Semiconductor Device Strobe Signal Skew Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Semiconductor devices face a skew issue between data and clock signals due to differences in signal loading, which is not effectively addressed by existing technologies.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor device design that includes a mask control circuit to generate a section-masking signal based on strobe signals, a strobe signal input circuit to generate input control signals, and a data signal input circuit to synchronize data signals with these control signals, effectively ignoring ringing in the strobe signals and minimizing skew.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a strobe signal is transmitted along with the data signal to reduce skew, then the skew between data signal and clock signal is minimized, but ringing is generated in the strobe signal causing synchronization errors
Solution Approach 1:
The strobe signal period is segmented into three distinct sections: preamble section, data input control section, and postamble section. The mask control circuit generates a section-masking signal that selectively masks the strobe signal in the preamble and postamble sections where ringing occurs, while allowing the data input control section to pass through for normal data sampling. This segmentation approach isolates the harmful ringing portions from the useful data transfer portion.
Solution Approach 2:
A mask control circuit is introduced as an intermediary component between the strobe signal input and the data signal input circuits. This circuit receives the strobe signal, generates the section-masking signal based on detected preamble and postamble sections, and uses this masking signal to control the strobe signal input circuit. The intermediary masking mechanism filters out the harmful ringing portions while preserving the useful synchronization function.
2Productivity
If the semiconductor device uses the strobe signal for data sampling, then data transfer efficiency is improved, but glitches in the strobe signal cause incorrect sampling
Solution Approach 1:
The mask control circuit performs preliminary detection of the preamble section and postamble section before the actual data sampling occurs. By identifying these sections in advance and generating the section-masking signal beforehand, the circuit prepares the masking mechanism to protect against upcoming ringing and glitches during the critical data sampling window in the data input control section.
Solution Approach 2:
The section-masking signal generated by the mask control circuit serves as an intermediary control signal that mediates between the raw strobe signal (containing glitches) and the data signal input circuit. This intermediary masking signal selectively enables or disables the strobe signal's effect on data sampling, allowing efficient data transfer while maintaining reliability by blocking glitch-containing portions.
3Reliability
If the device processes the entire strobe signal including preamble and postamble sections, then complete signal processing is achieved, but processing time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The strobe signal processing is segmented into three functional sections: preamble section (for synchronization setup), data input control section (for actual data sampling), and postamble section (for synchronization cleanup). The mask control circuit detects the boundaries of these sections and applies masking only to the preamble and postamble sections, allowing rapid processing of the critical data section while maintaining complete signal processing for reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of processing the entire strobe signal uniformly, the invention applies partial action by selectively masking only the preamble and postamble sections where ringing and glitches occur. The data input control section is left unmasked for full-speed processing. This partial masking approach achieves sufficient reliability for complete signal processing while minimizing time loss by avoiding unnecessary masking during the critical data sampling window.
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor device may include a mask control circuit suitable for generating a section-masking signal activated during a strobe section, based on at least one strobe signal; a strobe signal input circuit suitable for generating an input control signal toggled during the strobe section, based on the section-masking signal and the strobe signal; and a data signal input circuit suitable for receiving a data signal based on the input control signal.