Invention Grant
- Patent Title: High speed clock distribution transmission line network
- Patent Title (中): 高速时钟分配传输线网络
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Application No.: US11596968Application Date: 2005-05-23
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Publication No.: US07679416B2Publication Date: 2010-03-16
- Inventor: Chung-Kuan Cheng , Hongyu Chen
- Applicant: Chung-Kuan Cheng , Hongyu Chen
- Applicant Address: US CA Oakland
- Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
- Current Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
- Current Assignee Address: US CA Oakland
- Agency: Greer, Burns & Crain, Ltd.
- International Application: PCT/US2005/018176 WO 20050523
- International Announcement: WO2005/117263 WO 20051208
- Main IPC: H03K19/003
- IPC: H03K19/003

Abstract:
The invention is directed to a method for clock distribution and VLSI circuits include a clock distribution network. In a method of the invention, a transmission lines are patterned as to connect a clock tree and a periodic waveform clock, preferably a sine waveform, is used to control clock skew, even at frequencies extending into the gigahertz range. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, an overlay includes differential pairs of transmission lines that connect the drivers of a clock distribution tree. In preferred embodiments of the invention, an H-tree clock distribution scheme is overlayed with a spiral of transmission lines, each realized by a differential conductors and driven using a sinusoidal standing wave to distribute global clock signals into local regions of the chip. Each transmission line connects drivers in the H-tree that are at the same level of the H-tree. In a VLSI chip according to an embodiment of the invention, the transmission line overlay delivers sinusoidal clock signals to local areas that are locally converted into digital clock signals. The invention thus presents a passive technique for clock distribution.
Public/Granted literature
- US20080030252A1 High Speed Clock Distribution Transmission Line Network Public/Granted day:2008-02-07
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