Serial-link receiver using time-interleaved discrete time gain
AssigneeRambus Inc.
InventorsHaidang Lin, Charles Walter Boecker, Masum Hossain
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Abstract
A serial receiver combines continuous-time equalization, analog interleaving, and discrete-time gain for rapid, efficient data reception and quantization of a serial, continuous-time signal. A continuous-time equalizer equalizes a received signal. A number N of time-interleaved analog samplers sample the equalized continuous-time signal to provide N streams of analog samples transitioning at rate reduced by 1/N relative to the received signal. A set of N discrete-time variable-gain amplifiers amplify respective streams of analog samples. A quantizer then quantizes the amplified streams of analog samples to produce a digital signal.
Claims20
A receiver comprising:
- N analog samplers each coupled to a common node to sample a continuous-time signal conveyed at a symbol rate, thereby providing N series of analog samples each conveyed at a sample rate lower than the symbol rate;
- and
- for each of the N analog samplers:
- a discrete-time amplifier coupled to an output of the analog sampler to amplify the respective series of analog samples, thereby providing an amplified series of analog samples;
- and
- a quantizer coupled to an output of the discrete-time amplifier to quantize the respective amplified series of analog samples.
A method for quantizing a continuous-time signal, the method comprising:
- periodically sampling the continuous-time signal responsive to phase-offset clock signals, thereby providing multiple series of analog samples;
- amplifying each of the multiple series of analog samples to produce multiple amplified series of analog samples;
- and
- quantizing each of the multiple amplified series of analog samples.
A receiver comprising:
- differential analog samplers to sample a continuous-time signal conveyed at a symbol rate, thereby providing multiple series of analog samples, each of the multiple series of analog samples conveyed at a sample rate lower than the symbol rate;
- and
- for each of the analog samplers, a discrete-time amplifier coupled to an output of the analog sampler to amplify the respective series of analog samples, thereby providing an amplified series of analog samples.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.