, for transmitting a digital signal input at the transmitting end;
a first driver having an inverter structure and an on-resistance, for supplying the digital signal to the transmitting end of the signal transmission line;
a power-ground transmission fine pair for supplying power to the first driver, having a characteristic impedance less than a sum of the on-resistance of the first driver and the characteristic impedance of the signal transmission line, the power-ground transmission line pair including a power line and a ground line, the power line and the ground line running adjacent to each other;
a first receiver having a differential amplifier structure, for receiving the digital signal from the receiving end of the signal transmission line and detecting the received digital signal; and
a first directional coupler connected between the first driver and the transmitting end of the signal transmission line, or between the receiving end of the signal transmission line and the first receiver, for blocking a direct-current component of the digital signal and passing a wideband alternating-current component of the digital signal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus for transmitting a digital signal within, for example, an integrated circuit includes a signal transmission line with a directional coupler at one or both ends. The directional coupler blocks the direct-current component of the digital signal while transmitting the alternating-current component, including enough higher harmonics to transmit a well-defined pulse waveform. A suitable directional coupler consists of two adjacent line pairs in materials with different dielectric constants. The apparatus may also include a driver of the inverter type, a receiver of the differential amplifier type, a terminating resistor, and a power-ground transmission line pair for supplying power to the driver. An all-metallic transmission-line structure is preferably maintained from the output interconnections in the driver to the input interconnections in the receiver.
205 Citations
29 Claims
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1. A signal transmission apparatus, comprising:
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a signal transmission line having a transmitting end, a receiving end, and a characteristic impedance, including a signal-line element having a resistance-capacitance delay, for transmitting a digital signal input at the transmitting end; a first driver having an inverter structure and an on-resistance, for supplying the digital signal to the transmitting end of the signal transmission line; a power-ground transmission fine pair for supplying power to the first driver, having a characteristic impedance less than a sum of the on-resistance of the first driver and the characteristic impedance of the signal transmission line, the power-ground transmission line pair including a power line and a ground line, the power line and the ground line running adjacent to each other; a first receiver having a differential amplifier structure, for receiving the digital signal from the receiving end of the signal transmission line and detecting the received digital signal; and a first directional coupler connected between the first driver and the transmitting end of the signal transmission line, or between the receiving end of the signal transmission line and the first receiver, for blocking a direct-current component of the digital signal and passing a wideband alternating-current component of the digital signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A signal transmission apparatus, comprising:
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a signal transmission line having a transmitting end, a receiving end, and a characteristic impedance, including a signal-line element having a resistance-capacitance delay, for transmitting a digital signal input at the transmitting end; a first driver having an inverter structure and an on-resistance, for supplying the digital signal to the transmitting end of the signal transmission line; a power-ground transmission line pair for supplying power to the first driver, having a characteristic impedance low enough to drive a sum of the on-resistance of the first driver and the characteristic impedance of the signal transmission line; a first receiver having a differential amplifier structure, for receiving the digital signal from the receiving end of the signal transmission line and detecting the received digital signal; and a first directional coupler connected between the first driver and the transmitting end of the signal transmission line, or between the receiving end of the signal transmission line and the first receiver, for blocking a direct-current component of the digital signal and passing a wideband alternating-current component of the digital signal, wherein the first directional coupler includes an energy input line pair and an energy transmitting line pair, both having a predetermined length, disposed in close proximity in materials of different dielectric constants, the energy input line pair being separated from the energy transmitting line pair by a predetermined gap. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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24. A signal transmission apparatus, comprising:
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a signal transmission line having a transmitting end, a receiving end, and a characteristic impedance, including a signal-line element having a resistance-capacitance delay, for transmitting a digital signal input at the transmitting end; a first driver having an inverter structure and an on-resistance, for supplying the digital signal to the transmitting end of the signal transmission line; a power-ground transmission line pair for supplying power to the first driver, having a characteristic impedance low enough to drive a sum of the on-resistance of the first driver and the characteristic impedance of the signal transmission line; a first receiver having a differential amplifier structure, for receiving the digital signal from the receiving end of the signal transmission line and detecting the received digital signal; and a first directional coupler connected between the first driver and the transmitting end of the signal transmission line, or between the receiving end of the signal transmission line and the first receiver, for blocking a direct-current component of the digital signal and passing a wideband alternating-current component of the digital signal, wherein the first directional coupler is connected between the receiving end of the signal transmission line and the first receiver, and no directional coupler is connected between the first driver and the transmitting end of the signal transmission line, and wherein the first directional coupler includes an energy input line pair having an open and floating output ends and an energy transmitting line pair having an open and floating input end.
