A low-voltage CMOS current-mode incremental signaling scheme for high-speed parallel links

Abstract

Point-to-point parallel links are widly used in short-distance high-speed data communications. For these links, the design goal is not only to integrate a large number of I/Os in the systems, but also to increase the bit rate per I/O. The cost per I/O has to be kept low as performance improves. Voltage and timing error sources limit the performance of data links and affect its robustnest. These kinds of noise impose greater challenges in parallel data links, such as inter-signal timing skew and inter-signal cross-talk. The use of low-cost schemes, such as single-ended signaling, is effected signaficantly [sic] by the voltage and timging [sic] noise. Fully differential signaling schemes, two physical paths per signal channel, significantly increases the cost of system. Therefore, overcoming the voltage noise, keeping the cost low are two challenges in high-speed parallel links. In this thesis, we propose a new current-mode signaling scheme current-mode incremtnal [sic] signaling for high-speed parallel links. Also, the circuits of the receiver called current-integrating receiver are presented. To assess the effectiveness of the proposed signaling scheme, a 4-bit parallel link consisting of four bipolar current-mode drivers, five 10 cm microstrip lines with a FR4 substrate, and four proposed current-integrating receivers is implemented in UMC 0.13[micro]m, 1.2V CMOS technology and analyzed using SpectreRF from Cadence Design Systems with BSIM3V3 device models. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed current-mode incremental signaling scheme and the current-integrating receiver are capable of transmitting parallel data at 2.5 Gbyte/s.