External Memory Interfaces Cyclone® 10 GX FPGA IP User Guide

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ID 683663
Date 4/01/2024
Public
Document Table of Contents
Document Table of Contents x
1. Release Information 2. External Memory Interfaces Cyclone® 10 GX FPGA IP Introduction 3. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP Product Architecture 4. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP End-User Signals 5. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF – Simulating Memory IP 6. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP for DDR3 7. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP for LPDDR3 8. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP Timing Closure 9. Optimizing Controller Performance 10. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP Debugging 11. External Memory Interfaces Cyclone® 10 GX FPGA IP User Guide Archives 12. Document Revision History for Cyclone® 10 GX External Memory Interfaces FPGA IP User Guide
2. External Memory Interfaces Cyclone® 10 GX FPGA IP Introduction x
2.1. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP Design Flow 2.2. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP Design Checklist
3. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP Product Architecture x
3.1. EMIF Architecture: Introduction 3.2. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF Sequencer 3.3. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF Calibration 3.4. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF Controller 3.5. Hardware Resource Sharing Among Multiple EMIFs 3.6. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF Ping Pong PHY
3.1. EMIF Architecture: Introduction x
3.1.1. I/O Subsystem 3.1.2. I/O Column 3.1.3. I/O AUX 3.1.4. I/O Bank 3.1.5. I/O Lane 3.1.6. Input DQS Clock Tree 3.1.7. PHY Clock Tree 3.1.8. PLL Reference Clock Networks 3.1.9. Clock Phase Alignment
3.1.4. I/O Bank x
3.1.4.1. Implementing a x8 Interface with Hard Memory Controller 3.1.4.2. Implementing a x72 Interface with Hard Memory Controller
3.2. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF Sequencer x
3.2.1. DQS Tracking
3.3. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF Calibration x
3.3.1. Calibration Stages 3.3.2. Calibration Stages Descriptions 3.3.3. Calibration Algorithms 3.3.4. Calibration Flowchart
3.4. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF Controller x
3.4.1. Hard Memory Controller 3.4.2. Hard Memory Controller Rate Conversion Feature
3.4.1. Hard Memory Controller x
3.4.1.1. Hard Memory Controller Features 3.4.1.2. Hard Memory Controller Main Control Path 3.4.1.3. Data Buffer Controller
3.5. Hardware Resource Sharing Among Multiple EMIFs x
3.5.1. I/O Aux Sharing 3.5.2. I/O Bank Sharing 3.5.3. PLL Reference Clock Sharing 3.5.4. Core Clock Network Sharing
3.6. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF Ping Pong PHY x
3.6.1. Ping Pong PHY Feature Description 3.6.2. Ping Pong PHY Architecture 3.6.3. Ping Pong PHY Limitations 3.6.4. Ping Pong PHY Calibration 3.6.5. Using the Ping Pong PHY 3.6.6. Ping Pong PHY Simulation Example Design
4. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP End-User Signals x
4.1. Interface and Signal Descriptions 4.2. AFI Signals 4.3. AFI 4.0 Timing Diagrams 4.4. Cyclone® 10 GX Memory Mapped Register (MMR) Tables
4.1. Interface and Signal Descriptions x
4.1.1. Intel Cyclone 10 GX EMIF IP Interfaces for DDR3 4.1.2. Intel Cyclone 10 GX EMIF IP Interfaces for LPDDR3
4.1.1. Intel Cyclone 10 GX EMIF IP Interfaces for DDR3 x
