Asynchronous Current Mode Serial Communication

Abstract--An asynchronous high-speed wave-pipelined bit-serial link for on-chip communication is presented as an alternative to standard bit-parallel links. The link employs the differential level encoded dual-rail (LEDR) two-phase asynchronous protocol, avoiding per-bit handshake and eliminating per-bit synchronization, in contrast with synchronous serial links that rely on complex clock recovery. Novel low-power current signaling driver and receiver circuits are presented, enabling high-speed communication at a very low voltage swing over long wires. In contrast, previous methods employed voltage sensing, resulting in higher swing, higher dynamic power, shorter wires or slower operation. The asynchronous current mode driver is designed to support varying data rates, and it eliminates the need for balanced codes and busy toggling that prevent deep discharge. The data cycle time of the link is equal to a single gate delay, enabling 67 Gb/s throughput in 65-nm technology. Wave-pipelinin...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2010
• Where: TVLSI
• Authors: Rostislav (Reuven) Dobkin, Michael Moyal, Avinoam Kolodny, Ran Ginosar
• Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Asynchronous, Link, TVLSI 2010, Two-phase Asynchronous Protocol