Frequency adjustment techniques in coupled LC tank circuits

• US 7,501,903 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2007
• Issued: 03/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Holding 81 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: LC Tank LLC
• Inventors: Gabara, Thaddeus John
• Primary Examiner(s): Pascal, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Goodley, James E
• Application Number:
  US11/677,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20070170957A1
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: 331/16, 331/36.C, 331/167
• US Class Current: 331/36.00C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/10 Distribution of clock signals , e.g. skew
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 2200/0076 Power combination of several oscillators oscillating at the same frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 27/00 Generation of oscillations providing a plurality of outputs of the same frequency but differing in phase, other than merely two anti-phase outputs
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1212 the amplifier comprising a pair of transistors, wherein an output terminal of each being connected to an input terminal of the other, e.g. a cross coupled pair
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1228 the amplifier comprising one or more field effect transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1243 the means comprising voltage variable capacitance diodes

Abstract

CMOS LC tank circuits and flux linkage between inductors can be used to distribute and propagate clock signals over the surface of a VLSI chip or μprocessor. The tank circuit offers an adiabatic behavior that recycles the energy between the reactive elements and minimizes losses in a conventional sense. Flux linkage can be used to orchestrate a number of seemingly individual and distributed CMOS LC tank circuits to behave as one unit. Several frequency-adjusting techniques are presented which can be used in an distributed clock network environment which includes an array of oscillators. A finite state machine technique of frequency adjustment of oscillators is described. In addition, two methods of increasing the physcial layout and decreasing the power dissipation of an oscillator are described.

Claims

1. A method of adjusting a capacitor in an array of oscillators comprising the steps of;

measuring a frequency of oscillation of an oscillator in the array,

comparing the frequency of oscillation of the oscillator against a reference frequency signal,

adjusting a coarse adjust weight capacitor in all oscillators in the array,

(a) comparing the frequency of oscillation of the oscillator against the reference frequency signal,

(b) adjusting a fine adjust weight capacitor in the oscillator,

(c) comparing the frequency of oscillation of the oscillator against the reference frequency signal,

(d) latching the value of the fine adjust weight for this oscillator when the frequency of oscillation matches the reference frequency signal,

(e) disabling an access to the oscillator,

(f) enabling the access to the next oscillator in the array,

(g) applying the latched values of the fine adjust weight to the oscillator, repeating steps (a) through (g), until all oscillators have been compared.

2. A method of adjusting a capacitor in an array of oscillators comprising the steps of;

(a) measuring a frequency of oscillation of an oscillator in the array,

(b) comparing the frequency of oscillation of the oscillator against a reference frequency signal,

(c) adjusting a coarse adjust weight capacitor in the oscillator,

(d) comparing the frequency of oscillation of the oscillator against the reference frequency signal,

(e) latching the value of the coarse adjust weight for this oscillator when the frequency of oscillation matches the reference frequency signal,

(f) adjusting the weight of a fine capacitor in the oscillator,

(g) comparing the frequency of oscillation of the oscillator against the reference frequency signal,

(h) latching the value of the fine adjust weight for this oscillator when the frequency of oscillation matches the reference frequency signal,

(i) disabling an access to the oscillator,

(j) enabling the access to the next oscillator in the array,

repeating steps (a) through (j), until all oscillators have been compared.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the latching is stored in a memory storage unit.

4. A method of synchronizing clock outputs of each oscillator to each other oscillator in an array of oscillators comprising the steps of:

(a) comparing a frequency of oscillation of the array of oscillators against a reference frequency signal,

(b) adjusting a weight of at least one adjustable capacitor in the array of oscillators,

(c) measuring the frequency of oscillation selectively of each osciallator in the array of oscillators,

repeating steps (a) through (c) until the frequency of each oscillator in the array of oscillators substantially matches the reference frequency signal, thereby synchronizing the clock ouputs of each oscillator in the array of osciallators to each other oscillator in the array of oscillators.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the adjusting simultaneously changes the values of the adjustable capacitor of two or more oscillators in the array of oscillators.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the adjusting is performed to the adjustable capacitor of at least one oscillator in the array of oscillators.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the adjusting is performed using a digital weight.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the adjusting is performed using an analog signal.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the measuring is performed using a Finite State Machine.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein the measuring is performed using a frequency comparator.

11. The method of claim 4, wherein the oscillator comprises;

at least one coil.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the steps of;

connecting two or more coils in parallel.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising the steps of;

coupling at least two coils together magnetically.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising the steps of;

coupling at least one coil from two different oscillators magnetically together.

15. An oscillator array comprising;

a plurality of oscillators,

at least one substrate,

the oscillators are distributed over a surface area of the substrate,

at least one mux that can selectively access each oscillator,

each oscillator comprises two or more coils connected in parallel, and

at least one oscillator is magnetically coupled to at least one other oscillator, such that the at least one oscillator is synchronized with and operates at the same frequency as the at least one other oscillator.

16. The array of claim 15, wherein the oscillator array provides a distributed and synchronized clock signal.

17. The array of claim 15 further comprising;

two or more substrates.

18. The array of claim 17, wherein the surface area includes at least one side of the two or more substrates.

19. The array of claim 15 further comprising;

a coarse capacitance control bus and a fine capacitance control bus.

20. The array of claim 19 further comprising;

a finite state machine which determines the value of the coarse capacitance control bus and fine capacitance control bus.

21. The array of claim 19 further comprising;

a memory storage unit that holds the value of the control bus.

22. The array of claim 17, wherein

the first substrate is juxtaposed to the second substrate, and

at least one oscillator from the first substrate is magnetically coupled to the oscillator from the second substrate.

23. An adjustable oscillator array comprising:

a plurality of oscillators,

one or more substrates,

the oscillators are distributed over a surface area of the one or more substrates,

each oscillator has at least one control bus that adjusts the weight of an adjustable capacitor,

a finite state machine determines the value of the control bus, whereby

the oscillator array provides a distributed and synchronized clock signal over the surface area.

wherein each oscillator in the plurality of oscillators is synchronized with and operates at the same frequency as the other oscillators in the plurality of oscillators.

24. The array of claim 23, wherein the control bus is locally latched at each oscillator.

25. The array of claim 23, wherein at least one oscillator is magnetically coupled to at least one other oscillator.

26. The array of claim 23, wherein at least one oscillator comprises two or more coils connected in parallel.