MICRO-LINEAR ML65T541

May 1997
ML65T541*
3.3V High Speed Octal Buffer/Line Driver
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
FEATURES
The ML65T541 is a non-inverting octal buffer/line driver.
The high operating frequency (66MHz driving a 50pF
load) and low propagation delay (2ns) make it ideal for
very high speed applications such as processor bus
buffering cache/main memory control.
■ Low propagation delay — 2.0ns
■ Fast 8-bit buffer/line driver with three-state
capability on the output
■ Schottky diode clamps on all inputs to handle
undershoot and overshoot
The ML65T541 uses a unique analog implementation to
eliminate the delays inherent in traditional digital designs.
Schottky clamps reduce undershoot and overshoot, and
special output driver circuits limit ground bounce. The
ML65T541 conforms to the pinout and functionality of the
industry standard FCT541 and is intended for applications
where propagation delay is critical to the system design.
■ Onboard schottky diodes minimize noise
■ Ground bounce controlled outputs
■ Industry standard FCT541 type pinout
■ Applications include high speed cache memory, main
memory, processor bus buffering, and graphics cards
BLOCK DIAGRAM
*Some Packages Are Obsolete
VCC
A0
A1
A2
A3
A4
A5
A6
A7
20
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
VCC
OE1 1
OE2 19
10
18
17
16
15
14
13
12
11
GND
B0
B1
B2
B3
B4
B5
B6
B7
*Some packages are obsolete
ML65T541
PIN CONFIGURATION
20-Pin QSOP
1G
1
20
VCC
A0
2
19
2G
YB0
3
18
YA0
A1
4
17
B0
YB1
5
16
YA1
A2
6
15
B1
YB2
7
14
YA2
A3
8
13
B2
YB3
9
12
YA3
GND
10
11
B3
TOP VIEW
PIN DESCRIPTION
NAME
Ai
I/O
I
Bi
O
Data Bus B
OE1 & OE2
I
Output Enable
GND
I
Signal Ground
VCC
I
3.3V supply
DESCRIPTION
Data Bus A
ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM RATINGS
VCC ............................................................................... –0.3V to 7V
DC Input voltage ................................ –0.3 to VCC + 0.3V
AC Input voltage (< 20ns) ........................................ –3.0V
DC Output voltage ............................. –0.3 to VCC + 0.3V
Output sink current (per pin) ................................ 120mA
Storage temperature ................................ –65°C to 150°C
Junction temperature .............................................. 150°C
Thermal Impedance (θJA)
SOIC ............................................................... 96°C/W
QSOP ............................................................ 100°C/W
2
FUNCTION TABLE
L
H
X
Z
OE1/OE2
A
B
H
X
Z
L
L
L
L
H
H
= Logic Low
= Logic High
= Don’t Care
= High Impedance
ML65T541
ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Unless otherwise stated, these specifications apply for: VCC = 3.3V ± 10%, TA = 0°C to 70°C (Note 1)
SYMBOL
PARAMETER
CONDITIONS
MIN
TYP
MAX
UNITS
1.4
2.0
ns
AC ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS (CLOAD = 50pF, RLOAD = 500Ω)
tPLH, tPHL
Propagation delay
Ai to Bi (Note 2)
tOE
Output enable time
OE1, OE2 to Bi
10
20
ns
tOD
Output disable time
OE1, OE2 to Bi
15
20
ns
CIN
Input capacitance
8
pF
DC ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS (CLOAD = 50pF, RLOAD = ∞)
VIH
Input high voltage
Logic HIGH (Note 3)
VIL
Input low voltage
Logic LOW (Note 3)
IIH
Input high current
Per pin, VIN = 3V
IIL
Input low current
Per pin, VIN = 0
IHI-Z
Three-state output current 0 < VIN < VCC
IOS
Short circuit current
VO = GND (Note 4)
VIC
Input clamp voltage
IIN = 18mA
VOH
Output high voltage
IOH = 100µA (Note 5)
VOL
Output low voltage
IOL = 5mA (Notes 5,6)
ICC
Quiescent Power
Supply Current
Freq = 0Hz, VIN = 0V,
outputs open
Note 1:
Note 2:
Note 3:
Note 4:
Note 5:
Note 6:
2.0
V
0.8
V
0.2
0.8
mA
0.3
0.8
mA
5
µA
–225
mA
–1.2
V
–60
–0.7
2.4
V
55
0.6
V
80
mA
Limits are guaranteed by 100% testing, sampling or correlation with worst case test conditions.
One line switching, see Figure 3, tPLH, tPHL versus CL.
Inputs should be driven to within 0.3V of the rail. Although the inputs are TTL compatible, at the minimum logic high voltage, the circuit will draw current due to the
buffer action (≈ 20mA per channel).
Not more than one output should be shorted for more than a second.
