Abstract:
One embodiment of the invention relates to a RAM memory circuit. A memory circuit includes a multiplicity of memory cells which can be selectively addressed, I/O circuitry for data; a clock input for receiving a system clock signal; a reception sampling circuit for sampling the received data using a reception strobe signal; and a reception strobe signal generating device which internally generates the reception strobe signal with synchronization with the received system clock signal.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application is a continuation of co-pending PCT patent application number PCT/EP 2004/010549, filed Sep. 9, 2004, which claims the benefit of German patent application serial number DE 103 44 959.0, filed 27 Sep. 2003. Each of the aforementioned related patent applications is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The invention relates generally to a RAM memory circuit and relates more particularly to devices for sampling the data which are received at the memory circuit.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     As is known, the acronym RAM stands for Random Access Memory (a read/write memory having direct and random access to the memory cells). Synchronous dynamic RAMs (so-called SDRAMs), particularly those which operate at a “multiplied data rate”, as are increasingly being used, for example, as main memories in PCs, are a preferred but not exclusive field of application of the invention.  
         [0006]     RAMs are usually operated in conjunction with a controller which provides the RAM with the data which are to be written and receives the data which have been read from the RAM. The controller also provides the address information for selecting those memory cells in the RAM which are to be written to or read from, and also commands for the operating sequences in the RAM. In the case of synchronous RAMs, the controller also provides a system clock signal which is used to synchronize the transmission of addresses and commands and to clock the operations of reading from, and writing to, the memory cells.  
         [0007]     The digital data are usually transmitted between a RAM and the associated controller in the form of so-called “bursts” which each comprise a sequence of individual bits or a sequence of individual parallel-bit words, the repetition rate of the data inside the burst being referred to as the “data rate”. When the data are received at the RAM (during writing operation) or at the controller (reading operation), the respective arriving data sequence is sampled at a frequency that is equal to the data rate. The strobe signal which is used for this purpose must be matched, not only in terms of its frequency but also in terms of its phase, to the clock of the received data in such a manner that the sampling times are, as much as possible, in the center of the bit periods and are not too close to the bit limits where reliable detection of the valid binary values is no longer guaranteed.  
         [0008]     The higher the data rate, the more critical is the synchronization of the strobe signal for data sampling. Relatively recent SDRAMs operate at high data rates which are m times the system clock frequency, m being equal to 2 (i.e., double data rate or so-called DDR operation), 4, 8 or even higher. However, the data are written to, and read from, the memory cells at a slower rate (i.e., rate of the system clock), in each case in parallel to and from m different areas of the cell array, a 1/m multiplexer which is switched at the data rate being used in the SDRAM for the serial/parallel conversion of the data which have been received and for the parallel/serial conversion of the data which have been read, as is generally known.  
         [0009]     In RAM/controller systems according to the prior art, a separate data clock signal is generated together with the respective transmission data at the respective transmitting end (controller in writing operation, RAM in writing operation), said data clock signal having a fixed phase relationship with the clock of the transmitted data and being transmitted to the receiving end in parallel with the data via a separate data clock line. This data clock line runs with the data lines in a common line bundle, with the result that virtually no (or only minimal) propagation time differences occur between the data and the data clock signal. At the receiving end, the strobe signal for sampling received data is derived from the received data clock signal.  
         [0010]      FIG. 1  of the accompanying drawings schematically shows an example of the devices for synchronized signal transmission between an SDRAM and a controller according to the prior art mentioned above.  
         [0011]      FIG. 1  shows parts of a conventional controller module  110  on the left-hand side and parts of a conventional SDRAM module  120  on the right beside said controller module. The two modules which are implemented as integrated circuits on separate chips are designed for reciprocal communication via transmission lines which are indicated by dashed lines in Fig. FIG. 1 .  
