Pipelined Serial-to-Parallel Converter for Lower-Clock N-Phase Receivers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Designing and fabricating a receiver for high-speed serial data streams using PAM 2 and PAM 4 modalities is challenging due to the difficulty in routing and powering high-speed clock signals, particularly at frequencies like 14 GHz, which is power-intensive and complex.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a pipelined serial-to-parallel converter with multiple register banks and a clock generation circuit that processes data in stages, reducing the clock speed from 14 GHz to 3.5 GHz, enabling efficient data parallelization at 50 Gbps with backward compatibility for PAM 2 modulation, and using differential signaling for robust and low-power transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a high-speed clock signal (14 GHz) is used to perform data parallelization in a deserializer, then the data conversion from serial to parallel can be achieved, but the routing and gating becomes difficult and power consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single high-speed clock signal into multiple lower-speed clock signals (e.g., four 3.5 GHz clock signals) that are distributed to different register banks. This segmentation allows the deserialization function to be distributed across multiple lower-frequency clock domains, reducing the power consumption and routing complexity associated with a single 14 GHz clock signal while maintaining the required data parallelization capability.
2Speed
If a high-speed clock signal (14 GHz) is used for data parallelization, then the deserialization function can be performed, but the device complexity increases due to routing and gating requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the deserialization function into multiple parallel paths, each handled by a separate register bank operating at lower clock speeds. This segmentation simplifies the routing and gating requirements compared to a single high-speed path, as each register bank can be independently routed and controlled with less stringent timing requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a single-dimensional high-speed clock approach to a multi-dimensional architecture with multiple register banks operating in parallel at lower speeds. This dimensional change allows the system to achieve the same functional result through spatial distribution rather than temporal concentration, reducing routing and gating complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the receiver is designed to support both PAM 2 and PAM 4 modalities, then the adaptability is improved, but the design and fabrication becomes more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal register bank architecture that can operate with both PAM 2 and PAM 4 modulation schemes. The multiple register banks are designed to handle the different symbol rates and data widths required by both modalities, allowing a single receiver design to support multiple communication standards without requiring separate dedicated hardware for each modulation type.
Data Source
AI summary
A serial-to-parallel converter includes a first register bank having first and second register groups, the first register bank configured to receive a communication signal having at least one bit for each unit interval (UI) of a system clock signal, the first register bank having a number of registers corresponding to a number of parallel processing stages, a second register bank having a plurality of register groups, each register group configured to receive the output of at least one of the first and second register groups after a number of unit intervals corresponding to the number of registers in each of the first and second register groups in the first register bank, and a third register bank configured to receive the output of the second register bank after a number of unit intervals corresponding to a number of registers in the second register bank.