4.1.1.1. pll_ref_clk for DDR3 4.1.1.2. pll_locked for DDR3 4.1.1.3. pll_extra_clk_0 for DDR3 4.1.1.4. pll_extra_clk_1 for DDR3 4.1.1.5. pll_extra_clk_2 for DDR3 4.1.1.6. pll_extra_clk_3 for DDR3 4.1.1.7. oct for DDR3 4.1.1.8. mem for DDR3 4.1.1.9. status for DDR3 4.1.1.10. afi_reset_n for DDR3 4.1.1.11. afi_clk for DDR3 4.1.1.12. afi_half_clk for DDR3 4.1.1.13. afi for DDR3 4.1.1.14. emif_usr_reset_n for DDR3 4.1.1.15. emif_usr_clk for DDR3 4.1.1.16. emif_usr_reset_n_sec for DDR3 4.1.1.17. emif_usr_clk_sec for DDR3 4.1.1.18. cal_debug_reset_n for DDR3 4.1.1.19. cal_debug_clk for DDR3 4.1.1.20. cal_debug_out_reset_n for DDR3 4.1.1.21. cal_debug_out_clk for DDR3 4.1.1.22. clks_sharing_master_out for DDR3 4.1.1.23. clks_sharing_slave_in for DDR3 4.1.1.24. clks_sharing_slave_out for DDR3 4.1.1.25. ctrl_amm for DDR3 4.1.1.26. ctrl_auto_precharge for DDR3 4.1.1.27. ctrl_user_priority for DDR3 4.1.1.28. ctrl_ecc_user_interrupt for DDR3 4.1.1.29. ctrl_ecc_readdataerror for DDR3 4.1.1.30. ctrl_mmr_slave for DDR3 4.1.1.31. cal_debug for DDR3 4.1.1.32. cal_debug_out for DDR3
4.1.2. Intel Cyclone 10 GX EMIF IP Interfaces for LPDDR3 x
4.1.2.1. pll_ref_clk for LPDDR3 4.1.2.2. pll_locked for LPDDR3 4.1.2.3. pll_extra_clk_0 for LPDDR3 4.1.2.4. pll_extra_clk_1 for LPDDR3 4.1.2.5. pll_extra_clk_2 for LPDDR3 4.1.2.6. pll_extra_clk_3 for LPDDR3 4.1.2.7. oct for LPDDR3 4.1.2.8. mem for LPDDR3 4.1.2.9. status for LPDDR3 4.1.2.10. afi_reset_n for LPDDR3 4.1.2.11. afi_clk for LPDDR3 4.1.2.12. afi_half_clk for LPDDR3 4.1.2.13. afi for LPDDR3 4.1.2.14. emif_usr_reset_n for LPDDR3 4.1.2.15. emif_usr_clk for LPDDR3 4.1.2.16. cal_debug_reset_n for LPDDR3 4.1.2.17. cal_debug_clk for LPDDR3 4.1.2.18. cal_debug_out_reset_n for LPDDR3 4.1.2.19. cal_debug_out_clk for LPDDR3 4.1.2.20. clks_sharing_master_out for LPDDR3 4.1.2.21. clks_sharing_slave_in for LPDDR3 4.1.2.22. clks_sharing_slave_out for LPDDR3 4.1.2.23. ctrl_user_priority for LPDDR3 4.1.2.24. ctrl_mmr_slave for LPDDR3 4.1.2.25. cal_debug for LPDDR3 4.1.2.26. cal_debug_out for LPDDR3
4.2. AFI Signals x
4.2.1. AFI Clock and Reset Signals 4.2.2. AFI Address and Command Signals 4.2.3. AFI Write Data Signals 4.2.4. AFI Read Data Signals 4.2.5. AFI Calibration Status Signals 4.2.6. AFI Shadow Register Management Signals
4.3. AFI 4.0 Timing Diagrams x
4.3.1. AFI Address and Command Timing Diagrams 4.3.2. AFI Write Sequence Timing Diagrams 4.3.3. AFI Read Sequence Timing Diagrams 4.3.4. AFI Calibration Status Timing Diagram
4.4. Cyclone® 10 GX Memory Mapped Register (MMR) Tables x
4.4.1. ctrlcfg0 4.4.2. ctrlcfg1 4.4.3. dramtiming0 4.4.4. sbcfg1 4.4.5. caltiming0 4.4.6. caltiming1 4.4.7. caltiming2 4.4.8. caltiming3 4.4.9. caltiming4 4.4.10. caltiming9 4.4.11. dramaddrw 4.4.12. sideband0 4.4.13. sideband1 4.4.14. sideband2 4.4.15. sideband3 4.4.16. sideband4 4.4.17. sideband5 4.4.18. sideband6 4.4.19. sideband7 4.4.20. sideband8 4.4.21. sideband9 4.4.22. sideband10 4.4.23. sideband11 4.4.24. sideband12 4.4.25. sideband13 4.4.26. dramsts 4.4.27. niosreserve0 4.4.28. niosreserve1 4.4.29. ecc3: ECC Error and Interrupt Configuration 4.4.30. ecc4: Status and Error Information 4.4.31. ecc5: Address of Most Recent SBE/DBE 4.4.32. ecc6: Address of Most Recent Correction Command Dropped
5. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF – Simulating Memory IP x
5.1. Simulation Options 5.2. Simulation Walkthrough
5.2. Simulation Walkthrough x
5.2.1. Calibration Modes 5.2.2. Abstract PHY Simulation 5.2.3. Simulation Scripts 5.2.4. Functional Simulation with Verilog HDL 5.2.5. Functional Simulation with VHDL 5.2.6. Simulating the Design Example
6. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP for DDR3 x
6.1. Parameter Descriptions 6.2. Board Skew Equations 6.3. Pin and Resource Planning 6.4. DDR3 Board Design Guidelines
