Memory-Interface Cores Push Data At 1.6 Gbits/s

March 1, 2004
Reaching new memory-interface performance levels for graphics memories, the GDDR (graphics double-data-rate) III memory controller can handle data rates of up to 1.6 Gbits/s per I/O pin. Developed by TriCN, it employs the JEDEC standard...

Reaching new memory-interface performance levels for graphics memories, the GDDR (graphics double-data-rate) III memory controller can handle data rates of up to 1.6 Gbits/s per I/O pin. Developed by TriCN, it employs the JEDEC standard stub-series-terminated logic-18 (SSTL-18) I/O levels. It's backward-compatible to the DDR II interface technology.

Available as a block of intellectual property (IP), the interface is implemented in TSMC's 90-nm process. Also available is another block of IP, a multifunction I/O (MFI/O) memory interface core. This block will recognize and self-configure to operate in one of a variety of standard interface modes, providing the flexibility found in FPGAs for ASIC applications.

The core can configure itself to SSTL-2, SSTL-18, HSTL-18, and HSTL-15 interface levels. It supports DDR-SDRAMs, DDR II SDRAMs, DDR and QDR SRAMs, and RL-DRAMI II interfaces. For the HSTL-15 interface, the core operates at up to 300 MHz, while it will run at 333 MHz for the other three options. This core is available for use on TSMC's 130-nm process.

TriCNwww.tricn.com (415) 625-3606
About the Author

Dave Bursky | Technologist

Dave Bursky, the founder of New Ideas in Communications, a publication website featuring the blog column Chipnastics – the Art and Science of Chip Design. He is also president of PRN Engineering, a technical writing and market consulting company. Prior to these organizations, he spent about a dozen years as a contributing editor to Chip Design magazine. Concurrent with Chip Design, he was also the technical editorial manager at Maxim Integrated Products, and prior to Maxim, Dave spent over 35 years working as an engineer for the U.S. Army Electronics Command and an editor with Electronic Design Magazine.

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