         [0012]     The SDRAM  120  shown in  FIG. 1  has a plurality of signal connections for communicating with the controller  110 , namely: a data connection D having n pins for receiving and transmitting data bursts DAT having a bit width of n from and to an identical data connection D′ of the controller  110  via a bundle of n parallel data lines DL; a synchronization signal connection S for receiving and transmitting a data clock signal DTS and DTS′ (which specifies the data clock) from and to an identical synchronization signal connection S′ of the controller  110  via a data clock line SL; an address input A having a plurality of pins for receiving an item of address information comprising a plurality of parallel bits ADR from an address output A′ of the controller  110  via a bundle of address lines AL; a command input B having a plurality of pins for receiving multibit command words BEF from a command output B′ of the controller  110  via a bundle of command lines BL; a clock input C for receiving a system clock signal CLK from a clock output C′ of the controller  110  via a system clock line C.  
         [0013]     In order to synchronize the signals which are transmitted between the controller  110  and the SDRAM  120 , transmission sampling circuits and reception sampling circuits are used at the respective connections. Each of these sampling circuits is designed in such a manner that, when a clock edge appears at its sampling control connection (strobe connection), it picks up the binary value of the signal present at the input and provides (“latches”) it at the output until the binary value which is then current is “latched” in the same manner with the next clock edge.  
         [0014]     During the entire memory operation, the controller  110  transmits the system clock signal CLK, via a transmission amplifier CS and the system clock line CL, to the SDRAM  120  where said signal is amplified in a reception amplifier CE. In the controller  110 , a command transmission sampling circuit BS and an address bit transmission sampling circuit AS are respectively used to synchronize the command bits BEF and the address bits ADR with the transmitted system clock signal CLK, and, in the SDRAM  120 , a command reception sampling circuit BE and an address bit reception sampling circuit AE are respectively used to resynchronize said command bits and address bits with the system clock signal CLK which has been received there in order to correct any possible propagation time differences between the lines CL, BL and AL.  
         [0015]     A command decoder  21  which is contained in the SDRAM  120  decodes the command bits BEF with synchronization by the received system clock signal CLK in order to stimulate individual command lines  22  for executing the respective commands, inter alia a command line AK for executing the activation command for initiating access to the memory cells of the SDRAM, command lines WD and RD for executing the write command (“Write Data”) and the read command (“Read Data”), and a command line IN for executing an initialization command at the beginning of memory operation. Stimulating the command line IN opens a mode register  23  for receiving information for setting certain mode parameters, for example the burst length (number of parallel data words in the data bursts) and the CAS latency (number of system clock periods for the waiting time between the activation command and the operation of writing to, or reading from, the memory cells of the SDRAM). The controller  110  applies this setting information, via the address input A of the SDRAM  120 , to the mode register  23  during the initialization phase by switching certain address bits to the binary value “1”, said setting information causing certain “configuration bits” in this register to be set to “1” in order to provide a bit pattern that prescribes the mode parameters on configuration lines  24  during memory operation.  
         [0016]     The memory cells of the SDRAM  120  are diagrammatically shown in  FIG. 1  as a block  26 , as is the control device  25  for write and read access to the memory cells. The access control device  25  receives the system clock signal CLK, the signals on the command lines  22  and the configuration bits in the mode register  23 . The access control device  25  contains address decoders and a switchable network of data paths in order to control the writing of data to, and the reading of data from, the memory cells, as is generally known. Further parts of the SDRAM  120  and also of the controller  110  which interact when data is being transmitted between the two modules are described below in connection with writing operation and reading operation.  
         [0017]     During operation, a transmission strobe signal SSS′ and SSS which is synchronized with CLK and whose clock edges appear at a repetition rate corresponding to the data rate is respectively generated in both modules  110  and  120  using a clock generator TG′ and TG.  
         [0018]     Writing Operation:  
         [0019]     The data to be written are retrieved at the data rate within the controller  110 , for example from the data buffer of the controller (not shown). The data burst which has been retrieved is passed, via the data bus DB′, to the data input of a data transmission sampling circuit DS′ which samples the data using the transmission strobe signal SSS′. The write data in the controller  110  may likewise be retrieved using the transmission strobe signal SSS′ via a line  17 . If necessary, a fixed delay may be inserted into said line  17  or into the data bus DB′ in order to ensure that the bit limits of the data at the data transmission sampling circuit DS′ are at a certain minimum distance from the edges of the strobe signal SSS′, and reliable sampling may thus be effected. The write data DAT′ which have been sampled are transmitted to the data connection D of the SDRAM  120  via the data lines DL.  
