# US 12,763,779 B2 · Semiconductor package calibrating skew of clock signal, semiconductor device, and operating method of the semiconductor device

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- Number: US 12,763,779 B2
- Document ID: US12763779B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 19/007,266
- Filed: 2024-12-31
- Published: 2025-12-04
- Granted: 2026-10-13
- Earliest claimed: 2024-05-30
- Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Taggun Lee; Bharath Kumar N; Seongyoon Kim; Juyoung Kim; Donguk Park; Kihwan Seong; Hyemun Lee
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12763779B2

## CPC

- H03L 7/0814: {the phase shifting device being digitally controlled}
- H03K 3/037: Bistable circuits
- H03L 7/091: the phase or frequency detector using a sampling device (H03L7/087 takes precedence)
- H03L: AUTOMATIC CONTROL, STARTING, SYNCHRONISATION OR STABILISATION OF GENERATORS OF ELECTRONIC OSCILLATIONS OR PULSES (generation of oscillations H03B)
- H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M)

## Abstract

A semiconductor device includes a receiver and a controller. The receiver is configured to sample a data signal and a track signal received through data lanes in response to rising edges of first and second internal clock signal pairs. The controller is configured to detect a skew status between the track signal and the first and second internal clock signal pairs, based on the number of times a specific logic level of the track signal is sampled in synchronization with each of the first and second internal clock signal pairs, and provide the receiver with a clock shift signal for calibrating a clock skew, based on the skew status.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A semiconductor device comprising:
a receiver configured to:
receive a data signal through a first data lane,
receive a track signal through a second data lane,
receive an external clock signal pair through a complementary clock lane,
generate first and second internal clock signal pairs of different phases, based on the external clock signal pair, to sample the data signal and the track signal in response to edges of the first and second internal clock signal pairs, and
output digital signals comprising logic levels of the sampled data signal and the sampled track signal; and
a controller configured to:
receive the digital signals,
detect a skew status between the track signal and the first and second internal clock signal pairs, based on a first number of times a specific logic level of the track signal is sampled in synchronization with the first internal clock signal pair and a second number of times the specific logic level of the track signal is sampled in synchronization with the second internal clock signal pair, and
provide a clock shift signal comprising a shift magnitude and a shift direction to shift phases of the first and second internal clock signal pairs, based on the skew status.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the receiver comprises:
an internal clock generator configured to, based on the external clock signal pair, generate a first true signal and a first complement signal of the first internal clock signal pair and a second true signal and a second complement signal of the second internal clock signal pair;
a first sampler configured to generate first and second data clock signal pairs, based on the clock shift signal and the first and second internal clock signal pairs, and to sample the data signal in response to rising edges of the first and second data clock signal pairs;
a second sampler configured to generate first and second track clock signal pairs having a certain phase difference from the first and second data clock signal pairs, based on the clock shift signal and the first and second internal clock signal pairs, and to sample the track signal in response to rising edges of the first and second track clock signal pairs; and
a digital processing circuit configured to output the logic levels of the sampled data signal and the sampled track signal to the controller.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The semiconductor device of claim 2, wherein the second sampler comprises:
a local deskew logic circuit configured to shift phases of the first and second internal clock signal pairs, based on the clock shift signal, and to output the first and second track clock signal pairs;
a first latch circuit configured to latch the track signal in response to a rising edge of a true signal of the first track clock signal pair among the first and second track clock signal pairs;
a second latch circuit configured to latch the track signal in response to a rising edge of a true signal of the second track clock signal pair among the first and second track clock signal pairs;
a third latch circuit configured to latch the track signal in response to a rising edge of a complement signal of the first track clock signal pair; and
a fourth latch circuit configured to latch the track signal in response to a rising edge of a complement signal of the second track clock signal pair.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The semiconductor device of claim 2, wherein
the first sampler is disposed at a first location in the receiver,
the second sampler is disposed at a second location closer to a center of the receiver than the first location in the receiver, and
the controller is configured to
provide, to the first sampler, a first clock shift signal including the shift direction and a first shift magnitude, and
provide, to the second sampler, a second clock shift signal including the shift direction and a second shift magnitude larger than the first shift magnitude.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the receiver comprises:
an internal clock generator configured to, based on the external clock signal pair, generate the first internal clock signal pair having a phase difference of 180 degrees and the second internal clock signal pair having a phase difference of 180 degrees;
a global deskew logic circuit configured to shift phases of the first and second internal clock signal pairs, based on the clock shift signal;
a selector configured to output selected internal clock signal pairs among the shifted first and second internal clock signal pairs and the first and second internal clock signal pairs;
a first sampler configured to generate first and second data clock signal pairs, based on the selected internal clock signal pairs of the selector, and to sample the data signal in response to rising edges of the first and second data clock signal pairs;
a second sampler configured to generate first and second track clock signal pairs having a certain phase difference from the first and second data clock signal pairs, based on the selected internal clock signal pairs of the selector, and to sample the track signal in response to rising edges of the first and second track clock signal pairs; and
a digital processing circuit configured to output the logic levels of the sampled data signal and the sampled track signal to the controller.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to
count the first number of times and the second number of times, based on track samples of the track signal for each sampling phase in which one sampling cycle including one period of each of the first and second internal clock signal pairs is repeated m times, where m is a natural number,
compare the first number of times with a first reference number of times to generate a first comparison result and compare the second number of times with a second reference number of times to generate a second comparison result, for each sampling phase,
detect a skew direction of the skew status, based on the first comparison result and the second comparison result, and
determine boundaries of a shift range that creates an alignment possible status (APS) between the track signal and the first and second internal clock signal pairs, based on a previous skew direction at a previous sampling phase and a current skew direction at a current sampling phase.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The semiconductor device of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to
detect a first skew direction when the first comparison result indicates that the first number of times is greater than the first reference number of times,
detect a second skew direction opposite to the first skew direction when the second comparison result indicates that the second number of times is greater than the second reference number of times, and
detect that the track signal and the first and second internal clock signal pairs are in the APS when the first comparison result indicates that the first number of times is less than or equal to the first reference number of times, and the second comparison result indicates that the second number of times is less than or equal to the second reference number of times.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The semiconductor device of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to
determine a first shift direction opposite to the first skew direction, and
determine a second shift direction opposite to the second skew direction.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The semiconductor device of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to
determine a first boundary when the first skew direction is detected in the previous sampling phase and the APS is detected in the current sampling phase,
determine a second boundary when the second skew direction is detected in the previous sampling phase and the APS is detected in the current sampling phase, and
determine a shift magnitude and a shift direction, satisfying a shift range between the first boundary and the second boundary.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device of claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensor configured to sense an internal temperature of the semiconductor device and to provide a sensing signal including a sensing value of the internal temperature to the controller,
wherein the controller is further configured to
determine whether the internal temperature is greater than or equal to a reference temperature, and
initiate an operation of detecting the skew status when the internal temperature is greater than or equal to the reference temperature.