6.1. Parameter Descriptions x
6.1.1. Intel Cyclone 10 GX EMIF IP DDR3 Parameters: General 6.1.2. Intel Cyclone 10 GX EMIF IP DDR3 Parameters: Memory 6.1.3. Intel Cyclone 10 GX EMIF IP DDR3 Parameters: Mem I/O 6.1.4. Intel Cyclone 10 GX EMIF IP DDR3 Parameters: FPGA I/O 6.1.5. Intel Cyclone 10 GX EMIF IP DDR3 Parameters: Mem Timing 6.1.6. Intel Cyclone 10 GX EMIF IP DDR3 Parameters: Board 6.1.7. Intel Cyclone 10 GX EMIF IP DDR3 Parameters: Controller 6.1.8. Intel Cyclone 10 GX EMIF IP DDR3 Parameters: Diagnostics 6.1.9. Intel Cyclone 10 GX EMIF IP DDR3 Parameters: Example Designs
6.2. Board Skew Equations x
6.2.1. Equations for DDR3 Board Skew Parameters
6.3. Pin and Resource Planning x
6.3.1. Interface Pins 6.3.2. FPGA Resources 6.3.3. Pin Guidelines for Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP
6.3.1. Interface Pins x
6.3.1.1. Estimating Pin Requirements 6.3.1.2. DIMM Options 6.3.1.3. Maximum Number of Interfaces
6.3.2. FPGA Resources x
6.3.2.1. OCT 6.3.2.2. PLL
6.3.3. Pin Guidelines for Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP x
6.3.3.1. General Guidelines 6.3.3.2. x4 DIMM Implementation 6.3.3.3. Command and Address Signals 6.3.3.4. Clock Signals 6.3.3.5. Data, Data Strobes, DM/DBI, and Optional ECC Signals 6.3.3.6. Resource Sharing Guidelines (Multiple Interfaces) 6.3.3.7. Ping-Pong PHY Implementation
6.4. DDR3 Board Design Guidelines x
6.4.1. Terminations and Slew Rates with Cyclone® 10 GX Devices 6.4.2. Channel Signal Integrity Measurement 6.4.3. Layout Approach 6.4.4. Design Layout Guidelines 6.4.5. Package Deskew
6.4.1. Terminations and Slew Rates with Cyclone® 10 GX Devices x
6.4.1.1. Dynamic On-Chip Termination (OCT) in Cyclone® 10 Devices 6.4.1.2. Choosing Terminations on Cyclone® 10 Devices 6.4.1.3. On-Chip Termination Recommendations for Cyclone® 10 Devices 6.4.1.4. Slew Rates
6.4.2. Channel Signal Integrity Measurement x
6.4.2.1. Importance of Accurate Channel Signal Integrity Information 6.4.2.2. Understanding Channel Signal Integrity Measurement 6.4.2.3. How to Enter Calculated Channel Signal Integrity Values 6.4.2.4. Guidelines for Calculating DDR3 Channel Signal Integrity
6.4.4. Design Layout Guidelines x
6.4.4.1. General Layout Guidelines 6.4.4.2. Layout Guidelines 6.4.4.3. Length Matching Rules 6.4.4.4. Spacing Guidelines 6.4.4.5. Layout Guidelines for DDR3 SDRAM Wide Interface (>72 bits) 6.4.4.6. Fly-By Network Design for Clock, Command, and Address Signals
6.4.5. Package Deskew x
6.4.5.1. DQ/DQS/DM Deskew 6.4.5.2. Address and Command Deskew 6.4.5.3. Package Deskew Recommendations for Cyclone® 10 Devices 6.4.5.4. Deskew Example 6.4.5.5. Package Migration
7. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP for LPDDR3 x
7.1. Parameter Descriptions 7.2. Board Skew Equations 7.3. Pin and Resource Planning 7.4. LPDDR3 Board Design Guidelines
7.1. Parameter Descriptions x
7.1.1. Intel Cyclone 10 GX EMIF IP LPDDR3 Parameters: General 7.1.2. Intel Cyclone 10 GX EMIF IP LPDDR3 Parameters: Memory 7.1.3. Intel Cyclone 10 GX EMIF IP LPDDR3 Parameters: Mem I/O 7.1.4. Intel Cyclone 10 GX EMIF IP LPDDR3 Parameters: FPGA I/O 7.1.5. Intel Cyclone 10 GX EMIF IP LPDDR3 Parameters: Mem Timing 7.1.6. Intel Cyclone 10 GX EMIF IP LPDDR3 Parameters: Board 7.1.7. Intel Cyclone 10 GX EMIF IP LPDDR3 Parameters: Controller 7.1.8. Intel Cyclone 10 GX EMIF IP LPDDR3 Parameters: Diagnostics 7.1.9. Intel Cyclone 10 GX EMIF IP LPDDR3 Parameters: Example Designs
7.2. Board Skew Equations x
7.2.1. Equations for LPDDR3 Board Skew Parameters
7.3. Pin and Resource Planning x
7.3.1. Interface Pins
7.3.1. Interface Pins x
