Patent ID: 8467490

Claim:
A communication system comprising: a transmitter adapted to transmit a synchronizing clock and serial data synchronous with the synchronizing clock over a line at low amplitude; and a receiver adapted to receive the serial data and synchronizing clock from the transmitter, the receiver including: an amplifier adapted to amplify the received synchronizing clock of low amplitude to restore the clock to its original amplitude, a latched comparator adapted to latch the received serial data in synchronism with a reproduction clock, the latched comparator including a level-shift section that increases a level of the received serial data to a predetermined level and a latching-amplifying section; wherein, when activated by the reproduction clock, the latching-amplifying section implements latching and amplifying of the received serial data in parallel, and a phase-locked circuit, the phase-locked circuit adapted to generate the reproduction clock based on the synchronizing clock which has been restored to its original amplitude from the low amplitude synchronizing clock by the amplifier, the phase-locked circuit includes a frequency divider adapted to divide the frequency of the reproduction clock, the frequency divided reproduction clock being compensated for a delay caused by the amplifier using a replica amplifier functioning in a similar manner to the amplifier and provided in a phase-locked loop, wherein the replica amplifier has a level-down circuit at its input stage, the level-down circuit having a field effect transistor adapted to receive the frequency divided reproduction clock at its gate so as to reduce the level of the frequency divided reproduction clock.