A Wide-Range Mixed-Mode DLL for a Combination 512 Mb 2.0 Gb/s/pin GDDR3 and 2.5 Gb/s/pin GDDR4 SDRAM

A mixed-mode delay-locked loop (MDLL) for a 512 Mb graphics SDRAM is presented in this paper. The MDLL extends its lock range into the gigahertz realm by applying clock division and analog phase generation (APG). The divided clock from the MDLL is used for clocking logic and tracking deterministic access latency in the SDRAM. A short discussion of some of the side effects and advantages of using a divided, multi-phase clock for logic operation is presented. A low-power clock distribution network (CDN) based on the presented MDLL is also disclosed. Fabricated in a 1.5 V 95 nm triple-metal CMOS process, the MDLL achieves a measured RMS jitter of 4.6 ps and peak-to-peak jitter of 38 ps at GDDR4 mode with a 1 GHz clock. Power consumption for the entire MDLL-based CDN is 107 mW at 800 MHz and 1.5 V.