7.3.1.1. Estimating Pin Requirements 7.3.1.2. Maximum Number of Interfaces 7.3.1.3. FPGA Resources 7.3.1.4. OCT 7.3.1.5. PLL 7.3.1.6. Pin Guidelines for Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP
7.3.1.6. Pin Guidelines for Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP x
7.3.1.6.1. General Guidelines 7.3.1.6.2. LPDDR3 Clock Signal 7.3.1.6.3. LPDDR3 Command and Address Signal 7.3.1.6.4. LPDDR3 Data, Data Strobe, and DM Signals 7.3.1.6.5. Resource Sharing Guidelines (Multiple Interfaces)
7.4. LPDDR3 Board Design Guidelines x
7.4.1. Terminations and Slew Rates with Cyclone® 10 GX Devices 7.4.2. Channel Signal Integrity Measurement 7.4.3. Layout Approach 7.4.4. Design Layout Guidelines 7.4.5. Package Deskew
7.4.1. Terminations and Slew Rates with Cyclone® 10 GX Devices x
7.4.1.1. Dynamic On-Chip Termination (OCT) in Cyclone® 10 Devices 7.4.1.2. Choosing Terminations on Cyclone® 10 Devices 7.4.1.3. On-Chip Termination Recommendations for Cyclone® 10 Devices
7.4.2. Channel Signal Integrity Measurement x
7.4.2.1. Importance of Accurate Channel Signal Integrity Information 7.4.2.2. Understanding Channel Signal Integrity Measurement 7.4.2.3. How to Enter Calculated Channel Signal Integrity Values 7.4.2.4. Guidelines for Calculating DDR3 Channel Signal Integrity
7.4.4. Design Layout Guidelines x
7.4.4.1. General Layout Guidelines 7.4.4.2. Layout Guidelines 7.4.4.3. Length Matching Rules 7.4.4.4. Spacing Guidelines 7.4.4.5. Layout Guidelines for DDR3 SDRAM Wide Interface (>72 bits) 7.4.4.6. Fly-By Network Design for Clock, Command, and Address Signals
7.4.5. Package Deskew x
7.4.5.1. DQ/DQS/DM Deskew 7.4.5.2. Address and Command Deskew 7.4.5.3. Package Deskew Recommendations for Cyclone® 10 Devices 7.4.5.4. Deskew Example 7.4.5.5. Package Migration
8. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP Timing Closure x
8.1. Timing Closure 8.2. Timing Report DDR 8.3. Optimizing Timing 8.4. Early I/O Timing Estimation
8.1. Timing Closure x
8.1.1. Timing Analysis
8.1.1. Timing Analysis x
8.1.1.1. PHY or Core 8.1.1.2. I/O Timing
8.1.1.2. I/O Timing x
8.1.1.2.1. Read Capture 8.1.1.2.2. Write 8.1.1.2.3. Address and Command 8.1.1.2.4. DQS Gating / Postamble 8.1.1.2.5. Write Leveling
8.4. Early I/O Timing Estimation x
8.4.1. Performing Early I/O Timing Analysis
9. Optimizing Controller Performance x
9.1. Interface Standard 9.2. Bank Management Efficiency 9.3. Data Transfer 9.4. Improving Controller Efficiency
9.4. Improving Controller Efficiency x
9.4.1. Auto-Precharge Commands 9.4.2. Latency 9.4.3. Calibration 9.4.4. Bank Interleaving 9.4.5. Additive Latency and Bank Interleaving 9.4.6. User-Controlled Refresh 9.4.7. Frequency of Operation 9.4.8. Series of Reads or Writes 9.4.9. Data Reordering 9.4.10. Starvation Control 9.4.11. Command Reordering 9.4.12. Bandwidth 9.4.13. Enable Command Priority Control
9.4.2. Latency x
9.4.2.1. Additive Latency
9.4.6. User-Controlled Refresh x
9.4.6.1. Back-to-Back User-Controlled Refresh Usage
10. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP Debugging x
10.1. Interface Configuration Performance Issues 10.2. Functional Issue Evaluation 10.3. Timing Issue Characteristics 10.4. Verifying Memory IP Using the Signal Tap II Logic Analyzer 10.5. Hardware Debugging Guidelines 10.6. Categorizing Hardware Issues 10.7. Debugging Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP 10.8. Using the Traffic Generator with the Generated Design Example
10.1. Interface Configuration Performance Issues x
10.1.1. Interface Configuration Bottleneck and Efficiency Issues
10.2. Functional Issue Evaluation x
