DLL circuit having duty cycle correction and method of controlling the same

Claim 2

A delay locked loop (DLL) circuit, comprising: a duty cycle correcting unit configured to correct a duty cycle of a reference clock signal in response to a duty cycle correction signal and generate a correction clock signal; a feedback loop configured to perform a delay lock operation on the correction clock signal and generate an output clock signal; a first duty cycle detecting unit configured to detect a duty cycle of the correction clock signal and generate a first detection signal; a second duty cycle detecting unit configured to detect a duty cycle of the output clock signal and generate a second detection signal; and a duty cycle control unit configured to generate the duty cycle correction signal in response to the first detection signal and the second detection signal.

Claim 3

The DLL circuit of claim 1 , wherein the feedback loop is configured to perform the delay lock operation when an operation enable signal is enabled and enable a lock completion signal when the delay lock operation is completed.

Claim 4

The DLL circuit of claim 2 , wherein the feedback loop includes: a delay line configured to delay the correction clock signal in response to a delay control signal and generate a delay clock signal; a clock driver configured to drive the delay clock signal and generate the output clock signal; a delay compensating unit configured to apply a delay time to the delay clock signal and generate a feedback clock signal, wherein the delay time is obtained by simulating a delay amount on an output path of the delay clock signal; a phase detecting unit configured to compare phases of the correction clock signal and the feedback clock signal and generate a phase detection signal; an operation mode setting unit configured to determine whether the delay lock operation is completed in response to the phase detection signal and generate the lock completion signal; and a delay control unit configured to generate the delay control signal in response to the operation enable signal, the phase detection signal, and the lock completion signal.

Claim 5

The DLL circuit of claim 1 , wherein the first duty cycle detecting unit is configured to enable the first detection signal when a first interval of the correction clock signal is wider than a second interval of the correction clock signal and disable the first detection signal when the first interval of the correction clock signal is narrower than the second interval of the correction clock signal.

Claim 6

The DLL circuit of claim 1 , wherein the second duty cycle detecting unit is configured to enable the second detection signal when a first interval of the output clock signal is wider than a second interval of the output clock signal and disable the second detection signal when the first interval of the output clock signal is narrower than the second interval of the output clock signal.

Claim 7

The DLL circuit of claim 2 , wherein the duty cycle control unit is configured to control a primary correction operation until a state of the first detection signal changes from a state occurring at an initial operation, enable the operation enable signal when the primary correction operation is completed, and perform a secondary correction operation until a state of the second detection signal changes from a state of the second detection signal at a time when the lock completion signal is enabled.

Claim 8

The DLL circuit of claim 6 , wherein the duty cycle control unit is configured to change a logical value of the duty cycle correction signal to adjust the duty cycle of the reference clock by a relatively large unit amount during the primary correction operation as compared with the secondary correction operation.

Claim 9

The DLL circuit of claim 7 , wherein the duty cycle control unit includes: a first state change determining section configured to determine whether the state of the first detection signal changes in response to a first pulse signal and generate a first state change signal; a second state change determining section configured to determine whether the state of the second detection signal changes in response to the first pulse signal and generate a second state change signal; an enable control section configured to combine the first state change signal, the second state change signal, and the lock completion signal and generate a counting enable signal; a switching section configured to selectively pass the first detection signal or the second detection signal in response to the lock completion signal; and a counting section configured to perform a counting operation in response to a second pulse signal, the lock completion signal, and the first detection signal or the second detection signal transmitted from the switching section according to the counting enable signal and generate the duty cycle correction signal, and wherein the first state change signal is output as the operation enable signal.

Claim 10

The DLL circuit of claim 8 , wherein the enable control section is configured to enable the counting enable signal during a period from when an initial operation starts to when the state of the first detection signal changes and a period from when the lock completion signal is enabled to when the state of the second detection signal changes.

Claim 11

The DLL circuit of claim 8 , wherein the counting section is configured to perform an up-counting operation or a down-counting operation according to whether the first detection signal or the second detection signal transmitted from the switching section is enabled, and wherein the counting section only performs a counting operation on predetermined upper bits of the duty cycle correction signal during the primary correction operation.

