Apparatus and method for producing device identifiers for serially interconnected devices of mixed type

Abstract

A plurality of memory devices of mixed type (e.g., DRAMs, SRAMs, MRAMs, and NAND-, NOR- and AND-type Flash memories) are serially interconnected. Each device has device type information on its device type. A specific device type (DT) and a device identifier (ID) contained in a serial input (SI) as a packet are fed to one device of the serial interconnection. The device determines whether the fed DT matches the DT of the device. In a case of match, a calculator included in the device performs calculation to generate an ID for another device and the fed ID is latched in a register of the device. In a case of no-match, the ID generation is skipped and no ID is generated for another device. The DT is combined with the generated or the received ID depending on the device type match determination. The combined DT and ID is as a packet transferred to a next device. Such a device type match determination and ID generation or skip are performed in all devices of the serial interconnection. With reference to device type provided to the interconnected devices, IDs are sequentially generated. The SI containing the DT, the ID and an ID generation command is transmitted in a packet basis to a next device.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit of priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 887,401 filed Jan. 31, 2007, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 868,773 filed Dec. 6, 2006, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates generally to semiconductor device systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to apparatus and method for producing device identifiers for a serial interconnection configuration of devices of mixed type. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Current electronic equipment uses semiconductor devices, such as, for example, memory devices and processing devices. For example, mobile electronic products such as, for example, digital cameras, portable digital assistants, portable audio / video players and mo...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

While existing memory devices operate at speeds sufficient for most current consumer electronic equipment, such memory devices may not be adequate for use in future electronic products and other products where high data rates are desired.

While such a solution appears to be straightforward, there is a problem with signal quality at such high frequencies, which sets a practical limitation on the operating frequency of the memory.

High speed operation may cause deleterious communication effects such as, for example, cross-talk, signal skew and signal attenuation, which degrade signal quality.

For example, if the number of multi-drop memory systems increases, as a result of the loading effect of each pin, the delay time also increases so that the total performance of multi-drop is degraded by the multi-drop connection caused by the wire resistor-capacitor loading and the pin capacitance of the memory device.

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