External Memory Interface Handbook Volume 3: Reference Material: For UniPHY-based Device Families

ID 683841
Date 3/06/2023
Public
Document Table of Contents

1.17.4.2. DQS Enable Calibration

DQS enable calibration ensures reliable capture of the DQ signal without glitches on the DQS line. At this point LFIFO is set to its maximum value to guarantee a reliable read from read capture registers to the core. Read latency is minimized later.
Note:
  1. The full DQS enable calibration is applicable only for DDR2 and DDR3 protocols; QDR II and RLDRAM protocols use only the VFIFO-based cycle-level calibration, described below.
  2. Delay and phase values used in this section are examples, for illustrative purposes. Your exact values may vary depending on device and configuration.

DQS enable calibration controls the timing of the enable signal using 3 independent controls: a cycle-based control (the VFIFO), a phase control, and a delay control. The VFIFO selects the cycle by shifting the controller-generated read data enable signal, rdata_en, by a number of full-rate clock cycles. The phase is controlled using the DLL, while the delays are adjusted using a sequence of individual delay taps. The resolution of the phase and delay controls varies with family and configuration, but is approximately 45° for the phase, and between 10 and 50 picoseconds for the delays.

The sequencer finds the two edges of the DQS enable window by searching the space of cycles, phases, and delays (an exhaustive search can usually be avoided by initially assuming the window is at least one phase wide). During the search, to test the current settings, the sequencer issues back-to-back reads from column 0 of bank 0 and bank 3, and column 1 of bank 0 and bank 3, as shown in the preceding figure. Two full bursts are read and compared with the reference data for each phase and delay setting.

Once the sequencer identifies the two edges of the window, it center-aligns the falling edge of the DQS enable signal within the window. At this point, per-bit deskew has not yet been performed, therefore not all bits are expected to pass the read test; however, for read calibration to succeed, at least one bit per group must pass the read test.

The following figure shows the DQS and DQS enable signal relationship. The goal of DQS enable calibration is to find settings that satisfy the following conditions:

  • The DQS enable signal rises before the first rising edge of DQS.
  • The DQS enable signal is at one after the second-last falling edge of DQS.
  • The DQS enable signal falls before the last falling edge of DQS.

The ideal position for the falling edge of the DQS enable signal is centered between the second-last and last falling edges of DQS.

Figure 27. DQS and DQS Enable Signal Relationships


The following points describe each row of the above figure:

  • Row 1 shows the DQS signal shifted by 90° to center-align it to the DQ data.
  • Row 2 shows the raw DQS enable signal from the VFIFO.
  • Row 3 shows the effect of sweeping DQS enable phases. The first two settings (shown in red) fail to properly gate the DQS signal because the enable signal turns off before the second-last falling edge of DQS. The next six settings (shown in green) gate the DQS signal successfully, with the DQS signal covering DQS from the first rising edge to the second-last falling edge.
  • Row 4 shows the raw DQS enable signal from the VFIFO, increased by one clock cycle relative to Row 2.
  • Row 5 shows the effect of sweeping DQS enable, beginning from the initial DQS enable of Row 4. The first setting (shown in green) successfully gates DQS, with the signal covering DQS from the first rising edge to the second-last falling edge. The second signal (shown in red), does not gate DQS successfully because the enable signal extends past the last falling edge of DQS. Any further adjustment would show the same failure.