Selectable Delay-Locked Loop Timing With Reduced Circuit Area
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing delay lock loop circuits in semiconductor devices require substantial circuitry and chip area to synchronize signals, leading to increased costs and reduced yield due to the need for a large number of delay elements to achieve precise timing.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a delay lock loop circuit with a plurality of selectable delay elements, allowing operation in multiple modes by establishing a program number for a reference frequency and multiplying it to select the number of delay elements for different delay times, thereby reducing the required circuit area and power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a delay lock loop circuit uses a large number of delay elements to achieve precise timing, then measurement precision is improved, but area of stationary object increases
Solution Approach 1:
The delay lock loop circuit is divided into multiple delay stages, each containing a subset of the total delay elements. The controller selectively enables specific stages based on the required delay amount, allowing precise timing control while keeping individual stages compact and area-efficient.
Solution Approach 2:
The circuit implements dynamic configuration of delay elements through a controller that selectively enables or disables specific delay stages based on operational requirements. This dynamic adaptation allows the same hardware to provide different delay amounts without requiring separate fixed delay paths for each timing requirement.
2Reliability
If a delay lock loop circuit uses a large number of delay elements, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The delay elements are organized into modular stages with standardized structures. Each stage contains a manageable number of delay elements and associated control logic, making the overall complex circuit easier to design, verify, and maintain while achieving high reliability through redundancy and systematic organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller enables only the necessary number of delay stages based on the required delay amount, rather than activating all available delay elements. This partial action approach maintains reliability by having available backup stages while avoiding the complexity of continuously managing all delay elements.
3Measurement precision
If a delay lock loop circuit is configured for high precision delay control, then measurement precision is improved, but use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The circuit dynamically adjusts the number of active delay stages based on the required delay precision. When high precision is needed, more stages are enabled; when lower precision suffices, fewer stages remain active. This dynamic power management maintains measurement precision when required while reducing energy consumption during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller activates only the minimum necessary number of delay stages to achieve the required delay precision, rather than continuously operating all stages. This partial activation strategy provides high-precision delay control when needed while significantly reducing power consumption during typical operations with moderate precision requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
Various systems and methods for signal synchronization are disclosed. For example, some embodiments of the present invention provide methods for reduced area delay signal timing. Such methods include providing a delay lock loop circuit with a plurality of selectable delay elements. The methods further include operating the delay lock loop circuit in a first mode where a program number is established in relation to a reference frequency. The program number corresponds to a number of the plurality of selectable delay elements used to establish a first delay time at the reference frequency. The program number is multiplied by a multiplicand, and the product of the multiplication is used while operating the delay lock loop circuit in a second mode to select the number of delay elements utilized in delaying an input signal. In the second mode, an input signal is delayed by a second delay time that is approximately the first delay time multiplied by the multiplicand.