# US 2020/0401180 A1 · Phase detection circuit, clock generation circuit and semiconductor apparatus using the phase detection circuit > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2020/0401180 A1 - Document ID: US20200401180A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/705,512 - Filed: 2019-12-06 - Published: 2020-12-24 - Earliest claimed: 2019-06-21 - Assignees: SK hynix Inc. - Applicants: SK hynix Inc. - Inventors: Gyu Tae PARK - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20200401180A1 ## CPC - G06F 1/10: Distribution of clock signals {, e.g. skew} - G06F 1/06: Clock generators producing several clock signals {(G06F1/08 - G06F1/14 take precedence)} - G06F 1/12: Synchronisation of different clock signals {provided by a plurality of clock generators} - G11C 7/222: {Clock generating, synchronizing or distributing circuits within memory device} - G11C 11/4076: Timing circuits (for regeneration management G11C11/406) - H03K 5/24: the characteristic being amplitude - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B) - 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 phase detection circuit may include an edge trigger circuit, a strobe generation circuit and a phase detector. The edge trigger circuit generates a falling clock signal and a rising clock signal based on a reference clock signal and a target clock signal. The strobe generation circuit generates a falling strobe signal and a rising strobe signal having pulse widths varying based on a phase relationship between the reference clock signal and the target clock signal. The phase detector generates a phase detection signal based on the falling clock signal, the rising clock signal, the falling strobe signal and the rising strobe signal. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A phase detection circuit comprising: an edge trigger circuit configured to generate a falling clock signal and a rising clock signal based on a reference clock signal and a target clock signal; a strobe generation circuit configured to generate a falling strobe signal having a pulse which enables for a first amount of time, and generate a rising strobe signal having a pulse which enables for a second amount of time, the first and second amounts of time being set on a basis of a phase relationship between the reference clock signal and the target clock signal; and a phase detector configured to generate a phase detection signal based on the falling clock signal, the rising clock signal, the falling strobe signal and the rising strobe signal. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The phase detection circuit of claim 1, wherein the first and second amounts of time are set such that a length of a high-level period of the falling clock signal included within the falling strobe signal is the same as a length of a high-level period of the rising clock signal included within the rising strobe signal. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The phase detection circuit of claim 1, wherein the target clock signal has a phase lagging by an 90 degrees with the reference clock signal, and wherein the edge trigger circuit generates: the falling clock signal having a pulse which enables during a period from a rising edge of the reference clock signal to a subsequent rising edge of the reference clock signal, and the rising clock signal having a pulse, which enables during a period from a rising edge of the target clock signal to a rising edge of the reference clock signal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The phase detection circuit of claim 2, wherein the first amount of time is longer than the second amount of time. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The phase detection circuit of claim 2, wherein the first amount of time corresponds to ‘3m’ times of a cycle of the reference clock signal; and the second amount of time corresponds to ‘2m’ times of a cycle of the reference clock signal, ‘m’ being a multiple of 2. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The phase detection circuit of claim 1, wherein the target clock signal has a phase lagging by 180 degrees with the reference clock signal, and wherein the edge trigger circuit generates: the falling clock signal having a pulse, which enables during a period from a rising edge of the reference clock signal to a subsequent rising edge of the reference clock signal, and the rising clock signal having a pulse, which enables during a period from a rising edge of the reference clock signal to a rising edge of the target clock signal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The phase detection circuit of claim 6, wherein the first amount of time is the same as the second amount of time. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The phase detection circuit of claim 6, wherein each of the first and second amounts of time corresponds to ‘m’ times of a cycle of the reference clock signal, ‘m’ being a multiple of 2. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The phase detection circuit of claim 1, wherein the target clock signal has a phase lagging by 270 degrees with the reference clock signal, and wherein the edge trigger circuit generates: the falling clock signal having a pulse, which enables during a period from a rising edge of the reference clock signal to a subsequent rising edge of the reference clock signal, and the rising clock signal having a pulse, which enables during a period from a rising edge of the reference clock signal to a rising edge of the target clock signal. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The phase detection circuit of claim 9, wherein the first amount of time is longer than the second amount of time. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The phase detection circuit of claim 9, wherein the first amount of time corresponds to ‘3m’ times of a cycle of the reference clock signal; and the second amount of time corresponds to ‘2m’ times of the cycle of the reference clock signal, ‘m’ being a multiple of 2. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The phase detection circuit of claim 1, wherein the edge trigger circuit generates: the falling clock signal having a pulse, which enables during a period from a rising edge of the reference clock signal to a rising edge of the target clock signal, and the rising clock signal having a pulse, which enables during a period from a rising edge of the target clock signal to a rising edge of the reference clock signal. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The phase detection circuit of claim 12, wherein the first amount of time is longer than the second amount of time when the target clock signal has a phase lagging by 90 degrees with the reference clock signal. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The phase detection circuit of claim 12, wherein the first amount of time corresponds to ‘3k’ times of a cycle of the reference clock signal; and the second amount of time corresponds to ‘k’ times of the cycle of the reference clock signal, ‘k’ being an integer equal to or greater than 1, when the target clock signal has a phase lagging by 90 degrees with the reference clock signal. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The phase detection circuit of claim 12, wherein the first amount of time is the same as the second amount of time when the target clock signal has a phase lagging by 180 degrees with the reference clock signal. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The phase detection circuit of claim 12, wherein each of the first and second amounts of time corresponds to ‘k’ times of a cycle of the reference clock signal, ‘k’ being an integer equal to or greater than 1, when the target clock signal has a phase lagging by 180 degrees with the reference clock signal. