Flip-flop design with built-in voltage translation
OwnerAninda K. Roy, Claude R. Gauthierinventors
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Abstract
A flip-flop with built-in voltage translation is used in a transmission system so as to combine core flip-flop circuitry with a input/output voltage translator. The flip-flop with built-in voltage translation dynamically latches data and translates a core power supply voltage swing at an input of the flip-flop to an input/output power supply voltage swing at an output of the flip-flop. Thus, the flip-flop, dependent on a clock input, is able to output a data signal having a translated voltage swing.
Claims20
A transmission system, comprising:
- a flip-flop arranged to dynamically store data dependent on an input data signal and a clock signal, wherein the input data signal has a voltage swing dependent on a first power supply voltage, and wherein the flip-flop is arranged to generate, dependent on the input data signal and the clock signal, an output data signal having a voltage swing dependent on a second power supply voltage;
- and
- driver circuitry arranged to receive and transmit the output data signal.
An integrated circuit, comprising:
- flip-flop circuitry comprising:
- circuitry arranged to receive an input data signal having a voltage swing dependent on a first power supply voltage,
- circuitry arranged to dynamically store data dependent on the input data signal and a clock signal, and
- circuitry arranged to establish at least one voltage value on at least one node dependent on at least one of the input data signal and the clock signal, wherein the at least one voltage value is subsequently used to latch a value for an output data signal of the flip-flop circuitry, wherein the output data signal has a voltage swing dependent on a second power supply voltage, and wherein the first power supply voltage and the second power supply voltage are not equal.
A method for transmitting a data signal, comprising:
- inputting a clock signal;
- inputting an input data signal having a voltage swing dependent on a first power supply voltage;
- and
- dynamically latching a value for the data signal dependent on the clock signal and the input data signal, wherein the data signal has a voltage swing dependent on a second power supply voltage.
A circuit module, comprising:
- means for inputting a clock signal;
- means for inputting an input signal having a voltage swing dependent on a first power supply voltage;
- means for dynamically storing data dependent on the clock signal and the input signal;
- and
- means for generating an output signal dependent on the means for dynamically storing, wherein the output signal is arranged to have a voltage swing dependent on a second power supply voltage,
- wherein the first power supply voltage and the second power supply voltage are not equal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.