Energy-efficient transceiver circuits for short-range on-chip interconnects

Transceiver blocks for low-swing signaling across short on-chip wires are proposed. First, a charge-sharing transmitter enables adjustable swing signaling from a single supply voltage. Compact sense-amplifier offset correction is introduced that enables improved sensitivity without increasing energy/conversion. Finally, digital hysteresis tuning is used to implement compact decision feedback equalization. Optimized for low-energy applications and operating from Vdd = 0.2-1.0V, measurements show energy efficiencies of 4.0-136fJ=bit=mm across 1mm and 4mm wires in 65nm-CMOS.