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The phase detection circuit of claim 12, wherein the first amount of time is less than the second amount of time when the target clock signal has a phase lagging by 270 degrees with the reference clock signal. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The phase detection circuit of claim 12, wherein the first amount of time corresponds to ‘k’ times of a cycle of the reference clock signal; and the second amount of time corresponds to ‘3k’ times of the cycle of the reference clock signal, ‘k’ being an integer equal to or greater than 1, when the target clock signal has a phase lagging by 270 degrees with the reference clock signal. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The phase detection circuit of claim 1, wherein the phase detector generates the phase detection signal by detecting pulses of the falling clock signal within an enabled period of the falling strobe signal and pulses of the rising clock signal within an enabled period of the rising strobe signal. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The phase detection circuit of claim 1, wherein the phase detector includes: a duty detector configured to generate a positive output signal based on the falling clock signal and the falling strobe signal and generate a negative output signal based on the rising clock signal and the rising strobe signal; and a comparator configured to generate the phase detection signal by comparing the positive output signal with the negative output signal. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The phase detection circuit of claim 20, wherein the duty detector includes: a first capacitor coupled to a positive output node; and a second capacitor coupled to a negative output node, wherein the duty detector outputs the positive output signal through the positive output node by discharging the positive output node based on the falling clock signal and the falling strobe signal; and outputs the negative output signal through the negative output node by discharging the negative output node based on the rising clock signal and the rising strobe signal, and wherein the first and second capacitors have substantially the same capacitance with each other. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The phase detection circuit of claim 20, wherein the duty detector generates the positive output signal by detecting a pulse width of the falling clock signal within an enable period of the falling strobe signal, and wherein the duty detector generates the negative output signal by detecting a pulse width of the rising clock signal within an enable period of the rising strobe signal. ### Claim 23 A phase detection circuit comprising: an edge trigger circuit configured to generate a falling clock signal and a rising clock signal by triggering edges of a reference clock signal and a target clock signal; a strobe generation circuit configured to generate a falling strobe signal and a rising strobe signal having pulse widths varying based on a pulse width of the falling clock signal within a single cycle of the falling clock signal and a pulse width of the rising clock signal within a single cycle of the rising clock signal; and a phase detector configured to generate a positive output signal based on the falling clock signal and the falling strobe signal; generate a negative output signal based on the rising clock signal and the rising strobe signal; and generate a phase detection signal by comparing the positive output signal with the negative output signal. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The phase detection circuit of claim 23, wherein the edge trigger circuit generates: the falling clock signal having a pulse, which enables during a period from a rising edge of the reference clock signal to a subsequent rising edge of the reference clock signal, the rising clock signal having a pulse, which enables during a period from a rising edge of the target clock signal to a rising edge of the reference clock signal when the target clock signal has a phase lagging by 90 degrees with the reference clock signal, and the rising clock signal having a pulse, which enables during a period from a rising edge of the reference clock signal to a rising edge of the target clock signal when the target clock signal has a phase lagging by 180 degrees or 270 degrees with the reference clock signal. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The phase detection circuit of claim 24, wherein the strobe generation circuit generates, when the target clock signal has a phase lagging by 90 degrees or 270 degrees with the reference clock signal, the falling strobe signal, which enables for a longer time than the rising strobe signal, and wherein the strobe generation circuit generates, when the target clock signal has a phase lagging by 180 degrees with the reference clock signal, the falling strobe signal and the rising strobe signal, which enable for the same time with each other. ### Claim 26 (depends on 23) The phase detection circuit of claim 23, wherein the edge trigger circuit generates: the falling clock signal having a pulse, which enables during a period from a rising edge of the reference clock signal to a rising edge of the target clock signal, and the rising clock signal having a pulse, which enables during a period from a rising edge of the target clock signal to a rising edge of the reference clock signal. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The phase detection circuit of claim 26, wherein the strobe generation circuit generates, when the target clock signal has a phase lagging by 90 degrees with the reference clock signal, the falling strobe signal, which enables for a longer time than the rising strobe signal, is wherein the strobe generation circuit generates, when the target clock signal has a phase lagging by 180 degrees with the reference clock signal, the falling strobe signal and the rising strobe signal, which enable for the same time with each other, and wherein the strobe generation circuit generates, when the target clock signal has a phase lagging by 270 degrees with the reference clock signal, the rising strobe signal, which enables for a longer time than the falling strobe signal. ### Claim 28 (depends on 23) The phase detection circuit of claim 23, wherein the phase detector generates the positive output signal by detecting a high-level period of the falling clock signal within an enabled period of the falling strobe signal; generate the negative output signal by detecting a high-level period of the rising clock signal within an enabled period of the rising strobe signal; and generate the phase detection signal by comparing the positive output signal with the negative output signal. ### Claim 29 (depends on 23) The phase detection circuit of claim 23, wherein the phase detector includes: a duty detector configured to generate the positive output signal based on the falling clock signal and the falling strobe signal and generate the negative output signal based on the rising clock signal and the rising strobe signal; and a comparator configured to generate the phase detection signal by comparing the positive output signal with the negative output signal. ### Claim 30 (depends on 29) The phase detection circuit of claim 29, wherein the duty detector includes: a first capacitor coupled to a positive output node; and a second capacitor coupled to a negative output node, wherein the duty detector outputs the positive output signal through the positive output node by discharging the positive output node based on the falling clock signal and the falling strobe signal; and outputs the negative output signal through the negative output node by discharging the negative output node based on the rising clock signal and the rising strobe signal, and wherein the first and second capacitors have the same capacitance with each other.