See Figure 2 for IOH versus VOH and IOL versus VOL data.
The output can source or sink more than 100 mA when switching. IOL is only significant as a DC specification.
tR, tF ≤ 4ns, f = 66MHz
3V
INPUT
0V
1.5V
3V
OUTPUT
1.5V
tPLH
1.5V
tPHL
1.5V
0V
3
ML65T541
140
20
120
0
100
–20
IOH (mA)
IOL (mA)
Figure 1. Typical Switching Waveform, Four Outputs Switching into 50pF Loads.
80
–40
60
–60
40
–80
20
–100
0
–120
0.0
0.25
0.50
0.75
1.00
1.25
1.50
1.75
2.00
2
1
2.25
VOL (V)
VOH (V)
Figure 2a. Typical VOL Versus IOL
for One Buffer Output.
Figure 2b. Typical VOH Versus IOH
for One Buffer Output.
3.0
250
2.5
150pF
200
ICC (mA)
2.0
tPD (ns)
3
1.5
75pF
100pF
50pF
150
100
1.0
30pF
50
0.5
0
10
0.0
30
50
75
100
150
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
FREQUENCY (MHz)
LOAD CAPACITANCE (pF)
Figure 3. Propagation Delay (tPLH, tPHL) Versus Load
Capacitance, One Output Switching At 66MHz.
4
Figure 4. ICC Versus Frequency for Various Load
Capacitances, Four Outputs Switching.
100
ML65T541
FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION
The ML65T541 is a very high speed non-inverting buffer/
line driver with three-state outputs which is ideally suited
for bus-oriented applications. It provides a low propagation
delay by using an analog design approach (a high speed
unity gain buffer), as compared to conventional digital
approaches. The ML65T541 follows the pinout and
functionality of the industry standard FCT541 series of
buffers/line drivers and is intended to replace them in
designs where the propagation delay is a critical part of
the system design considerations. The ML65T541 is capable
of driving load capacitances several times larger than its
input capacitance. It is configured so that the Ai inputs go
to the Bi outputs when enabled by OE1/OE2
These unity gain analog buffers achieve low propagation
delays by having the output follow the input with a small
offset. When the output reaches one VBE off the rail, the
PMOS pull-up is activated to drive the output the rest of
the way. All inputs and outputs have Schottky clamp diodes
to handle undershoot or overshoot noise suppression in
unterminated applications. All outputs have ground
bounce suppression (typically < 400mV), high drive
output capability with almost immediate response to the
input signal, and low output skew.
The IOL current drive capability of a buffer/line driver is
often interpreted as a measure of its ability to sink current
in a dynamic sense. This may be true for CMOS buffer/
line drivers, but it is not true for the ML65T541. This is
because their sink and source current capability depends
on the voltage difference between the output and the input.
The ML65T541 can sink or source more than 100mA to a
load when the load is switching due to the fact that during
the transition, the difference between the input and output
is large. IOL is only significant as a DC specification, and
is 5mA.
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION
Until now, buffer/line drivers have been implemented in
CMOS logic and made to be TTL compatible by sizing the
input devices appropriately. In order to buffer large
capacitances with CMOS logic, it is necessary to cascade
an even number of inverters, each successive inverter
larger than the preceding, eventually leading to an inverter
that will drive the required load capacitance at the required
frequency. Each inverter stage represents an additional
delay in the gating process because in order for a single
gate to switch, the input must slew more than half of the
supply voltage. The best of these CMOS buffers has
managed to drive a 50pF load capacitance with a delay of
3.2ns. Micro Linear has produced a dual quad buffer/line
driver with a delay of less than 2ns by using a unique
circuit architecture that does not require cascaded logic
gates. The ML65T541 uses a feedback technique to
produce an output that follows the input. If the output
voltage is not close to the input, then the feedback
circuitry will source or sink enough current to the load
capacitance to correct the discrepancy.
The basic architecture of the ML65T541 is shown in
Figure 5. It is implemented on a 1.5µm BiCMOS process.
VCC
R8
Q1
Q2
M1
INV
R3
R7
R4
R2
R1
OUT
IN
Q4
Q6
Q5
Q3
R5
Q7
R6
GND
Figure 5. One buffer cell of the ML65T541
5
ML65T541
However, in this particular circuit, all of the active devices
are NPNs — the fastest devices available in the process.
In this circuit, there are two paths to the output. One path
sources current to the load capacitance when the signal is
asserted, and the other path sinks current from the output
when the signal is negated.
