# Patent

## Title
Simplified bias circuitry for differential buffer stage with symmetric loads

## Abstract

A biasing circuit for biasing differential delay elements is provided. The circuit is a feedback-free circuit consisting of a CMOS output stage having a P-type transistor and an N-type transistor, with a diode connected transistor between the P-type transistor and the N-type transistor, the output stage receiving the control voltage as input, and producing the Vnbias between the P-type transistor and the diode connected transistor. The circuit is simpler than conventional biasing circuits that employ feedback and operational amplifiers.

## Background
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to biasing circuitry for differential buffer stages.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A block diagram of a conventional DLL (delay-locked loop) is shown in FIG. 1. A voltage controlled delay line consisting of differential delay elements 12, 14, . . . 16 takes an input clock signal refclk 10 and delays it by a precise amount based on its bias voltages 26, 28. When the DLL is locked to the reference clock, the delay of each delay element is Tclk/n, where Tclk is the clock period, and there are n differential delay elements 12, 14, . . . , 16. The delay line produces a delayed clock dclk 18. A feedback portion of the circuit compares the delayed clock dclk 18 to the reference clock refclk 10 and produces and adjusts the bias voltages Vnbias 26 and Vpbias 28 such that the delay is one clock period of the input clock. To do this, the feedback portion of the circuit has a phase detector 20 that compares the phase of refclk 10 to the phase of dclk 18. If the two are the same, the bias voltages should remain as they are. If the two are out of phase, the bias voltages should increase or decrease to speed up or slow down the delay line accordingly. The phase detector 20 produces digital up or down pulses whose duration is proportional to the phase difference detected. The up and down pulses are used by the charge pump 22 to adjust a control voltage Vctrl 23, typically stored on a loop filter capacitor. Vctrl is used by the biasing circuit 24 to set the bias voltages 26, 28.
A specific example of a differential delay element is shown in FIG. 2. The amount of delay introduced into a digital waveform passing through the delay element can be controlled with the analog bias voltages. The analog bias voltages change the trip points at which the delay element changes logical state. The delay elements use a differential structure in order to increase noise rejection. Input devices M2 42, M3 44 are a differential pair which steer output current through two branches. The analog voltage Vnbias on transistor M1 40 helps determine the delay through the delay element by controlling the total current through each branch. Devices M4 48, M5 50, M6 52, M7 54, make up two symmetric load elements 49, 51 that are used to provide a linear resistance load. Only load element 49 will be described in detail. The symmetric load 49 is made up of two PMOS devices 48, 50 connected in parallel. One device M5 50 has its gate tied to Vpbias while the other device M4 48 is diode connected. Vpbias also helps control the delay by determining the signal swing.
In order for the differential delay stage to operate properly, the bias voltages Vnbias, Vpbias must be set. These voltages are derived from another voltage, Vctrl 23 of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 shows an example of a conventional feedback circuit for generating the bias voltages Vpbias and Vnbias from Vctrl. Vctrl 23 is connected to an inverting input of an operational amplifier 102. The output of operational amplifier 102 is connected to the gate of transistor 104 and to the gate of transistor 114. A symmetric load 108 is connected to transistor 104 through additional transistor 106. The symmetric load 108 includes a first transistor 110 having its gate connected to a non-inverting input of the operational amplifier 102, and a second transistor 112 that is similarly connected. Transistors 114, 116, 111, 113 are connected in the same manner as transistors 104, 106, 110, 112, and operate as a buffer for the output. The bias voltages are indicated at Vpbias 28 and Vnbias 26.
The feedback circuit of FIG. 3 generates bias voltages that have the DC behaviour illustrated in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 shows a first curve 120 for Vctrl, a second curve 122 for Vpbias, and a third curve 124 for Vnbias.
Disadvantageously, the circuit of FIG. 3 includes significant complexity, in particular including operational amplifier 102 which in itself includes many transistors not shown in detail.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one broad aspect, the invention provides a biasing circuit comprising: an input for receiving a control voltage 23, and a Vnbias output 26 for outputting a Vnbias voltage comprising: a feedback-free circuit 200, 202, 204 that produces the Vnbias voltage from the control voltage such that the Vnbias voltage is near one VDD over a first control voltage range, sharply declines over a second control voltage range that follows the first control voltage range, and less sharply declines in a substantially linear manner over a third control voltage range that follows the second control voltage range.
In some embodiments, the feedback-free circuit comprises: a pull-up network 200 for pulling up the Vnbias voltage when the control voltage is low; a pull-down network 204 for pulling down the Vnbias voltage when the control voltage is high; and a variable resistive element 202 for impeding the pull-down network from pulling down the Vnbias.
In some embodiments, the first voltage range is from about 0.0V to about 0.2V, the second voltage range is from about 0.2V to about 0.4V, and the third voltage range is a range above about 0.4V.
In some embodiments, each of the voltage ranges is a respective range between 0 and VDD.
In some embodiments, the feedback-free circuit comprises: a CMOS output stage having a P-type transistor 150 and an N-type transistor 152, with a diode connected transistor 154 between the P-type transistor and the N-type transistor, the output stage receiving the control voltage as input, and producing the Vnbias between the P-type transistor and the diode connected transistor.
In some embodiments, the biasing circuit further comprises: Vpbias output 28 for outputting a Vpbias voltage; a direct connection between the input and the Vpbias output.
In some embodiments, a delay locked loop comprises: a delay line comprising a plurality of differential delay elements 12, 14, 16; the biasing circuit is connected to provide the Vpbias voltage and the Vnbias voltage as biasing inputs to the differential delay elements.
According to another broad aspect, the invention provides a method of biasing comprising: receiving a control voltage and outputting a Vnbias voltage; producing the Vnbias voltage in a feedback-free manner from the control voltage such that the Vnbias voltage is near one VDD over a first control voltage range, sharply declines over a second control voltage range that follows the first control voltage range, and less sharply declines in a substantially linear manner over a third control voltage range that follows the second control voltage range.
In some embodiments, the first voltage range is from about 0.0V to about 0.2V, the second voltage range is from about 0.2V to about 0.4V, and the third voltage range is a range above about 0.4V.
In some embodiments, each of the voltage ranges is a respective range between 0 and VDD.
In some embodiments, the method further comprises outputting a Vpbias voltage that tracks the control voltage.
Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.



BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached Figures, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a delay locked loop;
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an example of a delay element;
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an example of a biasing circuit;
FIG. 4 is a graph showing various voltages produced by the biasing circuit of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a biasing circuit provided by an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 6 is a graph showing various voltages produced by the biasing circuit of FIG. 5; and
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of another example of a biasing circuit provided by an embodiment of the invention.



DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a biasing circuit provided by an embodiment of the invention. The biasing circuit of FIG. 5 will be described in the context of its application in providing biasing voltages to the delay element of FIG. 2. However, it is to be understood that the biasing circuit may find application to providing biasing voltages to other delay element designs. This circuit also takes the input Vctrl 23 and produces biasing voltages Vpbias 28 and Vnbias 26. The circuit directly connects the input voltage Vctrl 23 to Vpbias 28. Vctrl 23 is also connected to the gate of transistor P1 150 and the gate of transistor S1 152. Transistor P1 150 is connected to transistor S1 152 through diode connected transistor M1 154. Transistor P1 150 is also connected to a supply voltage VDD. The bias voltage Vnbias 26 is taken at the drain of transistor M1 154. Transistor S1 may be implemented with a size larger than that of M1 to accommodate the current generated by M1.
The purpose of this circuit is to mimic the DC behaviour of the biasing circuit of FIG. 3. With reference to FIG. 4, when Vctrl is between 0.3V and 0.9V if can be seen that Vctrl and Vpbias are approximately equal. With reference back to FIG. 5, this behaviour is reproduced by a direct connection between Vctrl 23 and Vpbias 28. Operation of the circuit for other values of Vctrl will result in different behaviour than that shown in FIG. 4. The remaining circuitry of FIG. 5 is for producing a Vnbias that mimics the behaviour of Vnbias shown in FIG. 4 for the circuit of FIG. 3. The behaviour of the circuit of FIG. 5 is shown in FIG. 6. Shown are curves 160 for Vctrl=Vpbias, and 162 for Vnbias.
It is noted that a biasing circuit that produces only Vpbias 28 is also contemplated. The control voltage Vctrl 23 might for example be directly connected to the Vpbias inputs of the differential delay elements, or the Vpbias inputs might be generated in some other manner.
In operation, as Vctrl rises, transistor S1, which is selected for its switching characteristics, starts to turn on, and transistor P1 150 starts to turn off. This starts to pull down the voltage Vnbias. When transistor S1 152 is completely on, transistor P1 150 will be completely off and Vnbias will then be very close to zero volts (or VSS). Between approximately 0.2 volts and 0.4 volts the transistor S1 is transitioning from being completely off to being partially on. During this period, the transistor P1 150 and the switch S1 152 are both trying to pull Vnbias in one way or the other, but outside of that range, S1 overtakes P1. The result is that, again referring to FIG. 6, Vnbias drops sharply between 0.2 and 0.4 volts, and then levels off to a more moderate rate of decline between 0.4 volts and 1.0 volts.
It can be seen that the curve 162 for Vnbias in FIG. 6 is very similar to the curve for Vnbias 124 in FIG. 4. Furthermore, the curve for Vpbias in FIG. 6 is the same as curve 122 for Vpbias in FIG. 4 over the range of 0.3 through 0.9 volts.
The bias voltages Vpbias, Vnbias together define the voltage swing at the output of the differential delay element. The effect of the inaccuracy in Vpbias between 0.2 volts and 0.3 volts is that the voltage will swing a little bit lower, and the swing will be non-symmetric. The assumption is that the circuits operation is non-critical below 0.3 volts. Setting Vpbias sets the swing.
