Driver supporting multiple signaling modes

• US 8,461,882 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2010
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rambus Inc.
• Original Assignee: Rambus Inc.
• Inventors: Chang, Ken Kun-Yung, Prabhu, Kashinath, Lee, Hae-Chang
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Long
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEN, PATRICK C
• Application Number:
  US13/255,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20110316590A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: 327/100, 327/108, 326/82
• US Class Current: 327/108
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/018528 with at least one differential stage
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/018585 programmable

Abstract

A driver supports differential and single-ended signaling modes. Complementary transistors with a common tail node are provided with complementary input signals in the differential mode. A current source coupled to the tail node maintains a relatively high tail impedance and a constant tail current in the differential mode. The tail node is set to a low impedance in single-ended modes to decouple the two transistors, allowing them to amplify uncorrelated input signals. The current source thaws multiple current levels in the single-ended mode to compensate for changes in tail current that result from changes in the relative values of the uncorrelated data in the single-ended modes. A termination block provides termination resistance in the differential mode, pull-up transistors in a single-ended mode that employs push-pull drivers, and is omitted in a single-ended mode that lacks driver-side termination.

Claims

1. A driver, comprising:

a circuit having complementary drive elements with a common tail node, the drive elements to, in a differential mode, transmit one input signal over a pair of complementary signal lines;

at least one drive control circuit for the complementary drive elements to, in a single ended mode, decouple the complementary drive elements to enable separate drive of independent input signals over respective ones of the complementary signal lines;

at least one path coupling the tail node of the complementary drive elements to a reference node in the single ended mode; and

an impedance control circuit to change an impedance provided by the at least one path in the single ended mode responsive to the independent input signals.

2. The driver of claim 1, wherein the reference node provides a voltage that is low relative to the transmitted signal.

3. The driver of claim 2, wherein the voltage is ground potential.

4. The driver of claim 1, wherein the drive elements include first and second transistors interconnected at a tail node, and wherein the path extends from the tail node to the reference node.

5. The driver of claim 4, wherein the path includes a current source.

6. A driver comprising:

a circuit having complementary drive elements interconnected at a common tail node, the drive elements to, in a differential driver mode, transmit one input signal over a pair of complementary signal lines, and, in a single ended driver mode, transmit first and second independent signals over respective ones of the complementary signal lines;

at least one drive control circuit for the complementary drive elements to, in each of two single ended modes, decouple the complementary drive elements to enable separate drive of independent input signals over respective ones of the complementary signal lines;

a pull-up circuit for each of the complementary drive elements to couple the respective drive circuit to a reference voltage;

a termination control circuit to disable the pull-up circuit for at least one of the complementary drive elements in one of the two single ended modes and to enable the pull-up circuit for the at least one of the complementary drive elements in the other of the two single ended modes; and

a current source coupled to the common tail node and receiving the first and second independent signals, the current source to convey different tail currents from the common tail node for different patterns of the first and second independent signals in at least one of the single ended modes.

7. The driver of claim 6, wherein the reference voltage is high relative to the transmitted signal.

8. The driver of claim 7, wherein the reference voltage is VDD.

9. The driver of claim 6, wherein the pull up circuits for each complementary drive elements are disabled for both the complementary drive elements in the one of the single ended modes.

10. The driver of claim 6, wherein the single ended modes are Rambus Signaling Logic and Pseudo Open Drain Logic.

11. A driver comprising:

a circuit having complementary drive elements interconnected by a common tail node, the drive elements to, in a differential driver mode, transmit one input signal over a pair of complementary signal lines, and in a single ended driver mode transmit first and second independent signals over respective ones of the complementary signal lines;

at least one current source coupling the common tail node of the complementary drive elements to a voltage reference; and

a control circuit to vary an amount of current supplied by the at least one current source in dependence on the first and second independent signals in the single ended driver mode.

12. The driver of claim 11, wherein the control circuit decouples the complementary drive elements in the single ended mode.

13. The driver of claim 12, wherein the control circuit varies the amount of current supplied by the at least one current source to supply a first current responsive to like values of the first and second independent signals and a second current responsive to opposite values of the first and second independent signals.

14. A driver to independently amplify uncorrelated first and second input signals, the driver comprising:

a first transistor having a first control terminal to receive the first input signal, a first current-handling terminal, and a second current-handling terminal;

a second transistor having a second control terminal to receive the second input signal, a third current-handling terminal, and a fourth current-handling terminal coupled to the second current-handling terminal of the first transistor at a tail node; and

a current source coupled between the tail node and a supply terminal to pass a tail current, the current source having a first and second control terminals to receive the uncorrelated first and second input signals, the current source to vary the tail current responsive to the uncorrelated first and second input signals.

15. The driver of claim 14, wherein each of the first and second input signals exhibits voltages representative of first and second logic levels, and wherein the current source varies the tail current depending upon the respective voltages on the first and second control terminals.

16. The driver of claim 15, wherein the current source includes a control node to enable the current source to draw the same tail current from the tail node when similar or different voltages are presented on the first and second control terminals.

17. The driver of claim 14, wherein the current source draws a first tail current when the first and second input signals exhibit the same voltage level and a second tail current lower than the first tail current when the first and second input signals exhibit different voltage levels.

18. The driver of claim 17, wherein the different voltage levels include a high voltage level and a low voltage level, and wherein the same voltage levels are the high voltage level.

19. The driver of claim 18, wherein the current source draws a third tail current less than the first and second tail currents when the first and second input signals exhibit the low voltage level.

20. The driver of claim 17, wherein the current source comprises two sub-sources to collectively draw the first tail current, one of which sub-sources to draw the second tail current.

21. The driver of claim 14, further comprising a third transistor having a third control terminal, a fifth current-handling terminal coupled to the first current-handling terminal of the first transistor, and a sixth current-handling terminal coupled to a second supply node;

and a fourth transistor having a fourth control terminal, a seventh current-handling terminal coupled to the third current-handling terminal of the second transistor, and an eighth current-handling terminal coupled to the second supply node.

22. The driver of claim 21, further comprising select logic to selectively couple the first control terminal to the third control terminal and the second control terminal to the fourth control terminal.

23. A driver that supports a differential mode and first and second single-ended modes, the driver comprising:

first and second output nodes to convey a differential signal in the differential mode and first and second uncorrelated signals in the single-ended modes;

a configurable termination block connected between the output nodes and a reference node, the termination block having a control node to disable the termination block in the first single-ended mode and enable the termination block in the second single-ended mode;

first and second transistors coupled between the first and second output nodes and a common tail node; and

means for changing a current through the termination block and the common tail node depending upon the relative values of the uncorrelated signals in at least one of the single-ended modes.

24. The driver of claim 23, wherein the first and second transistors each have a first current-handling terminal connected to a respective one of the first and second output nodes and a second current-handling terminal connected to the means for changing the current.