Methods and systems are described for adjusting the sample timing of a data sampler operating in a data signal processing path having a decision threshold associated with a decision feedback equalization (DFE) correction factor. The vertical threshold and sample timing of a spare sampler are varied to measure a signal amplitude trajectory of a pattern-verified signal according to detection of the predetermined transitional data pattern, the locked sampling point then being adjusted based on the measured signal amplitude trajectory.

The present invention provides a circuitry including a PLL and a CDR circuit, wherein the CDR circuit includes a phase detector, a loop filter, a SSC demodulator, a control code generator and a phase interpolator. The PLL is configured to generate a clock signal with SSC modulation and a SSC direction signal. The phase detector is configured to compare phases of an input signal and an output clock signal to generate a detection result, wherein the input signal is with SSC modulation. The loop filter is configured to filter the detection result to generate a filtered signal. The SSC demodulator is configured to receive the SSC direction signal to generate a control signal. The control code generator is configured to generate a control code according to the filtered signal and the control signal to control the phase interpolator to use the clock signal to generate the output clock signal.

A clock data recovery circuit includes an inphase-quadrature (I-Q) merged phase interpolator circuit configured to generate a first clock pair and a second clock pair from a plurality of reference clock signals, the plurality of reference clock signals having different phases, the first clock pair comprising an I clock signal and an inverted I clock signal, and the second clock pair comprising a Q clock signal and an inverted Q clock signal, a sampler circuit configured to sample input data based on the first clock pair and the second clock pair, and a control circuit configured to control phases of the first clock pair and the second clock pair, the controlling including providing a control signal to the I-Q merged phase interpolator circuit based on a sampling result of the sampler circuit, the I-Q merged phase interpolator circuit is configured to share analog inputs based on the control signal.

Methods and systems are described for generating a time-varying information signal at an output of a variable gain amplifier (VGA), sampling, using a sampler having a vertical decision threshold associated with a target signal amplitude, the time-varying information signal asynchronously to generate a sequence of decisions from varying sampling instants in sequential signaling intervals, the sequence of decisions comprising (i) positive decisions indicating the time-varying information signal is above the target signal amplitude and (ii) negative decisions indicating the time-varying information signal is below the target signal amplitude, accumulating a ratio of positive decisions to negative decisions, and generating a gain feedback control signal to adjust a gain setting of the VGA responsive to a mismatch of the accumulated ratio with respect to a target ratio.

Some examples described herein provide an integrated circuit comprising an auxiliary clock and data recovery (CDR) circuitry. The CDR circuitry is configured to oversample an incoming data signal and generate a locked clock signal. The auxiliary CDR circuitry may comprise a phase-locked loop (PLL) configured to receive the incoming data signal and generate the locked clock signal. The PLL may comprise a phase detector (PD) configured to receive the incoming data signal and capture a number of samples of the incoming data signal in response to a number of adjacent clock signals and minimum data transition thresholds implemented by an intersymbol interference (ISI) filter, the minimum data transition thresholds identifying minimum data transitions in the incoming data signal.

A clock data recovery circuit includes a bang bang phase detector receiving data and a clock signal and determining whether a phase of the clock signal leads or lags a phase of the data, a digital loop filter receiving an output of the bang bang phase detector and filtering input jitter, an accumulator accumulating an output from the digital loop filter, an encoder encoding an output of the accumulator to generate a phase interpolation code, and a phase interpolator configured to generate the clock signal with an output phase in accordance with the phase interpolation code. The digital loop filter comprises a first sigma delta modulation (SDM) arithmetic block circuit connected to the bang bang phase detector.

A timing-calibration circuit uses an active phase interpolator to calibrate clock delays through a number of passive fractional delay elements. The timing-calibration circuit minimizes system-wide power consumption by limiting the number and usage of active phase interpolators for delay adjustment in favor of the passive fractional delay elements.

A clock and data recovery circuit includes a phase detector that outputs phase characteristic data based on a digital data signal and an adjustment circuit that adjusts phase characteristic data. The clock and data recovery circuit sets an adjustment value in an adjustment circuit by calculating an adjustment value of phase characteristic data using a monitor circuit while changing a phase of a reference clock signal to be adjusted in a phase interpolation circuit based on offset data output from an offset output circuit in a training period before communication starts.

An example apparatus includes: a feed forward equalizer (FFE) with a FFE output, adder circuitry with a first adder input, a second adder input, and a first adder output, the first adder input coupled to the FFE output, a multiplexer (MUX) with a first MUX input, a second MUX input, and a MUX output, the first MUX input coupled to the first adder output, the second MUX input coupled to the FFE output, a decision feedback equalizer (DFE) with a DFE output coupled to the second adder input, and a timing error detector (TED) with a first TED input coupled to the MUX output.

Methods and systems for calibrating clock skew in a SerDes receiver. A method includes detecting a skew in a clock with respect to an edge of a reference clock, based on a value sampled by the clock and a value sampled by the reference clock at an edge of a data pattern, for a first Phase Interpolator (PI) code; determining a count of the skew from a de-serialized data word including outcome values obtained based on values sampled by the clock and values sampled by the reference clock at a predefined number of edges of the data pattern; obtaining a skew calibration code corresponding to the first PI code, from a binary variable obtained by accumulating an encoded variable to a previously generated binary variable; and calibrating the skew by performing a positive phase shift or a negative phase shift to the clock based on the skew calibration code.