Devices and methods for driving a signal off an integrated circuit

An electronic device including a package, the electronic device comprising:

• at least one externally-accessible terminal of the package;
• and
• an integrated circuit chip, the integrated circuit chip including:
• driver circuitry operable to receive an on-chip signal and drive the on-chip signal off of the chip, the driver circuitry having first and second input terminals and first and second output terminals, one of the first and second input terminals coupled to receive the on-chip signal and the other of the first and second input terminals coupled to receive the complement of the on-chip signal, the driver circuitry operable to produce an output signal at the first output terminal and a complement of the output signal at the second output terminal;
• a first electrical connector coupled between one of the first or second output terminals and the at least one externally-accessible terminal;
• a termination operable to terminate a received signal, the termination not coupled to any of the externally-accessible terminals;
• a second electrical connector coupled between the other of the first or second output terminals and the termination and routed though the package alongside the first electrical connector within the package for substantially an entire length of the first electrical connector.

A memory device comprising:

• a package having at least one externally-accessible terminal configured to couple to a channel;
• an array of memory cells on a substrate within the package;
• a command decoder operable to receive a command signal and execute the command;
• an address decoder operable to receive an address request from the command decoder and select a cell within the array of memory cells corresponding to the requested address;
• an output buffer on the substrate coupled to receive a signal from at least one of the cells in the array of memory cells, the output buffer operable to receive a data signal from the at least one cell and drive the data signal off the substrate, the output buffer comprising:
• first and second input terminals and first and second output terminals, one of the first and second input terminals coupled to receive the data signal and the other of the first and second input terminals coupled to receive the complement of the data signal, the output buffer operable to produce an output signal at the first output terminal and a complement of the output signal at the second output terminal;
• a first electrical connector coupled between one of the first or second output terminals and the at least one externally-accessible terminal;
• a termination inside the package, and adjacent to the externally-accessible terminal, the termination not coupled to any of the externally-accessible terminals, the termination operable to terminate a received signal and having an impedance value related to an impedance of the channel;
• and
• a second electrical connector coupled between the other of the first or second output terminals and the termination and routed through the package alongside the first electrical connector for substantially an entire length of the first electrical connector.

A method of driving an on-chip signal coupled to an externally-accessible terminal, the method comprising:

• receiving an on-chip signal;
• generating a second signal complementary to the on-chip signal;
• inputting the on-chip signal and the second complementary signal to a differential amplifier;
• and
• generating, with the differential amplifier, a first output signal and a second output signal complementary to the first output signal, wherein;
• the first output signal is coupled to the externally-accessible terminal off of the chip;
• and wherein
• the second output signal is routed through the package in substantially a same manner as the first output signal and coupled to a termination adjacent the externally-accessible terminal and not coupled to an externally-accessible terminal.