Claim 12

The DLL circuit of claim 10 , wherein the counting section includes: a pulse signal control section configured to generate a coarse pulse signal and a fine pulse signal from the second pulse signal in response to the lock completion signal; a fine counting section configured to activate in response to the fine pulse signal and the lock completion signal, and perform a counting operation in response to the first detection signal or the second detection signal transmitted from the switching section to generate predetermined lower bits of the duty cycle correction signal; and a coarse counting section configured to activate in response to the coarse pulse signal, and perform a counting operation in response to a carry transmitted from the fine counting section and the first detection signal or the second detection signal transmitted from the switching section to generate the predetermined upper bits of the duty cycle correction signal.

Claim 13

A delay locked loop (DLL) circuit, comprising: a duty cycle correcting unit configured to correct a duty cycle of a reference clock signal in response to a duty cycle correction signal and generate a correction clock signal; a duty cycle control unit configured to primarily adjust a logical value of the duty cycle correction signal before a delay lock operation is completed and secondarily adjust the logical value of the duty cycle correction signal after the delay lock operation is completed; and a delay line configured to delay the correction clock signal.

Claim 14

A delay locked loop (DLL) circuit, comprising: a duty cycle correcting unit configured to correct a duty cycle of a reference clock signal in response to a duty cycle correction signal and generate a correction clock signal; a duty cycle control unit configured to primarily adjust a logical value of the duty cycle correction signal before a delay lock operation is completed and secondarily adjust the logical value of the duty cycle correction signal after the delay lock operation is completed; and a delay line configured to delay the correction clock signal.

Claim 15

The DLL circuit of claim 12 , wherein the duty cycle correction signal is configured as a plurality of bits of a digital code, and the duty cycle correcting unit is configured to change the correction amount of the duty cycle of the reference clock signal according to the logical value of the duty cycle correction signal.

Claim 16

The DLL circuit of claim 13 , wherein the duty cycle correcting unit includes: a first driver configured to drive the reference clock signal in response to an inverted duty cycle correction signal and output a driving clock signal; and a second driver configured to drive the driving clock signal in response to the duty cycle correction signal and generate the correction clock signal.

Claim 17

The DLL circuit of claim 14 , wherein the first driver includes: an output node configured to output the driving clock signal; a default driver configured to drive the reference clock signal and transmit the driven reference clock signal to the output node; a pull-up unit configured to drive a voltage of the output node using a pull-up method in response to the reference clock signal and the inverted duty cycle correction signal; and a pull-down unit configured to drive a voltage of the output node using a pull-down method in response to an external voltage and the reference clock signal.

Claim 18

The DLL circuit of claim 15 , wherein the pull-up unit includes a plurality of transistors each receiving one bit of the inverted duty cycle correction signal, respectively, and wherein a transistor among the plurality of transistors that receives an upper bit of the inverted duty cycle correction signal is configured to have a larger size than the remaining plurality of transistors.

Claim 19

The DLL circuit of claim 14 , wherein the second driver includes: an output node configured to output the correction clock signal; a default driver configured to drive the driving clock signal and transmit the driven driving clock signal to the output node; a pull-up unit configured to drive a voltage of the output node using a pull-up method in response to the driving clock signal and a ground voltage; and a pull-down unit configured to drive a voltage of the output node using a pull-down method in response to the duty cycle correction signal and the driving clock signal.

Claim 20

The DLL circuit of claim 17 , wherein the pull-down unit includes a plurality of transistors each receiving one bit of the duty cycle correction signal, respectively, and wherein a transistor among the plurality of transistors that receives an upper bit of the duty cycle correction signal is configured to have a larger size than the remaining plurality of transistors.

Claim 21

The DLL circuit of claim 12 , further comprising: a first duty cycle detecting unit configured to detect a duty cycle of the correction clock signal and generate a first detection signal; and a second duty cycle detecting unit configured to detect a duty cycle of a final output clock signal of the DLL circuit and generate a second detection signal.