In more general terms, the biasing circuit includes a complementary MOS output stage (P1 150, S1 152) with a diode-connected transistor 154 in series between the two complementary transistors. However, the transistor 154 clearly makes the operation very different from that of a standard CMOS output stage, which would have a steep transition between high and low states of the output voltage as the control or input voltage is changed.
More generally still, a feedback-free circuit is provided that produces the Vnbias voltage from the control voltage such that the Vnbias voltage is near a supply voltage VDD over a first control voltage range, sharply declines over a second control voltage range that follows the first control voltage range, and less sharply declines in a substantially linear manner over a third control voltage range that follows the second control voltage range. In some implementations, VDD is about 1V, and the first voltage range is from about 0V to about 0.2V, the second voltage range is from about 0.2V to about 0.4V, and the third voltage range is a range above about 0.4V. These ranges are process and design dependant. In some implementations, the ranges are a function of VDD, for example 0 to 0.2VDD, 0.2 VDD to 0.4VDD and above 0.4VDD. Another specific example is 0 to 0.3VDD, 0.3VDD to 0.5VDD, and above 0.5VDD.
Referring now to FIG. 7, shown is a schematic diagram of another biasing network provided by an embodiment of the invention. This circuit again receives the Vctrl 23 input and produces a Vnbias output 26. The input 23 is connected to a pull-up network 200 and a pull-down network 204. There is a variable resistor element 202 for impeding the pull-down network from pulling down Vnbias 26. It can be seen that the circuit of FIG. 5 is a specific example of the FIG. 7 embodiment. Specifically, for the FIG. 5 embodiment, the pull-up network 200 is P transistor 150, the pull-down network 204 is the transistor S1 152, and the variable resistor 202 is the diode connected transistor M1 154. However, it is to be understood that other elements can be used.
In the embodiments described above, the device elements and circuits are connected to each other as shown in the figures, for the sake of simplicity. In practical applications of the present invention to semiconductor ICs and DRAM devices, elements, circuits, etc. may be connected directly to each other. As well, elements, circuits etc. may be connected indirectly to each other through other elements, circuits, etc., necessary for operation of the semiconductor ICs and DRAM devices. Thus, in actual configuration of semiconductor ICs and DRAM devices, the circuit elements and devices are coupled with (directly or indirectly connected to) each other.
The above-described embodiments of the present invention are intended to be examples only. Alterations, modifications and variations may be effected to the particular embodiments by those of skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined solely by the claims appended hereto.

## Claims

1. A delay locked loop comprising:
a delay line comprising a plurality of differential delay elements having vnbias inputs and vpbias inputs;
a biasing circuit comprising:
an input for receiving a control voltage, a Vnbias output for outputting a Vnbias voltage for input to the vnbias inputs of the differential delay elements, and a vpbias output for outputting a vpbias voltage for input to the vpbias inputs of the differential delay elements;
a direct connection between the input and the vpbias output such that the Vpbias output tracks the control voltage;
circuitry that produces the Vnbias voltage from the control voltage such that the Vnbias voltage is near a supply voltage VDD over a first control voltage range, sharply declines over a second control voltage range that follows the first control voltage range, and less sharply declines in a substantially linear manner over a third control voltage range that follows the second control voltage range; and
the circuitry comprises:
a pull-up network for pulling up the Vnbias voltage when the control voltage is low;
a pull-down network for pulling down the Vnbias voltage when the control voltage is high; and
a variable resistive element for impeding the pull-down network from pulling down the Vnbias.

