This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan application serial no. 97134215, filed on Sep. 5, 2008. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of specification.
1. Filed of the Invention
The invention relates to a delay line and, more particularly, to a delay line which may reduce a cross talk effect.
2. Description of the Related Art
In digital signal design, to receive signals synchronously, the time for transmitting signals from the transmitting end to the receiving end is preferably the same. Thus, the circuits should be designed to have the same lengths. However, due to the layout, it is impossible for every line to be designed as straight line, and then a conventional delay line is designed. The designing way of a conventional delay line is to lay the straight delay line at a small area in an S layout mode.
In addition, in the conventional technology, the layout distances SW (as shown in
The invention discloses a delay line adapted to a printed circuit board (PCB). By adjusting a current direction in the delay line, a signal coupling effect may be counteracted. Hence, a cross talk effect and a signal distortion may be reduced, and an area for layout in the circuit board also may be reduced.
The invention provides a delay line adapted to a PCB. The delay line includes a first straight line, a second straight line and a third straight line. The second straight line is adjacent to one side of the first straight line. The third straight line is located at the other side of the first straight line. The first straight line, the second straight line and the third straight line are parallel with each other to form a delay path. The current direction of the second straight line is opposite to the current direction of the third straight line.
In an embodiment of the invention, the delay line further includes a first connecting line and a second connecting line. The first connecting line is used to connect an end of the first straight line and an end of the second straight line. The second connecting line is used to connect the other end of the second straight line and an end of the third straight line. The first straight line, the second straight line, the third straight line, the first connecting line and the second connecting line form the delay path.
In an embodiment of the invention, the current direction of the first straight line is the same as that of the third straight line.
In an embodiment of the invention, the distance between the second straight line and the first straight line is the same as the distance between the second straight line and the third straight line.
In an embodiment of the invention, the delay path formed by the delay line is spiral.
In an embodiment of the invention, the delay line further includes a fourth straight line adjacent to the second straight line and parallel with the second straight line. An end of the fourth straight line is connected to an end of the third straight line, and the current direction of the fourth straight line is the same as the current direction of the second straight line.
In an embodiment of the invention, the delay line further includes a fourth straight line adjacent to the third straight line and parallel with the third straight line. An end of the fourth straight line is connected to an end of the third straight line, and the current direction of the fourth straight line is opposite to the current direction of the third straight line.
In an embodiment of the invention, the distance between the first straight line and the second straight line is the same as the distance between the first straight line and the third straight line.
The invention further includes a delay line adapted to a PCB. The delay line includes a line group and a third straight line. The line group has a first straight line and a second straight line, and the current direction of the first straight line is the same as that of the second straight line. The third straight line is adjacent to the line group at a side, and the current direction of the third straight line is opposite to the current direction of the line group. The first straight line, the second straight line and the third straight line are parallel with each other to form a delay path.
The invention further provides a delay line adapted to a PCB including a plurality of first straight lines, a plurality of first connecting lines, a plurality of second straight lines and a plurality of second connecting lines. The first connecting lines are connected to the first straight lines, respectively. The first connecting lines and the first straight lines wind from inside to outside along the first direction to form a first spiral trace. The second connecting lines are connected to the second straight lines, respectively. The second connecting lines and the second straight lines wind from inside to outside along a second direction to form a second spiral trace. The second spiral trace is located at the surrounding of the first spiral trace, and an end of the second spiral trace is connected to an end of the first spiral trace to form a delay path.
In an embodiment of the invention, the first spiral trace is formed by four first straight lines and three first connecting lines, and the second spiral trace is formed by four second straight lines and three second connecting lines.
In an embodiment of the invention, the first straight lines and the second straight lines are parallel with each other, and the distances between the first straight lines and the second straight lines are the same.
In an embodiment of the invention, the lengths of the first straight lines are greater than lengths of the first connecting lines, and the lengths of the second straight lines are greater than the lengths of the second connecting lines.
In an embodiment of the invention, if the first direction is counter-clockwise, the second direction is clockwise. If the first direction is clockwise, the second direction is counter-clockwise.
In an embodiment of the invention, the first spiral trace winds for two windings from inside to outside along the counter-clockwise direction, and the second spiral trace winds from inside to outside along the clockwise direction.
In the invention, since an odd-even mode balance structure is constructed, signal coupling effect may be counteracted due to the opposite current directions in adjacent lines. Thus, the cross talk effect in the whole delay line is reduced, the signal distortion in the conventional delay line is improved, and the area for layout needed by the delay line is also reduced.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings.
In addition, from the perspective of equivalent impedance and time delay, the delay line 300 in the embodiment further has preferable equivalent impedance and low time delay.
The delay time TD310 of the straight line 310 may be represented by the equation as follows.
The Z310 represents the equivalent impedance of the straight line 310. The TD310 represents the delay time of the straight line 310. The C310 represents the equivalent capacitance between the straight line 310 and the reference plane 420. The L310 represents the self inductance of the straight line 310. The C12 represents the equivalent capacitance between the straight line 310 and the straight line 320. The C13 represents the equivalent capacitance of the straight line 310 and the straight line 330. The L12 represents the mutual inductance between the straight line 310 and the straight line 320. The L13 represents the mutual inductance between the straight line 310 and the straight line 330. The C12 equals to C13, and the L12 equals to L13.
