Semiconductor Command Address Signal Latching for Power Speed Trade-off
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current semiconductor devices in mobile systems face challenges in reducing power consumption and weight due to high power requirements, which affects the capacity and weight of batteries, and there is a need for improved data transmission speeds to support multi-functional mobile systems.
Innovation Solution
The semiconductor device incorporates an internal command generator and internal address generator that create synthesized internal command and address signals from external control and clock signals, allowing for efficient latching and synchronization of command and address signals, even at increased clock frequencies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If command signals and address signals are input through ten pins simultaneously, then data transmission speed is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The command signal and address signal are segmented into separate input paths. The command signal is input through a command input pin while the address signal is input through address input pins. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each signal path, enabling stable operation at high clock frequencies without requiring excessive current through a single overloaded pin.
Solution Approach 2:
A command decoder and address decoder are introduced as intermediary components. These decoders receive the input signals, decode them according to their respective protocols, and generate the synthesized command and address signals. This intermediary approach simplifies the signal processing logic and reduces the current burden on individual pins while maintaining high-speed operation.
2Productivity
If clock frequency is increased to improve data transmission speed, then productivity is improved, but signal stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adapts to high clock frequencies by using separate decoding paths for command and address signals. Each decoder is optimized for its specific signal type, allowing the system to maintain stable operation at higher clock frequencies than would be possible with a unified decoding approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The command decoder and address decoder perform preliminary decoding of the input signals before they are synthesized and processed further. This preliminary action at lower stages of the signal path ensures that high-frequency signals are properly conditioned early in the processing chain, maintaining stability throughout subsequent operations.
3Device complexity
If command decoder and address decoder are integrated, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The decoding function is segmented into separate command decoder and address decoder units. Each decoder is dedicated to a specific signal type, which simplifies the design and verification of each individual decoder while maintaining high decoding accuracy. This segmentation avoids the complexity of designing a single universal decoder that must handle multiple signal types.
Solution Approach 2:
Each decoder is optimized with local quality tailored to its specific function. The command decoder is optimized for command signal characteristics while the address decoder is optimized for address signal characteristics. This specialized optimization ensures high manufacturing precision for each decoder without requiring the entire system to meet the most stringent requirements of all signal types.
Data Source
AI summary
The semiconductor device includes an internal command generator and an internal address generator. The internal command generator generates first and second command latch signals from first and second internal clock signals in response to an external control signal and latches a command signal in response to the first and second command latch signals to generate a synthesized internal command signal. The internal address generator generates first and second address latch signals from the first and second internal clock signals in response to the external control signal and latches an address signal in response to the first and second address latch signals to generate a synthesized internal address signal.