### Claim 11

An operating method of a semiconductor device, the operating method comprising:
generating first and second internal clock signal pairs of different phases, based on a clock signal pair received through a complementary clock lane;
sampling data signals and a track signal received through data lanes in response to rising edges of the first and second internal clock signal pairs;
detecting a skew status between the track signal and the first and second internal clock signal pairs, based on a number of times a specific logic level of the track signal is sampled in synchronization with each of the first and second internal clock signal pairs; and
shifting phases of the first and second internal clock signal pairs, based on the skew status.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The operating method of claim 11, wherein the detecting of the skew status comprises:
performing a first count operation of counting a first number of times the specific logic level of the track signal is sampled in synchronization with the first internal clock signal pair;
performing a second count operation of counting a second number of times the specific logic level of the track signal is sampled in synchronization with the second internal clock signal pair;
performing a first comparison operation of comparing the first number of times with a first reference number of times to generate a first comparison result;
performing a second comparison operation of comparing the second number of times with a second reference number of times to generate a second comparison result;
performing a detection operation of detecting a skew direction of the skew status, based on the first comparison result and the second comparison result; and
performing a repetition operation of repeating the first count operation, the second count operation, the first comparison operation, the second comparison operation and the detection operation, for each sampling phase in which one sampling cycle including one period of each of the first and second internal clock signal pairs is repeated m times, where m is a natural number.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The operating method of claim 12, wherein the shifting of the phases of the first and second internal clock signal pairs comprises:
determining a first shift direction opposite to a first skew direction in response to the first skew direction in a first sampling phase and the first skew direction in a second sampling phase;
determining the first shift direction and storing a first boundary in response to the first skew direction in the second sampling phase and an alignment possible status (APS) in a third sampling phase;
determining the first shift direction in response to the APS in each of the third sampling phase and a fourth sampling phase;
determining a second shift direction opposite to a second skew direction and storing a second boundary in response to the APS in the fourth sampling phase and the second skew direction in a fifth sampling phase; and
shifting the phases of the first and second internal clock signal pairs by using a shift magnitude and a shift direction, which satisfy a shift range between the first boundary and the second boundary.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The operating method of claim 11, wherein the sampling of the data signals and the track signals comprises:
generating first and second track clock signal pairs, based on the first and second internal clock signal pairs;
sampling the track signal in response to rising edges of the first and second track clock signal pairs;
generating first and second data clock signal pairs, based on the first and second internal clock signal pairs; and
sampling each of the data signals in response to rising edges of the first and second data clock signal pairs.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The operating method of claim 11, further comprising:
sensing an internal temperature of the semiconductor device; and
determining whether the internal temperature is greater than or equal to a reference temperature; and
initiating an operation of detecting the skew status in response to sensing the internal temperature greater than or equal to the reference temperature.