         [0020]     In the case of the example shown, the accompanying data clock signal DTS′ which is likewise to be transmitted to the SDRAM  120  is generated in such a manner that its edges fall, as much as possible, in the center between the bit limits of the transmitted data. To this end, use is made of a separate transmission sampling circuit SS′ which receives a “simulated” bit sequence SBF′ which is generated in the controller  110  synchronously with the retrieved data and in which the two binary levels alternate between “0” and “1” from bit to bit. This bit sequence is sampled in the transmission sampling circuit SS′ using the strobe signal SSS′ in exactly the same way as the data in the transmission sampling circuit DS′ and is then delayed in a downstream delay element VG 1  by an amount of time τ which is equal to half the period of the data rate. The data clock signal DTS′ obtained in this manner is transmitted to the synchronization signal connection S of the SDRAM  120  via the data clock line SL.  
         [0021]     In the SDRAM  120 , the data burst DAT′ which is received at the data connection D is passed to the input of a data reception sampling circuit DE where it is sampled using a reception strobe signal ESS. This signal ESS is derived from the received data clock signal DTS′, to be precise using a reception amplifier SE. On account of the delay τ (which has been inserted in the controller) in the data clock signal DTS′, the edges of the reception strobe signal ESS that is derived from the latter fall relatively precisely in the center between the bit limits of the data DAT′ received at the SDRAM  120 . The data reception sampling circuit DE is designed in such a manner that it samples the received data both on the rising edge and on the falling edge of the reception strobe signal ESS. The circuit DE and also the data clock reception amplifier SE are switched on, only during writing operation, by means of a write state signal WRS which is rendered effective by the write command in the control device  25  of the SDRAM  120  and is rendered ineffective by the read command.  
         [0022]     The reception data which are sampled in the data reception sampling circuit DE are passed, via the data bus DB, to the access control device  25 , from where they are written to the memory cells selected by the address bits ADR.  
         [0023]     Reading Operation:  
         [0024]     The data which are read from the memory cells (selected by the address bits ADR) during reading operation are retrieved from a data buffer (not shown) in the access control device  25  of the SDRAM  120  at the data rate. The data burst which has been retrieved is passed, via the data bus DB, to the data input of a data transmission sampling circuit DS which samples the read data burst using the transmission strobe signal SSS. The read data may be retrieved via a line  27  using the transmission strobe signal SSS. If necessary, a fixed delay may be inserted into said line  27  or into the data bus DB in order to ensure that the bit limits of the data at the data transmission sampling circuit DS are at a certain minimum distance from the edges of the strobe signal SSS, and reliable sampling may thus be effected. The read data which have been sampled are transmitted to the data connection D′ of the controller  110  via the data lines DL.  
         [0025]     In the case of the example shown, the accompanying data clock signal DTS which is likewise to be transmitted to the controller  110  is generated in such a manner that its edges coincide exactly with the bit limits of the transmitted data. To this end, use is also made, in the SDRAM  120 , of a separate transmission sampling circuit SS which receives a simulated bit sequence SBF which is generated synchronously with the retrieved read data and in which the two binary levels alternate between “0” and “1” from bit to bit. This bit sequence is sampled in the transmission sampling circuit SS using the strobe signal SSS in exactly the same way as the data in the transmission sampling circuit DS of the SDRAM  120 . The data clock signal DTS obtained in this manner is transmitted to the synchronization signal connection S′ of the controller  110  via the data clock line SL.  
         [0026]     In the controller  110 , the read data burst DAT received at the data connection D′ is passed to the input of a data reception sampling circuit DE′ where it is sampled using a reception strobe signal ESS′. This signal ESS′ is derived from the received data clock signal DTS, to be precise using a reception amplifier SE′ and a downstream delay element VG 2  which gives rise to a delay by the amount of time τ, that is to say a delay by half the period of the data rate. The data reception sampling circuit DE′ is designed in such a manner that it samples the received read data burst both on the rising edge and on the falling edge of the reception strobe signal ESS′. The circuit DE′ and also the data clock reception amplifier SE′ are switched on, only during reading operation, by means of a read state signal RDS which is rendered effective in the controller  110  when the read command is sent and is rendered ineffective when the write command is sent.  