10.2.1. Intel® IP Memory Model 10.2.2. Vendor Memory Model 10.2.3. Transcript Window Messages 10.2.4. Modifying the Example Driver to Replicate the Failure
10.3. Timing Issue Characteristics x
10.3.1. Evaluating FPGA Timing Issues 10.3.2. Evaluating External Memory Interface Timing Issues
10.4. Verifying Memory IP Using the Signal Tap II Logic Analyzer x
10.4.1. Signals to Monitor with the Signal Tap II Logic Analyzer
10.5. Hardware Debugging Guidelines x
10.5.1. Create a Simplified Design that Demonstrates the Same Issue 10.5.2. Measure Power Distribution Network 10.5.3. Measure Signal Integrity and Setup and Hold Margin 10.5.4. Vary Voltage 10.5.5. Operate at a Lower Speed 10.5.6. Determine Whether the Issue Exists in Previous Versions of Software 10.5.7. Determine Whether the Issue Exists in the Current Version of Software 10.5.8. Try A Different PCB 10.5.9. Try Other Configurations 10.5.10. Debugging Checklist
10.6. Categorizing Hardware Issues x
10.6.1. Signal Integrity Issues 10.6.2. Hardware and Calibration Issues
10.6.1. Signal Integrity Issues x
10.6.1.1. Characteristics of Signal Integrity Issues 10.6.1.2. Evaluating SignaI Integrity Issues
10.6.1.2. Evaluating SignaI Integrity Issues x
10.6.1.2.1. Skew 10.6.1.2.2. Crosstalk 10.6.1.2.3. Power System 10.6.1.2.4. Clock Signals 10.6.1.2.5. Read Data Valid Window and Eye Diagram 10.6.1.2.6. Write Data Valid Window and Eye Diagram 10.6.1.2.7. OCT and ODT Usage
10.6.2. Hardware and Calibration Issues x
10.6.2.1. Postamble Timing Issues and Margin 10.6.2.2. Intermittent Issue Evaluation
10.7. Debugging Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP x
10.7.1. Debugging With the External Memory Interface Debug Toolkit 10.7.2. On-Chip Debug Port for Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP 10.7.3. Efficiency Monitor and Protocol Checker
10.7.1. Debugging With the External Memory Interface Debug Toolkit x
10.7.1.1. User Interface 10.7.1.2. Communication 10.7.1.3. Setup and Use 10.7.1.4. Configuring Your EMIF IP for Use with the Debug Toolkit 10.7.1.5. Reports 10.7.1.6. Driver Margining for Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP 10.7.1.7. Example Tcl Script for Running the EMIF Debug Toolkit
10.7.1.4. Configuring Your EMIF IP for Use with the Debug Toolkit x
10.7.1.4.1. Daisy-Chaining Additional EMIF IP Cores for Debugging 10.7.1.4.2. General Workflow 10.7.1.4.3. Linking the Project to a Device 10.7.1.4.4. Establishing Communication to Connections 10.7.1.4.5. Selecting an Active Interface
10.7.2. On-Chip Debug Port for Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP x
10.7.2.1. EMIF On-Chip Debug Port 10.7.2.2. Access Protocol
10.7.3. Efficiency Monitor and Protocol Checker x
10.7.3.1. Including the Efficiency Monitor and Protocol Checker in Your Generated IP 10.7.3.2. Running the Efficiency Monitor with the External Memory Debug Toolkit 10.7.3.3. Communicating Directly to the Efficiency Monitor and Protocol Checker
1. Release Information
2. External Memory Interfaces Cyclone® 10 GX FPGA IP Introduction
3. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP Product Architecture
4. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP End-User Signals
5. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF – Simulating Memory IP
6. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP for DDR3
7. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP for LPDDR3
8. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP Timing Closure
9. Optimizing Controller Performance
10. Cyclone® 10 GX EMIF IP Debugging
11. External Memory Interfaces Cyclone® 10 GX FPGA IP User Guide Archives
12. Document Revision History for Cyclone® 10 GX External Memory Interfaces FPGA IP User Guide