2. The delay loop of claim 1 wherein the first voltage range is from about 0.0V to about 0.2V, the second voltage range is from about 0.2V to about 0.4V, and the third voltage range is a range above about 0.4V.

3. The delay locked loop of claim 1 wherein each of the voltage ranges is a respective range between 0 and VDD.

4. The delay locked loop of claim 1 wherein the circuitry comprises:
a CMOS output stage having a P-type transistor and an N-type transistor, with a diode connected transistor between the P-type transistor and the N-type transistor, the output stage receiving the control voltage as input, and producing the Vnbias between the P-type transistor and the diode connected transistor.

5. A method of biasing comprising:
receiving a control voltage, outputting a Vnbias voltage, and outputting a vpbias voltage;
producing the Vpbias voltage comprising directly connecting the control voltage to the vpbias voltage such that the Vpbias output tracks the control voltage;
producing the Vnbias voltage from the control voltage such that the Vnbias voltage is near a supply voltage VDD over a first control voltage range, sharply declines over a second control voltage range that follows the first control voltage range, and less sharply declines in a substantially linear manner over a third control voltage range that follows the second control voltage range;
inputting the Vnbias and Vpbias voltages to respective Vnbias and Vpbias inputs of differential delay elements; and
producing the Vnbias voltage comprises:
pulling up the Vnbias voltage when the control voltage is low;
pulling down the Vnbias voltage when the control voltage is high; and
impeding the pulling down from pulling down the Vnbias.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the first voltage range is from about 0.0V to about 0.2V, the second voltage range is from about 0.2V to about 0.4V, and the third voltage range is a range above about 0.4V.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein each of the voltage ranges is a respective range between 0 and VDD.

8. The method of claim 5 further comprising outputting a Vpbias voltage that tracks the control voltage and outputting the Vpbias voltage to a Vpbias input of the DLL.

9. The delay locked loop of claim 1 comprising:
a reference clock input to a first of the differential delay elements, a last of the differential delay elements outputting a delayed clock;
a phase detector connected to receive the input clock and the delayed clock and to produce at least one control signal as a function of a phase detected;
a charge pump connected to receive the at least one control signal and connected to output the control voltage to the biasing circuit.

10. A delay locked loop comprising:
a delay line comprising a plurality of differential delay elements having vnbias and vpbias inputs;
a biasing circuit comprising:
an input for receiving a control voltage, a Vnbias output for outputting a Vnbias voltage for input to the vnbias input of the differential delay elements, and a vpbias output for outputting a vpbias voltage for input to the vpbias inputs of the differential delay elements;
a direct connection between the input and the vpbias output such that the Vpbias output tracks the control voltage;
an op-amp lacking circuit that produces the Vnbias voltage from the control voltage such that the Vnbias voltage is near a supply voltage VDD over a first control voltage range, sharply declines over a second control voltage range that follows the first control voltage range, and less sharply declines in a substantially linear manner over a third control voltage range that follows the second control voltage range.

11. The delay locked loop of claim 10 wherein the op-amp lacking circuit comprises:
a pull-up network for pulling up the Vnbias voltage when the control voltage is low;
a pull-down network for pulling down the Vnbias voltage when the control voltage is high; and
a variable resistive element for impeding the pull-down network from pulling down the Vnbias.

12. The delay locked loop of claim 10 wherein the first voltage range is from about 0.0V to about 0.2V, the second voltage range is from about 0.2V to about 0.4V, and the third voltage range is a range above about 0.4V.

13. The delay locked loop of claim 10 wherein each of the voltage ranges is a respective range between 0 and VDD.

14. The delay locked loop of claim 10 wherein the op-amp lacking circuit comprises:
a CMOS output stage having a P-type transistor and an N-type transistor, with a diode connected transistor between the P-type transistor and the N-type transistor, the output stage receiving the control voltage as input, and producing the Vnbias between the P-type transistor and the diode connected transistor.

15. The delay locked loop of claim 10 further comprising:
a Vpbias voltage to Vpbias biasing inputs of the differential delay elements.

16. The delay locked loop of claim 10 wherein the op-amp lacking circuit is a feedback lacking circuit.