The present invention relates in general to integrated circuits and in particular to differential input circuits.
To meet the demands of today's applications, integrated circuits are being designed to operate at higher speeds with lower power supply voltages. One technique for enabling high frequency operation at lower voltages is differential signaling. In differential signaling, logic levels are represented by the difference between a pair of complementary signals. Instead of processing signals that swing between the power supplies, circuits designed to process differential signals need only detect a relatively small difference in voltage between the two complementary signals. The much smaller voltage swing and the lower voltage level characteristics of differential signaling facilitate high speed operation at lower voltages.
Integrated circuits that receive differential signals require a differential input buffer that properly detects the logic level of the received signal. The design of a differential input buffer is generally dictated by a set of specifications that defines the speed and input voltage level range. For example, to receive LVDS signals, a differential input buffer is required to properly detect the logic levels of the differential input signal over a relatively wide common mode range. The common mode voltage of the LVDS input signal (Vin,cm) may range from 0 volts to 2.4 volts. This places stringent requirements on the operation of the input buffer. For example, an input buffer that includes a differential input pair of n-channel transistors can properly detect a differential input signal as long as Vin,cm remains high enough to overcome the threshold voltage of the n-channel transistors. When Vin,cm approaches 0 volts neither of the n-channel input transistors in the differential pair can turn on, resulting in the failure of the circuit to properly detect the LVDS logic levels. Constructing the differential input pair with p-channel transistor will similarly fail at the higher Vin,cm levels.
A number of innovative circuit techniques addressing the above and other constraints when designing differential input buffers, are described in commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,236,231, to Nguyen et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. There, the inventors connected two differential input pairs in parallel receiving the differential input signal; one pair with n-channel input transistors (n-diff pair) and the other pair with p-channel input transistors (p-diff pair). With this design, the n-diff pair operates at the higher end of the input common mode voltage Vin,cm, and as the Vin,cm moves toward 0 volts the n-diff pair turns off but the p-diff pair turns on to detect the input signal. This expands the operational range of the input circuit.
The parallel n-diff pair and p-diff pair input buffer works well as long as the power supply voltage VCC remains above the sum of the n-channel transistor threshold voltage Vtn and the absolute magnitude of the p-channel transistor threshold voltage |Vtp|, (i.e., VCC>[Vtn+|Vtp|]). For example, given an n-channel threshold voltage Vtn of 0.7 volts and a p-channel threshold voltage Vtp of −0.7 volts, the power supply voltage for the differential input buffer must be greater than 1.4 volts in order for the circuit to be functional. If the power supply voltage drops below 1.4 volts, there will be a voltage range within which neither the n-channel transistors nor the p-channel transistors has high enough gate-to-source (Vgs) voltage to turn on. In the above example, with a power supply voltage VCC of 1.2 volts, an input differential signal with a common mode voltage around 0.6 volts will not be sufficient to turn on either the p-channel transistor or the n-channel transistor.
To overcome the above problem that is encountered at lower power supply voltages, either a separate and higher power supply for the I/O circuitry can be provided, or the Vin,cm can be shifted away from the failure region. Both these solutions, however, have limitations and drawbacks. The separate I/O power supply can introduce additional I/O noise and if provided externally requires additional power pad and bus routing. Shifting the common mode voltage away from the failure region requires extra control circuitry that adds to circuit complexity and limits the frequency of operation of the circuit.
There is therefore a need for further improvements in design of differential output buffers that efficiently enable the circuit to operate with low power supply voltages.
The present invention provides differential input buffers that can receive differential input signals with wide common mode rage while operating at lower power supply voltages. In various embodiments, the invention combines native or depletion mode metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistors with the conventional enhancement mode n-channel (NMOS) and p-channel (PMOS) transistors in the design of the input buffer. The native or depletion MOS transistors can operate at lower power supply voltages and increase the input common-mode voltage range. Special techniques are developed to turn off the native or depletion MOS transistors gradually to maintain a substantially constant gain for the input buffer across the wider operational common-mode voltage range.