Claim 22

The DLL circuit of claim 19 , wherein the duty cycle control unit is configured to control a coarse correction operation that changes the logical value of the duty cycle correction signal to adjust the duty cycle of the reference clock by a relatively large unit amount during the primary adjustment of the logical value of the duty cycle correction signal as compared with the secondary adjustment of the logical value of the duty cycle correction signal that implements a fine correction operation.

Claim 23

The DLL circuit of claim 20 , wherein the duty cycle control unit is configured to determine whether the coarse correction operation is completed according to a state change of the first detection signal and determine whether the fine correction operation is completed according to a state change of the second detection signal.

Claim 24

The DLL circuit of claim 21 , wherein the duty cycle control unit includes: a first state change determining section configured to determine whether the state of the first detection signal changes in response to a first pulse signal and generate a first state change signal; a second state change determining section configured to determine whether the state of the second detection signal changes in response to the first pulse signal and generate a second state change signal; an enable control section configured to combine the first state change signal, the second state change signal, and a lock completion signal and generate a counting enable signal; a switching section configured to selectively pass the first detection signal or the second detection signal in response to the lock completion signal; and a counting section configured to perform a counting operation in response to a second pulse signal, the lock completion signal, and the first detection signal or the second detection signal transmitted from the switching section according to the counting enable signal and generate the duty cycle correction signal.

Claim 25

The DLL circuit of claim 22 , wherein the enable control section is configured to enable the counting enable signal during a period from when an initial operation starts to when the state of the first detection signal changes and a period from when the lock completion signal is enabled to when the state of the second detection signal changes.

Claim 26

The DLL circuit of claim 22 , wherein the counting section is configured to perform an up-counting operation or a down-counting operation according to whether the first detection signal or the second detection signal transmitted from the switching section is enabled, and wherein the counting section only performs a counting operation on predetermined upper bits of the duty cycle correction signal during the primary correction operation.

Claim 27

The DLL circuit of claim 24 , wherein the counting section includes: a pulse signal control section configured to generate a coarse pulse signal and a fine pulse signal from the second pulse signal in response to the lock completion signal; a fine counting section configured to activate in response to the fine pulse signal and the lock completion signal, and perform a counting operation in response to the first detection signal or the second detection signal transmitted from the switching section to generate predetermined lower bits of the duty cycle correction signal; and a coarse counting section configured to activate in response to the coarse pulse signal, and perform a counting operation in response to a carry transmitted from the fine counting section and the first detection signal or the second detection signal transmitted from the switching section to generate the predetermined upper bits of the duty cycle correction signal.

Claim 28

The DLL circuit of claim 22 , further comprising: a phase detecting unit configured to compare phases of the correction clock signal and a feedback clock signal and generate a phase detection signal; an operation mode setting unit configured to determine whether the delay lock operation is completed in response to the phase detection signal and generate the lock completion signal; and a delay control unit configured to control a delay amount of the delay line in response to the phase detection signal when the coarse correction operation is completed.

Claim 31

The method of claim 27 , wherein the performing of the primary duty cycle correction operation includes: detecting a duty cycle of the correction clock signal to generate a first detection signal; performing an up/down counting operation in response to the first detection signal to generate a plurality of bits for a duty cycle correction signal, wherein a counting operation is only performed on predetermined upper bits of the duty cycle correction signal; and changing a correction amount of a duty cycle of the reference clock signal according to a logical value of the duty cycle correction signal.

Claim 32

The method of claim 28 , wherein the performing of the delay lock operation includes: enabling an operation enable signal in response to a state change of the first detection signal; controlling a delay amount applied to the correction clock signal using a delay line according to a compared result of phases of the correction clock signal and a feedback clock signal, in response to the operation enable signal; driving a delay clock signal output from the delay line to generate the output clock signal; and determining whether the delay lock operation is completed according to the compared result of the phases of the correction clock signal and the feedback clock signal.

Claim 33

The method of claim 29 , wherein the performing of the secondary duty cycle correction operation includes: detecting a duty cycle of the output clock signal to generate a second detection signal; performing an up/down counting operation in response to the second detection signal to generate a plurality of bits for the duty cycle correction signal, wherein a counting operation is performed on all bits of the duty cycle correction signal; and changing the correction amount of the duty cycle of the reference clock signal according to the logical value of the duty cycle correction signal.