### Claim 16

A semiconductor package comprising:
a first die configured to generate a data signal, to generate a track signal, and to generate a clock signal pair;
a die-to-die (D2D) interface comprising a first data lane transmitting the data signal, a second data lane transmitting the track signal, and a complementary clock lane transmitting the clock signal pair; and
a second die configured to:
generate first and second internal clock signal pairs of different phases, based on the clock signal pair,
sample the data signal and the track signal, based on the first and second internal clock signal pairs,
detect a skew status between the track signal and the first and second internal clock signal pairs, based on a number of times a specific logic level of the track signal is sampled in synchronization with each of the first and second internal clock signal pairs, and
adjust phases of the first and second internal clock signal pairs, based on the skew status.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The semiconductor package of claim 16, wherein the second die comprises:
a receiver configured to generate the first and second internal clock signal pairs, to sample the data signal and the track signal in response to rising edges of the first and second internal clock signal pairs, and to output logic levels of the sampled data signal and the sampled track signal; and
a controller configured to receive logic levels of the sampled data signal and the sampled track signal, to detect the skew status, based on a first number of times a specific logic level of the track signal is sampled in synchronization with the first internal clock signal pair and a second number of times the specific logic level of the track signal is sampled in synchronization with the second internal clock signal pair, and to, based on the skew status, provide a clock shift signal comprising a shift magnitude and a shift direction to shift phases of the first and second internal clock signal pairs.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The semiconductor package of claim 17, wherein the controller is further configured to
count the first number of times and the second number of times, based on track samples of the track signal, for each sampling phase in which one sampling cycle including one period of each of the first and second internal clock signal pairs is repeated m times, where m is a natural number;
compare the first number of times with a first reference number of times to generate a first comparison result, and compare the second number of times with a second reference number of times to generate a second comparison result, for each sampling phase;
detect a skew direction of the skew status, based on the first comparison result and the second comparison result; and
determine boundaries of a shift range that creates an alignment possible status (APS) between the track signal and the first and second internal clock signal pairs, based on a previous skew direction at a previous sampling phase and a current skew direction at a current sampling phase.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The semiconductor package of claim 18, wherein the controller is further configured to
detect a first skew direction when the first comparison result indicates that the first number of times is greater than the first reference number of times;
detect a second skew direction opposite to the first skew direction when the second comparison result indicates that the second number of times is greater than the second reference number of times; and
detect that the track signal and the first and second internal clock signal pairs are in the APS when the first comparison result indicates that the first number of times is less than or equal to the first reference number of times, and the second comparison result indicates that the second number of times is less than or equal to the second reference number of times.

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

The semiconductor package of claim 18, wherein the receiver comprises:
a first sampler configured to generate first and second data clock signal pairs, based on the clock shift signal and the first and second internal clock signal pairs, and to sample the data signal in response to rising edges of the first and second data clock signal pairs; and
a second sampler configured to generate first and second track clock signal pairs having a certain phase difference from the first and second data clock signal pairs, based on the clock shift signal and the first and second internal clock signal pairs, and to sample the track signal in response to rising edges of the first and second track clock signal pairs.