Abstract:
A synchronous memory device includes clock receiver circuitry to receive first and second external clock signals from an external bus. Clock generation circuitry, coupled to the clock receiver circuitry, generates a first internal clock signal having a clock edge which is synchronized with at least the first external clock signal and generates a second internal clock signal having a clock edge which is synchronized with at least the second external clock signal. The memory device further includes a first subarray section and a second subarray section. The first subarray section includes a first internal I/O line to access data from a first memory cell location and a second internal I/O line to access data from a second memory cell location. The second subarray section includes a first internal I/O line to access data from a third memory cell location in the second subarray section and a second internal I/O line to access data from a fourth memory cell location in the second subarray section. The memory device also includes output driver circuitry, including a first output driver and a second output driver, to output data onto the external bus in response to the read request. Multiplexer circuitry couples the first internal I/O line of the first subarray section to an input of the first driver and couples the first internal I/O line of the second subarray section to an input of the second driver in response to a clock edge of a first internal clock signal; and couples the second internal I/O line of the first subarray section to an input of the first driver and couples the second internal I/O line of the second subarray section to an input of the second driver in response to the clock edge of the second internal clock signal.
Abstract:
A computer system having a bus, a bus master, and a plurality of semiconductor devices having bus transaction response characteristics that are configurable by the bus master via the bus. Each semiconductor device includes at least one register that is operative to store information specifying a manner in which the semiconductor device is to respond to transaction requests received from the bus. The bus master transmits the information to the semiconductor device via the bus lines of the bus when the bus in configured. The semiconductor device stores the information received from the bus lines in the register during configuration of the bus and thereafter responds to requests according to the information stored in register. Configurable bus transaction response characteristics may include a unique device identification for the semiconductor device, a range of addresses to which the semiconductor corresponds, or the bus access-time of the semiconductor device. The semiconductor device may be a memory device.
Abstract:
The present invention is directed to an integrated circuit device having at least one memory section including a plurality of memory cells. The device includes an internal register to store an identification value which identifies the device on a bus. The device further includes interface circuitry, coupled to the bus, to receive identification information and a read request. The interface circuitry includes a plurality of output drivers and comparison circuitry. The output drivers are coupled to the bus to output data on the bus in response to the read request. The data is output synchronously with respect to first and second external clock signals when the comparison circuitry determines the identification information corresponds to the identification value.
Abstract:
The present invention includes a memory subsystem comprising at least two semiconductor devices, including at least one memory device, connected to a bus, where the bus includes a plurality of bus lines for carrying substantially all address, data and control information needed by said memory devices, where the control information includes device-select information and the bus has substantially fewer bus lines than the number of bits in a single address, and the bus carries device-select information without the need for separate device-select lines connected directly to individual devices. The present invention also includes a protocol for master and slave devices to communicate on the bus and for registers in each device to differentiate each device and allow bus requests to be directed to a single or to all devices. The present invention includes modifications to prior-art devices to allow them to implement the new features of this invention. In a preferred implementation, 8 bus data lines and an AddressValid bus line carry address, data and control information for memory addresses up to 40 bits wide.
Abstract:
A memory subsystem for storing and retrieving data. At least one memory device Includes a bus Interface. The memory device has at least one memory section comprised of a plurality of memory cells. The bus interface of the at least one memory device couples the memory device to a bus. The bus comprises a group of controlled impedance transmission lines for carrying substantially all information necessary for a single memory device to receive a transaction request, including a memory transaction request, and for carrying substantially all information necessary for a single memory device to respond to the transaction request. The number of signaling lines is substantially less than the number of bits in the information necessary to request a memory transaction to store or retrieve data from the memory cells. Memory device selection information is time-multiplexed on the bus with other memory transaction request information.
Abstract:
A clock signal generation apparatus for a memory device of a data processing system is described for generating an internal clock signal for the memory device that is synchronized with an external clock signal. The data processing system includes a transmission line for transmitting a global clock signal to the memory device. A first receiving circuit is coupled to a first point of the transmission line for receiving the global clock signal at the first point and for generating a first local clock signal. A first delay circuitry delays the first local clock signal to be a first delayed clock signal such that the first delayed local clock signal is synchronized with the global clock signal received at the first point of the transmission line. The first delay circuitry provides a first variable delay to the first delayed local clock signal. A second receiving circuit is coupled to the second point of the transmission line for receiving the global clock signal at the second point and for generating a second local clock signal. A second delay circuitry delays the second local clock signal to be a second delayed clock signal such that the second delayed local clock signal is synchronized with the global clock signal received at the second point of the transmission line. The second delay circuitry provides a second variable delay to the second delayed local clock signal. A third delay circuitry is coupled to receive the first and second local clock signals for generating the internal clock signal for the memory device at a timing that is halfway between the first and second local clock signals.
Abstract:
The present invention includes a memory device having a plurality of independently addressable memory sections, each of the memory sections is assigned a portion of the range of addresses. A plurality of address registers coupled to the plurality of the memory sections, each address register for storing information indicating a portion of the range of addresses that corresponds to one of the plurality of memory sections. One of the plurality of the address registers specifies that a zero portion of the range of the addresses is assigned to one of the plurality of memory sections if the at least one of the plurality of the memory sections is defective.
Abstract:
The present invention includes a memory subsystem comprising at least two semiconductor devices, including at least one memory device, connected to a bus, where the bus includes a plurality of bus lines for carrying substantially all address, data and control information needed by said memory devices, where the control information includes device-select information and the bus has substantially fewer bus lines than the number of bits in a single address, and the bus carries device-select information without the need for separate device-select lines connected directly to individual devices.The present invention also includes a protocol for master and slave devices to communicate on the bus and for registers in each device to differentiate each device and also bus requests to be directed to a single or to all devices. The present invention includes modifications to prior-art devices to allow them to implement the new features of this invention. In a preferred implementation, 8 bus data lines and an AddressValid bus line carry address, data and control information for memory addresses up to 40 bits wide.