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25. A signal transmission apparatus, comprising:
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a signal transmission line having a transmitting end, a receiving end, and a characteristic impedance, including a signal-line element having a resistance-capacitance delay, for transmitting a digital signal input at the transmitting end; a first driver having an inverter structure and an on-resistance, for supplying the digital signal to the transmitting end of the signal transmission line; a power-ground transmission line pair for supplying power to the first driver, having a characteristic impedance low enough to drive a sum of the on-resistance of the first driver and the characteristic impedance of the signal transmission line; a first receiver having a differential amplifier structure, for receiving the digital signal from the receiving end of the signal transmission line and detecting the received digital signal; and a first directional coupler connected between the first driver and the transmitting end of the signal transmission line, or between the receiving end of the signal transmission line and the first receiver, for blocking a direct-current component of the digital signal and passing a wideband alternating-current component of the digital signal, wherein the first receiver comprises a substrate, and a differential pair of input MOS transistors disposed in a single well, the single well being electrically isolated from the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (26)
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27. A signal transmission apparatus, comprising:
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a signal transmission line having a transmitting end, a receiving end, and a characteristic impedance, including a signal-line element having a resistance-capacitance delay, for transmitting a digital signal input at the transmitting end; a first driver having an inverter structure and an on-resistance, for supplying the digital signal to the transmitting end of the signal transmission line; a power-ground transmission line pair for supplying rower to the first driver, having a characteristic impedance low enough to drive a sum of the on-resistance of the first driver and the characteristic impedance of the signal transmission line; a first receiver having a differential amplifier structure, for receiving the digital signal from the receiving end of the signal transmission line and detecting the received digital signal; and a first directional coupler connected between the first driver and the transmitting end of the signal transmission line, or between the receiving end of the signal transmission line and the first receiver, for blocking a direct-current component of the digital signal and passing a wideband alternating-current component of the digital signal, wherein the signal transmission line satisfies the following condition, in which L denotes signal line length, λ
denotes a sinewave signal component wavelength, v denotes an electromagnetic wave velocity on the signal transmission line, and f denotes a maximum frequency of a pulse signal transmitted on the signal line;
L≧
( 1/40)λ
=( 1/40)(v/f).
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28. A signal transmission apparatus, comprising:
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a signal transmission line having a transmitting end, a receiving end, and a characteristic impedance, including a signal-line element having a resistance-capacitance delay, for transmitting a digital signal input at the transmitting end; a first driver having an inverter structure and an on-resistance, for supplying the digital signal to the transmitting end of the signal transmission line; a power-ground transmission line pair for supplying power to the first driver, having a characteristic impedance low enough to drive a sum of the on-resistance of the first driver and the characteristic impedance of the signal transmission line; a first receiver having a differential amplifier structure, for receiving the digital signal from the receiving end of the signal transmission line and detecting the received digital signal; and a first directional coupler connected between the first driver and the transmitting end of the signal transmission line, or between the receiving end of the signal transmission line and the first receiver, for blocking a direct-current component of the digital signal and passing a wideband alternating-current component of the digital signal, wherein the signal transmission line satisfies the following condition, in which d denotes a distance between facing sides of a pair of signal-line elements in the signal transmission line, w denotes a conductor width of the facing sides, t denotes a conductor thickness, and s denotes a spacing between adjacent signal transmission lines;
2wd<
ts.
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29. A signal transmission apparatus, comprising:
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a signal transmission line having a transmitting end, a receiving end, and a characteristic impedance, including a signal-line element having a resistance-capacitance delay, for transmitting a digital signal input at the transmitting end; a first driver having an inverter structure and an on-resistance, for supplying the digital signal to the transmitting end of the signal transmission line; a power-ground transmission line pair for supplying power to the first driver, having a characteristic impedance low enough to drive a sum of the on-resistance of the first driver and the characteristic impedance of the signal transmission line; a first receiver having a differential amplifier structure, for receiving the digital signal from the receiving end of the signal transmission line and detecting the received digital signal; and a first directional coupler connected between the first driver and the transmitting end of the signal transmission line, or between the receiving end of the signal transmission line and the first receiver, for blocking a direct-current component of the digital signal and passing a wideband alternating-current component of the digital signal, wherein the power-ground transmission line pair supplies electrical energy to n first drivers, where n is a positive integer, and the characteristic impedance Z0p of the power-ground line pair and the characteristic impedance Z0s of the signal transmission line satisfy the following condition;
Z0p<
Z0s/n.
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Specification