In one embodiment, the present invention combines an NMOS differential input pair with a native MOS differential input pair both of which receive the differential input signal at their inputs. A turn-off circuit with stacked transistors operates to gradually turn off the tail current for the native MOS differential input pair in response to the differential input signal. The two differential input pairs can share the load devices for the second stage of the buffer. In another embodiment, the invention combines three differential pair input circuits: one made of NMOS input transistors, a second one made of native MOS input transistors and a third one made of depletion MOS input transistors. All three differential input pairs receive the differential input signal at their inputs. The native MOS input pair and the depletion MOS input pair are turned off gradually by a circuit that turns off their respective tail currents. In this embodiment too all three differential input pairs can share the load devices for their second stage. In yet another embodiment, the invention combines three differential pair input circuits: one made of NMOS input transistors, a second one made of native MOS input transistors and a third one made of PMOS input transistors. All three differential input pairs receive the differential input signal at their inputs. The native MOS input pair and the PMOS input pair are turned off gradually by a circuit that turns off their respective tail currents. In this embodiment, the NMOS and native MOS differential input pairs can share the load devices for their second stage, with a separate load circuit for the PMOS input pair. In the above embodiments, any one of the multiple differential input pairs can be made to be programmably enabled or disabled depending on the input voltage requirements.
A better understanding of the nature and advantages of the present invention will be gained with reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.
Input buffer 100 also includes a second differential pair 104 made of source-coupled native MOS transistors MNT1 and MNT2 with their gate terminals coupled to input terminals INA and INB, respectively. Second differential pair 104 also includes load devices made of p-channel transistors MP5 and MP8 that respectively connect between native transistors MNT1 and MNT2, and VCC. Second differential pair 104 further includes an n-channel tail transistor MN12 that receives a second bias voltage VB2 at its gate to set the tail current for the differential pair. The second stage of second differential pair 104 includes p-channel transistors MP6 and MP7 that share load devices MN4 and MN5 with the second stage of first differential pair 102. P-channel transistors MP6 and MP7 connect to VCC and load transistors MP5 and MP8, respectively. A circuit 106 connects to the gate terminal of tail transistors MN12 to turn off transistor MN12 when differential pair 104 is to be turned off. Circuit 106 includes multiple—in this example three—stacked transistors MN6, MN7 and MN8 connected in series between the gate terminal of tail transistor MN12 and ground (or VSS), with their gate terminals connected to input terminal INA. Circuit 106 further includes stacked transistors MN9, MN10 and MN11 similarly connected in series between the gate terminal of tail transistor MN12 and ground, with their gate terminals connected to input terminal INB.
In a conventional complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) process, the threshold voltages for n-channel (Vtn) and p-channel (Vtp) transistors are set by threshold implants into the respective transistor channel regions. Typical values for transistor threshold voltages may be Vtn=|Vtp|=0.7 volts. A native transistor is typically an n-channel type transistor that does not receive any channel doping for threshold adjustment. The resulting native transistor exhibits an intrinsic threshold voltage around, for example, 0 volts. Thus, with input transistors having a threshold voltage near 0 volts, differential pair 104 can be turned on and can properly detect a differential input signal with a common mode voltage Vin,cm around 0 volts. Second differential pair 104 remains operational and responsive to a differential input signal as the common mode voltage of the input signal increases above 0 volts. First differential pair 102 starts responding to the differential input signal when Vin,cm goes above the threshold voltage Vtn of enhancement mode n-channel transistors MN1 and MN2 in first differential pair 102. It is desirable to turn off second differential pair 104 at about the same time when first differential pair 102 turns on. From that point on, first differential pair 102 takes over responding to the differential input signal in the upper range of Vin,cm.
Because of the much lower threshold voltage of the native transistors, care should be taken in turning them off. That is, in a circuit where logic signals swing between, for example, ground (or 0 volts) and VCC, a native transistor having a Vt,ntv of 0 volts cannot be turned off. Further to avoid an abrupt change in the overall transconductance of input circuit 100, it is preferable to turn off second differential pair 104 in a gradual manner. In the embodiment shown in
Input buffer 100 can thus operate with lower power supply voltages without the need for any special processing steps, or a dedicated I/O power supply and its attendant noise concerns, or extra power supply pad and routing. Input buffer 100 operates such that the switching between one or the other of the differential pairs occurs automatically without the need for extra control circuitry. This plus the sharing of parts of the circuitry between the two differential pairs results in a compact design. Additional benefits of input circuit 100 include high speed of operation and no increase in the DC current of the circuit.
