Patent ID: 7773689

Claim:
A multimodal memory controller comprising: a transmitter having a first input signal line, a second input signal line, a first output signal line, a second output signal line, a first single-ended driver, a second single-ended driver, a differential transmitter, and a mode control signal line, the first single-ended driver connected to the first input signal line and to the first output signal line, the second single-ended driver connected to the second input signal line and to the second output signal line, the differential transmitter connected to both of the input signal lines and to both of the output signal lines, the mode control signal line having asserted upon it a mode control signal, the transmitter configured to operate the output signal lines using the single-ended drivers at a first voltage when the mode control signal is a first value and to operate the output signal lines using the differential transmitter at a second voltage when the mode control signal is a second value, and the transmitter configured to protect the differential transmitter from the first voltage when the mode control signal is the first value.