Shared timing resources for multiple chiplet interfaces

Heterogeneous systems require robust and universal interfaces for die-to-die communication. Industry communication protocols, such as UCIe and Bunch of Wires, provide robust, high bandwidth die-to-die communication for a wide range of technologies. These interfaces include dedicated delay locked loops (DLLs), duty cycle correctors, and deskew circuits at each interface to ensure timing reliability. As the number of dies, or chiplets, within these systems grows, the number of heterogeneous interfaces increases, requiring significant resources. A shared timing approach is presented, where a set of timing circuits provides a clock signal for multiple interfaces, reducing the need for additional circuitry. Clock signal inversion substitutes for the DLLs within the single data rate interfaces to provide a temporal shift to improve reliability. The accumulated jitter along the clock signal path as the signal traverses multiple interfaces is quantified for a 7 nm CMOS process technology. Each interface contributes 2 to 5 ps of RMS jitter. This shared timing approach can be adopted for physically close interfaces with low bandwidth requirements and high noise tolerance to remove the need for DLLs and DCCs at each interface.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
npj Unconventional Computing
Published
2026-07-02
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s44335-026-00069-1
Primary Topic
Advancements in PLL and VCO Technologies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Shared timing resources for multiple chiplet interfaces

Andres Ayes, Eby G. Friedman
npj Unconventional Computing
Advancements in PLL and VCO Technologies
article

Shared timing resources for multiple chiplet interfaces

Andres Ayes, Eby G. Friedman
article en

Abstract

Heterogeneous systems require robust and universal interfaces for die-to-die communication. Industry communication protocols, such as UCIe and Bunch of Wires, provide robust, high bandwidth die-to-die communication for a wide range of technologies. These interfaces include dedicated delay locked loops (DLLs), duty cycle correctors, and deskew circuits at each interface to ensure timing reliability. As the number of dies, or chiplets, within these systems grows, the number of heterogeneous interfaces increases, requiring significant resources. A shared timing approach is presented, where a set of timing circuits provides a clock signal for multiple interfaces, reducing the need for additional circuitry. Clock signal inversion substitutes for the DLLs within the single data rate interfaces to provide a temporal shift to improve reliability. The accumulated jitter along the clock signal path as the signal traverses multiple interfaces is quantified for a 7 nm CMOS process technology. Each interface contributes 2 to 5 ps of RMS jitter. This shared timing approach can be adopted for physically close interfaces with low bandwidth requirements and high noise tolerance to remove the need for DLLs and DCCs at each interface.

npj Unconventional ComputingVol. 3(1)
University of Rochester (US)
National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy
Industry, innovation and infrastructure
Openalex Percentile: Top 12%
Advancements in PLL and VCO Technologies
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.