Oscillators – Ring oscillators
Patent
1999-01-20
2000-06-13
Grimm, Siegfried H.
Oscillators
Ring oscillators
327265, 331DIG3, 368118, 368120, G04F 1002, H03B 502
Patent
active
060754184
ABSTRACT:
A circuit separately measures a selected one of the rising-edge and falling-edge signal propagation delays through one or more circuits of interest. A number of synchronous components are configured in a loop so that they together form a free-running ring oscillator. Each synchronous component clocks a subsequent synchronous component in the ring; the subsequent synchronous component responds by clocking a later component in the ring and by clearing a previous component to prepare it for a subsequent clock. The oscillator thus produces an oscillating test signal in which the period is proportional to the clock-to-out delays of synchronous components. This proportionality provides an effective means for measuring the clock-to-out delays of those components. Other embodiments include additional asynchronous test circuit paths for which the associated signal propagation delays are of interest.
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Kingsley Christopher H.
Patrie Robert D.
Wells Robert W.
Behiel, Esq. Arthur J.
Grimm Siegfried H.
Xilinx , Inc.
Young Edel M.
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