From the result of the Z310, the equivalent impedance of the straight line 310 disposed between the straight lines 320 and 330 is close to the equivalent impedance of a single line, and it is not affected by the straight lines 320 and 330. Thus, the equivalent impedance of the whole delay line 300 is close to the equivalent impedance of a straight line having the same length, and thus the occurrence of impedance mismatch is infrequent in the circuit design. The delay time TD310 of the straight line 310 is also close to the equivalent delay time of the single line. In other words, according to the technique of the invention, as long as the current directions of the upper straight line and the lower straight line adjacent to the straight line in the middle are opposite, the cross talk effect between the straight lines is reduced. Thus, the signal transmitting characteristic of the delay line 300 is close to that of the straight line having the same length.
In addition, if the current directions of the straight lines 320 and 330 are the same (that is, the upper and lower sides of the straight line 320 are in odd modes) the equivalent impedance Z310 of the straight line 310 and the delay time TD310 may be represented by the equation as follows.
From the above equations (3) and (4), if the two straight lines at the upper and lower sides of the straight line 310 are in the odd modes, the equivalent impedance Z310 may be affected by the adjacent straight lines and change. The delay time TD310 also may be affected and reduced due to the signal coupling, the cross talk and other factors, and then a signal advancing effect may be generated.
To sum up, the circuit structure of the delay line in the embodiment may be designed according to the odd-even mode balance, and the current directions of the upper and lower straight lines adjacent to an individual straight line are opposite. For example, when two straight lines are considered as a line group, straight lines in the same line group have the same current directions. The current directions of the adjacent line groups are opposite. In addition, the delay line in the embodiment is not affected by the position of the reference plane (such as the ground), and as long as the current directions of the straight lines are in accordance with the current directions in the embodiment, the cross talk may be reduced.
Four adjacent straight lines in the delay line are taken as an example.
In
In the delay line 601, the straight lines 610 to 640 are parallel to each other, and the distances between them are the same. If the current flows from inside to outside, the current direction of each straight line may be derived from the delay path. As shown in
In
In addition, the straight lines 610 to 640 and the connecting lines 650 to 670 denoted in
The first embodiment provides the basic designing principle of the delay line. However, the number of windings or the whole length of the delay line are not limited in the first embodiment, and the designer may increase or decrease the length of the delay line according to requirements. As long as the odd-even mode balance is met, the cross talk effect may be restrained.
As shown in
To the circuit path in the embodiment, one end of the straight line 790 is the input end INT, and the other end of the straight line 710 is the output end OUT. A back-end circuit (not shown) may be connected to the output end OUT through the via. The disposing positions of the input end INT and the output end OUT may be exchanged, and it is not limited in the embodiment. In addition, the straight lines 710 to 790 are all disposed in a same circuit layer (a metal layer).
When the current flows from outside to inside, from the delay path formed by the delay line 700, the current directions of the straight lines 710 to 780 from top to bottom may be denoted by −−++−−+, and the current directions of the straight lines 780 and 760 are the same, the current directions of the straight lines 730 and 710 are the same, the current directions of the straight lines 720 and 740 are the same, and the current directions of the straight lines 750 and 770 are the same. In other words, in the straight lines 710 to 780 of the delay line 700, two adjacent straight lines may be considered as a group, and the current directions are the same. The current directions in the next group of the straight lines are opposite.
Thus, in the straight lines 710 to 780, to any straight lines in the middle (such as straight lines 710 to 760), the current directions of the adjacent two straight lines at the upper side and the lower side are opposite (for example, the straight line 710 has two adjacent straight lines 720 and 730 disposed at the upper and lower sides), and the delay line structure which meets the odd-even mode balance is formed. Thus, the delay line 700 may reduce the affection on the signal transmission due to the cross talk effect, and this may avoid the signal advancement and the impedance mismatch. Since in the embodiment, not only the affection on the signal transmission due to the cross talk effect is reduced, the distances between the straight lines 710 to 780 may be less than those in the conventional technology. This may further reduce the layout area needed by the delay line.
In addition, when the straight line is longer than the connecting line, the effect of reducing the cross talk is more obvious. Thus, the delay line 700 is preferable rectangular. The distances between the straight lines only may be substantially the same, and it does not matter if deviation is generated in the manufacturing process. In addition, the user also may increase or change part of the layout of the straight lines according to the design requirement. As long as part of the delay line structure meets the odd-even mode balance (that is, adjacent two straight lines have opposite current directions), the effect of reducing the cross talk effect may be achieved. In addition,
To sum up, in the invention, the odd-even balance layout mode is used to make the signal coupling generated in the delay line counteracted. Thus, the cross talk effect may be reduced, and signal advancement and impedance mismatch may be avoided. In the invention, the delay line design may be directly used in the PCB or the chipset, and compared with the conventional technology, the distances between lines in the delay line of the invention are less, and the same delay path is obtained with less layout area. This may reduce the layout area and the design cost.
Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, the disclosure is not for limiting the scope of the invention. Persons having ordinary skill in the art may make various modifications and changes without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred embodiments described above.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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97134215 | Sep 2008 | TW | national |