The assertion path is the emitter follower path consisting
of the level shift transistor Q1, the output transistor Q2,
the pull-up helper M1 (static RON ≈ 200Ω), and the bias
resistor R8. It sources current to the output through the
resistor R7 which is bypassed by another NPN (not shown)
during fast input transients, and M1 pull-up drives the
output toward the rail once the output reaches one VBE
within the rail. The negation path is a current differencing
op amp connected in a follower configuration. The active
components in this amplifier are transistors Q3–Q7. R3–
R6 are bias resistors, and R1 and R2 are the feedback
resistors. The key to understanding the operation of the
current differencing op amp is to know that the current in
transistors Q3 and Q5 are the same at all times and that
the voltages at the bases of Q4 and Q6 are roughly the
same. If the output is higher than the input, then an error
current will flow through R2. This error current will flow
into the base of Q6 and be multiplied by β squared to the
collector of Q7, closing the loop. The larger the discrepancy
between the output and input, the larger the feedback
current, and the harder Q7 sinks current from the load
capacitor.
A number of MOSFETs are not shown in Figure 5. These
MOSFETs are used to three-state dormant buffers. For
instance, the feedback resistors R1 and R2 were
implemented as resistive transmission gates to ensure that
disabled buffers do not load the lines they are connected
to. Similarly, there is a PMOS in series with R8 that is
normally on but shuts off for disable. Other MOSFETs
have been included to ensure that disabled buffers
consume no power.
6
APPLICATIONS
There are a wide variety of needs for an extremely fast
buffers in high speed processor system designs like
Pentium, PowerPC, Mips, Sparc, Alpha and other RISC
processors. These applications are either in the cache
memory area or the main memory (DRAM) area. In
addition, fast buffers find applications in high speed graphics
and multimedia applications. The high capacitive loading
due to multiplexed address lines on the system bus demand
external buffers to take up the excess drive current. The
needed current to skew the transitions between rise and fall
times must be done without adding excessive propagation
delay. The ML65T541 is equipped with Schottky diodes
to clean up ringing from overshoot and undershoot caused
by reflections in unterminated board traces.
ML65T541
PHYSICAL DIMENSIONS inches (millimeters)
Package: S20 (Obsolete)
20-Pin SOIC
0.498 - 0.512
(12.65 - 13.00)
20
0.291 - 0.301 0.398 - 0.412
(7.39 - 7.65) (10.11 - 10.47)
PIN 1 ID
1
0.024 - 0.034
(0.61 - 0.86)
(4 PLACES)
0.050 BSC
(1.27 BSC)
0.095 - 0.107
(2.41 - 2.72)
0º - 8º
0.012 - 0.020
(0.30 - 0.51)
0.090 - 0.094
(2.28 - 2.39)
0.022 - 0.042
(0.56 - 1.07)
0.005 - 0.013
(0.13 - 0.33)
SEATING PLANE
0.007 - 0.015
(0.18 - 0.38)
Package: K20
20-Pin QSOP
0.338 - 0.348
(8.58 - 8.84)
20
PIN 1 ID
0.050 - 0.055
(1.27 - 1.40)
(4 PLACES)
0.150 - 0.160
(3.81 - 4.06)
0.228 - 0.244
(5.79 - 6.20)
1
0.025 BSC
(0.63 BSC)
0.060 - 0.068
(1.52 - 1.73)
0º - 8º
0.055 - 0.061
(1.40 - 1.55)
0.008 - 0.012
(0.20 - 0.31) SEATING PLANE
0.004 - 0.010
(0.10 - 0.26)
0.015 - 0.035
(0.38 - 0.89)
0.006 - 0.010
(0.15 - 0.26)
7
ML65T541
ORDERING INFORMATION
PART NUMBER
SPEED
TEMPERATURE RANGE
ML65T541CK
ML65T541CS
2.0ns
2.0ns
0°C to 70°C
0°C to 70°C
PACKAGE
20-Pin QSOP (K20)
20-Pin SOIC (S20) (Obsolete)
© Micro Linear 1997
is a registered trademark of Micro Linear Corporation
Products described in this document may be covered by one or more of the following patents, U.S.: 4,897,611; 4,964,026; 5,027,116; 5,281,862; 5,283,483; 5,418,502; 5,508,570; 5,510,727; 5,523,940;
5,546,017; 5,559,470; 5,565,761; 5,592,128; 5,594,376; Japan: 2598946; 2619299. Other patents are pending.
Micro Linear reserves the right to make changes to any product herein to improve reliability, function or design.
Micro Linear does not assume any liability arising out of the application or use of any product described herein,
neither does it convey any license under its patent right nor the rights of others. The circuits contained in this
data sheet are offered as possible applications only. Micro Linear makes no warranties or representations as to
whether the illustrated circuits infringe any intellectual property rights of others, and will accept no responsibility
or liability for use of any application herein. The customer is urged to consult with appropriate legal counsel
before deciding on a particular application.
8
2092 Concourse Drive
San Jose, CA 95131
Tel: 408/433-5200
Fax: 408/432-0295
DS65T541-01