Modifications and variations to differential input circuit 100 are possible. For example, a pair of cross-coupled transistors can be added to the load devices in each differential pair to improve the performance of the buffer. Additional cross-coupled transistors can either help provide hysteresis or increased gain depending on the ratio of their size to the size of the load transistors. In another embodiment, instead of native transistors, second differential pair 104 uses depletion mode input transistors that enable the input circuit to operate at even lower power supply voltages. An exemplary implementation that uses the depletion mode input transistors combined with the added cross-coupled load circuit is shown in
Referring back to
To further expand the common mode range of the differential input buffer, the present invention provides, in another embodiment, an input buffer with three differential pairs connected in parallel. Referring to
In operation, each differential pair automatically turns on or off in response to the differential input signal depending on Vin,cm. For input common mode voltage Vin,cm ranging below 0 volts, third differential pair 306 with depletion mode input transistors MD1 and MD2 operates to detect the input logic levels, while the other two differential pairs 302 and 304 remain turned off. In the range 0V<Vin,cm<1V, third differential pair 306 gradually turns off and second differential pair 304 turns on to detect the input logic levels, while differential pair 302 remains off. As Vin,cm reaches 1 volt and increases beyond 1 volt, second differential pair 304 gradually turns off and first differential pair 302 turns on. All this occurs automatically in response to the differential input signal level and without the need for extra switches to turn any of the differential pairs on or off.
In a variation of the embodiment shown in
The operation of input buffer 400 is similar to that of input buffer 300 with a slight variation. For input common mode voltage Vin,cm ranging below 0 volts, third differential pair 406 with p-channel input transistors MP41 and MP42 operates to detect the input logic levels, while the other two differential pairs 402 and 404 remain turned off. In the range 0V<Vin,cm<(VCC−|Vtp|]), second differential pair 404 with native MOS transistors MNT1 and MNT2 turns on and third differential pair 406 remains on. In this range both differential amplifiers 404 and 406 drive the output. When Vin,cm reaches VCC−|Vtp|, third differential pair 406 with p-channel input transistors turns off while second differential pair 404 remains on. For the range Vin,cm>1 volt, second differential pair 404 with native transistors MNT1 and MNT2 gradually turns off and first differential pair 402 turns on to detect the input logic levels. Again, all this occurs automatically in response to the differential input signal level and without the need for extra switches to turn any of the differential pairs on or off.
The various embodiments for differential input buffers described above can be used in many different types of integrated circuits. One type of integrated circuit that often requires particular flexibility in terms of its I/O circuitry is the field programmable gate array (FPGA) or programmable logic device (PLD). Today's high-density PLDs are not only used to implement custom logic with quick turn-around, they provide resources that allow them to implement system solutions for applications such as networking, wireless and general high-bandwidth telecommunication among others. Such applications typically require high speed I/O interface solutions with support for a variety of differential I/O standards. To support these varying standards, in alternative embodiments, additional selectively enabled differential pairs can be programmably connected in parallel with other differential pairs to the differential input terminals. Each differential amplifier can be configured to support a particular differential I/O standard and its corresponding input operating range. For example, an input buffer may include more than one differential pair with n-channel input transistors, each configured to respond to a different differential signaling standard. Various embodiments with such selectively enabled differential pairs are described in greater detail in commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,825,692, to Chung et al., which is hereby incorporated in its entirety.
While PLDs of the type shown in
System 600 includes a processing unit 602, a memory unit 604 and an I/O unit 606 interconnected together by one or more buses. According to this exemplary embodiment, a programmable logic device 608 is embedded in processing unit 602. PLD 608 may serve many different purposes within the system in
The present invention thus provides various techniques for implementing high speed differential input buffers that can operate at very lower power supply voltages and can support wider input common mode voltage range. While the above provides a complete description of specific embodiments that are illustrative of the present invention, it is possible to use various alternatives, modifications and equivalents. For example, those skilled in the art appreciate that the polarity of the transistors can be reversed for the various differential amplifiers while maintaining the advantages of the circuit. It is possible, for example, to use depletion mode p-channel transistors or p-channel native MOS transistors in combination with the other types of transistors to implement differential input buffers according to the principles of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the specific and illustrative embodiments described above, and should instead be determined with reference to the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents.
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