         [0027]     The read data which have been sampled in the data reception sampling circuit DE′ of the controller  110  are forwarded, via the data bus DB′, for further processing.  
         [0028]     As can be discerned from the explanations above, a bidirectional signal link for the data clock signals when writing and reading is required for data communication between a synchronous RAM and a controller in the prior art. Such a link requires a respective bidirectional port, that is to say an interface having means for changing over between transmission and reception operation, at both ends. In the example described, this interface respectively comprises a transmission sampling circuit SS and SS′ and a reception amplifier SE and SE′, wherein it is necessary to be able to switch the respective reception amplifier on and off in order to prevent the transmitted data clock signals from being transmitted back into the reception channel. This requires particular circuit and wiring complexity. Another problem with bidirectional signal links is the precise impedance and propagation time matching of the elements in the two interfaces. This matching is particularly important if the transmitted signals, like the data clock signals described, are used as a time base and therefore have to satisfy highly precise time criteria.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0029]     One aspect of the present invention is to design a synchronous RAM in such a manner that it is possible to dispense with bidirectional transmission of clock signals for controlling the sampling of the transmission and reception data at the RAM.  
         [0030]     Accordingly, one embodiment of the invention is implemented in a RAM memory circuit containing the following: a multiplicity of memory cells which can be selectively addressed, I/O circuitry for data; a clock input for receiving a system clock signal; a reception sampling circuit for sampling the received data using a reception strobe signal; and a reception strobe signal generating device which internally generates the reception strobe signal with synchronization with the received system clock signal.  
         [0031]     Another embodiment of the invention includes a multiplicity of memory cells which can be selectively addressed; a data connection for receiving and transmitting data; an address input for receiving address information for selecting memory cells; a command input for receiving commands; a clock input for receiving a system clock signal; an access control device which responds to the address information and to commands which have been received in order to write the received data to, and read the data to be transmitted from, the memory cells which have been selected using the address information, under the control of the system clock signal; a reception sampling circuit for sampling the received data using a reception strobe signal; a transmission sampling circuit for sampling the data to be transmitted using a transmission strobe signal; a transmission strobe signal generating device which generates the transmission strobe signal with synchronization by the received system clock signal; and a reception strobe signal generating device which internally generates the reception strobe signal with synchronization by the received system clock signal.  
         [0032]     Because the reception strobe signal is internally generated in the RAM memory circuit, the need to receive an external data clock signal from the controller is dispensed with. It may still be desirable, merely for reading operations (that is to say when transmitting data to the controller) to also generate an accompanying data clock signal that is synchronous with the sampling of transmitted data and to transmit said data clock signal to the controller. At most, only one unidirectional data clock link is thus required between the RAM and the controller. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0033]     So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present invention can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.  
         [0034]     Exemplary embodiments are described below with reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 .  
         [0035]      FIG. 1  schematically shows an example of the devices for synchronized signal transmission between an SDRAM and a controller according to the prior art.  
         [0036]      FIG. 2  schematically shows a RAM memory circuit having a configuration according to one embodiment of the invention in conjunction with a controller which is specially adapted to this configuration;  
         [0037]      FIG. 3  schematically shows a RAM memory circuit which can be changed over between the configuration according to one embodiment of the invention and a conventional configuration. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0038]     The RAM memory circuits  220  and  320  shown as examples in  FIGS. 2 and 3  are SDRAMs whose design is similar, in many parts, to the known SDRAM  120  shown in  FIG. 1 . In  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the same elements and signals are denoted using the same reference symbols and abbreviations as in  FIG. 1 . Since details and the nature of these elements and signals have already been described with reference to  FIG. 1 , only the differences with respect to the circuit arrangement shown in  FIG. 1  shall be explained below.  
