Patent ID: 7831810

Claim:
An apparatus for transferring data between semiconductor chips, comprising: a data channel coupled between an output node in a transmitter chip and an input node in a receiver chip; a set of data path circuits in the transmitter chip coupled to the output node and a corresponding set of data path circuits in the receiver chip coupled to the input node, wherein each data path circuit in the transmitter chip transfers data to a corresponding data path circuit in the receiver chip across the data channel; and a set of control channels coupled between a set of asynchronous control circuits in the transmitter chip and a set of corresponding asynchronous control circuits in the receiver chip, wherein each asynchronous control circuit controls data transfers for a separate data path circuit; wherein, upon detecting a transition of a control signal for an asynchronous control circuit in the transmitter chip, the asynchronous control circuit is configured to: enable a transfer of data from the corresponding data path circuit in the transmitter chip across the data channel to a corresponding data path circuit in the receiver chip, and generate a control signal to cause a next asynchronous control circuit to commence a data transfer.