Semiconductor device and delay locked loop circuit thereof

• US 8,373,478 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2011
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Incorporated (SK Hynix Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Incorporated (SK Hynix Inc.)
• Inventors: Ku, Young-Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): HOUSTON, ADAM D
• Application Number:
  US13/337,566
• Publication Number:
  US 20120274373A1
• Time in Patent Office: 413 Days
• Field of Search: 327/149, 327/158
• US Class Current: 327/158
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/0818 the controlled phase shifter comprising coarse and fine delay or phase-shifting means

Abstract

A semiconductor device includes a first phase detector for detecting a phase of a second clock by comparing the phase of the second clock with the phase of the first clock, a second phase detector for detecting a phase of a clock obtained by delaying the second clock by a set delay amount, a third phase detector for detecting the phase of the second clock by delaying the first clock by the set delay amount, and a phase difference detection signal generator for setting a logic level of a phase difference detection signal corresponding to a phase difference between the first and second clocks detecting that the phase of the first or second clock is changed, and change the logic level of the phase difference detection signal.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device, comprising:

a first phase detector configured to detect a phase of a second clock by comparing the phase of the second clock with a phase of a first clock;

a second phase detector configured to detect a phase of a clock obtained by delaying the second clock by a delay amount by comparing the phase of the delayed second clock with the phase of the first clock;

a third phase detector configured to detect the phase of the second clock by comparing the phase of the second clock with a phase of a clock obtained by delaying the first clock by the delay amount; and

a phase difference detection signal generator configured to set a logic level of a phase difference detection signal corresponding to a phase difference between the first and second clocks in response to signals respectively outputted from the first to third phase detectors, detect that the phase of the first or second clock is changed by a phase corresponding an amount two times greater than the delay amount, and change the logic level of the phase difference detection signal in response to the detected result.

2. The semiconductor device of claim 1, further comprising a clock phase shifter configured to change the phase of the first or second clock in response to the output signal of the first phase detector to synchronize the phases of the first and second clocks to each other and determine the presence of synchronization of the first and second clocks in response to the phase difference detection signal.

3. The semiconductor device of claim 2, wherein the phase difference detection signal generator comprises:

a first phase difference detector configured to detect whether or not the phase of the second clock is within a phase difference corresponding to the delay amount so that the phase of the second clock is later than that of the first clock in response to the signals respectively outputted from the first and second phase detectors;

a second phase difference detector configured to detect whether or not the phase of the second clock is within a phase difference corresponding to the delay amount so that the phase of the second clock is later than that of the first clock in response to the signals respectively outputted from the first and third phase detectors;

a third phase difference detector configured to detect whether or not the phase of the first or second clock is changed by a phase difference corresponding to a delay amount two times greater than the delay amount in response to the signals respectively outputted from the first to third phase detectors; and

a phase difference detection signal output configured to output the phase difference detection signal, and the logic level of the phase difference detection signal is determined in response to the signals respectively outputted from the first to third phase detectors.

4. The semiconductor device of claim 3, wherein, when the logic levels of the signals respectively outputted from the first to third phase detectors that become a non-activated state after an initiation operation are changed into an activated state, the third phase difference detector detects that the phase of the first or second clock is changed by a phase difference corresponding to a delay amount two times greater than the delay amount.

5. The semiconductor device of claim 3, wherein, when an operational condition of any one of the first to third phase difference detectors is satisfied, the phase difference detection signal output activates the phase difference detection signal.

6. The semiconductor device of claim 5, wherein, when the phase difference detection signal is activated, the clock phase shifter determines that the phases of the first and second clocks are synchronized with each other and finishes its operation.

7. A delay locked loop (DLL) circuit, comprising:

a phase comparator configured to compare phases of a source clock and a feedback clock and generate a phase comparison signal and a phase difference detection signal corresponding to the compared result;

a clock delay configured to delay the source clock through a variable delay line and output the delayed source clock as a delay locked clock, wherein the variable delay line controls the variation width of a delay amount in response to the phase difference detection signal and controls the variation direction of the delay amount in response to the phase comparison signal; and

a replica modeling configured to delay the delay locked clock by a delay amount obtained by modeling an input delay path of the source clock and an output delay path of the delay locked clock and output the delayed delay locked clock as the feedback clock,

wherein the phase comparator comprises;

a first phase detector configured to detect the phase of the feedback clock by comparing the phase of the second clock with the phase of the source clock;

a second phase detector configured to detect a phase of a clock obtained by delaying the feedback clock by a set delay amount by comparing the phase of the delayed second clock with the phase of the source clock;

a third phase detector configured to detect the phase of the feedback clock by comparing the phase of the second clock with a phase of a clock obtained by delaying the source clock by the set delay amount; and

a phase difference detection signal generator configured to set a logic level of the phase difference detection signal corresponding to a phase difference between the source clock and the feedback clock in response to signals respectively outputted from the first to third phase detectors, detect that the phase of the feedback clock is changed by a phase corresponding an amount two times greater than the delay amount, and change the logic level of the phase difference detection signal in response to the detected result.

8. The DLL circuit of claim 7, wherein the phase difference detection signal generator comprises:

a first phase difference detector configured to detect whether or not the phase of the feedback clock is within a phase difference corresponding to the set delay amount so that the phase of the feedback clock is later than that of the source clock in response to the signals respectively outputted from the first and second phase detectors;

a second phase difference detector configured to detect whether or not the phase of the feedback clock is within a phase difference corresponding to the set delay amount so that the phase of the feedback clock is later than that of the source clock in response to the signals respectively outputted from the first and third phase detectors;

a third phase difference detector configured to detect whether or not the phase of the feedback clock is changed by a phase difference corresponding to a delay amount two times greater than the set delay amount in response to the signals respectively outputted from the first to third phase detectors; and

a phase difference detection signal output configured to output the phase difference detection signal, and determine the logic level of the phase difference detection signal in response to the signals respectively outputted from the first to third phase detectors.

9. The DLL circuit of claim 8, wherein, when the logic levels of the signals respectively outputted from the first to third phase detectors that become a non-activated state after an initiation operation are changed into an activated state, the third phase difference detector detects that the phase of the feedback clock is changed by a phase difference corresponding to a delay amount two times greater than the set delay amount.

10. The DLL circuit of claim 8, wherein, when an operational condition of any one of the first to third phase difference detectors is satisfied, the phase difference detection signal output activates the phase difference detection signal.

11. The DLL circuit of claim 10, wherein the clock delay changes a delay amount of the variable delay line with a first variation width in a non-activation period of the phase difference detection signal and changes the delay amount of the variable delay line with a second variation width that is smaller than the first variation width in an activation period of the phase difference detection signal.

12. The DLL circuit of claim 10, wherein the clock delay changes the delay amount of the variable delay line as a unit delay in the non-activation period of the phase difference detection signal, and changes the delay amount of the variable delay line as a delay smaller than the unit delay in the activation period of the phase difference detection signal.