         [0039]     The SDRAM  220  shown in  FIG. 2  differs from the known SDRAM  120  shown in  FIG. 1  by virtue of the fact that the reception strobe signal ESS for the reception sampling circuit DE for sampling the received data burst DAT′ is derived from the received system clock signal CLK, more precisely, in the clock generator TG which is synchronized by said clock signal and whose output signal SSS contains successive clock edges at a repetition rate that is equal to the data rate. This signal SSS which is applied to the transmission sampling circuits SS and DS of the SDRAM during reading operation (as in the known case shown in  FIG. 1 ) is also used, in the case of  FIG. 2 , as the reception strobe signal ESS during writing operation by being supplied to the input of the reception sampling circuit DE in the SDRAM  220  instead of the data clock signal DTS′ that is received with the data in the case of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0040]     It is thus possible to dispense with transmitting a data clock signal from the controller to the SDRAM  220 . There is, therefore, no need for bidirectional clock signal transmission for communication between the SDRAM  220  and a controller. The data clock port on the SDRAM  120  therefore needs only the transmission sampling circuit SS and no reception device. The latter can thus be omitted, as shown in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0041]     A controller which communicates with the SDRAM  220  likewise does not need a transmission device for a data clock signal that accompanies the write data, thus reducing the circuit complexity of the controller, as is likewise shown in  FIG. 2 . On the left,  FIG. 2  shows a controller  120  which is specially designed for use with the SDRAM  220 . It differs from the conventional controller  110  shown in  FIG. 1  by virtue of the fact that the transmission sampling circuit SS′ shown in  FIG. 1  is missing. That is to say the data clock signal port of the controller  210  is of unidirectional design merely for receiving the data clock signal DTS that is transmitted by the SDRAM  220  during reading operation.  
         [0042]     It may be expedient to design a RAM memory circuit in such a manner that it can be operated either with unidirectional data clock transmission from a controller to the RAM, that is to say with data clock transmission only during reading operation, or with bidirectional data clock transmission, that is to say with data clock transmission both during reading operation and during writing operation. Such an option is advantageous in order to also be able to use the RAM without any problems in a conventional operating mode with a conventional controller, for example with the controller  110  shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0043]     Accordingly, one particular embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the device for transmitting the data clock signal is part of a bidirectional data clock signal port which also has a device for receiving an external data clock signal which is synchronized with the clock of the received data, and in that provision is made of a changeover device for selectively applying either the internally generated reception strobe signal or a reception strobe signal that is derived from the external data clock signal to the sampling input of the reception sampling circuit.  
         [0044]      FIG. 3  shows an SDRAM  320  which can be changed over in the above-described manner. The SDRAM  320  contains all parts of the conventional SDRAM  120  shown in  FIG. 1 , but the strobe connection of the reception sampling circuit DE can be connected either to the output of the data clock reception sampling circuit or to the output of the internal clock generator TG using a mode changeover switch (multiplexer)  29 . The respective switching state of the changeover switch  29  is determined by the binary value of a changeover bit MUB.  
         [0045]     In the exemplary embodiment shown, a separate configuration bit in the mode register  23  is used as the mode changeover bit MUB and is applied to the control input of the changeover switch  29  via a line  28 . As an example, the mode bit in the mode register  32  is set to “1” for an operating mode with unidirectional data clock transmission and remains set to “0” for the conventional mode with bidirectional data clock transmission.  
         [0046]     The SDRAMs  220  and  320  described with reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3  and also the relevant controllers may be designed both for single data rate (SDR operation), in which the data are transmitted at the frequency of the system clock, and for operation at a multiplied data rate. In the cases of single and double data rates, the respective internal clock generators TG and TG′ may be omitted, and the clock edges of the system clock CLK may be directly used for the respective strobe signal SSS and SSS′. In the case of single data rate, the transmission sampling circuits SS and SS′ (and also the circuits for retrieving data) can then be designed in such a manner that sampling is effected only on the falling CLK edges or only on the rising CLK edges. In the case of double data rate, said circuits can be designed in such a manner that sampling is effected both on the falling CLK edges and on the rising CLK edges.  
         [0047]     Of course, the invention is not restricted to the embodiments which were described above with reference to the figures and which are merely to be regarded as being examples of possible implementations of the invention. Modifications and other variants of the described circuitry are possible in the context of the idea of the invention. In order to take into account propagation times of signals within the memory circuit, fixed compensating delays may be provided in the various signal paths, said delays not being shown in the drawings for reasons of clarity.  
         [0048]     While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.