9.4.1. Auto-Precharge Commands

The auto-precharge read and write commands allow you to indicate to the memory device that a given read or write command is the last access to the currently opened row.

The memory device automatically closes or auto-precharges the page that is currently being accessed, so that the next access to the same bank is faster. The Auto-Precharge command is useful when you want to perform fast random memory accesses.

The Timer Bank Pool (TBP) block supports the dynamic page policy, where depending on user input on local autoprecharge input would keep a page open or close. In a closed-page policy, a page is always closed after it is accessed with auto-precharge command. When the data pattern consists of repeated reads or writes to addresses not within the same page, the optimal system achieves the maximum efficiency allowed by continuous page miss limited access. Efficiency losses are limited to those associated with activating and refreshing. An efficiency of 10-20% should be expected for this closed-page policy.

In an open-page policy, the page remains open after it is accessed for incoming commands. When the data pattern consists of repeated reads or writes to sequential addresses within the same page, the optimal system can achieve 100% efficiency for page-open transactions (ignoring the effects of periodic refreshes, which typically consume around 2-3% of total efficiency), with minimum latency for highest priority single transactions.

If you turn on Enable Auto-Precharge Control, you can instruct the controller to issue an autoprecharge read or write command. The next time you access that bank, the access is faster because the controller does not have to precharge the bank before activating the row that you want to access.

The controller-derived autoprecharge logic evaluates the pending commands in the command buffer and determines the most efficient autoprecharge operation to perform. The autoprecharge logic can reorder commands if necessary. When all TBP are occupied due to tracking an open page, TBP uses a scheme called on-demand flush, where it stops tracking a page to create space for an incoming command.

The following figure compares auto-precharge with and without look-ahead support.

Figure 81. Comparison With and Without Look-ahead Auto-Precharge


Without using the look-ahead auto-precharge feature, the controller must precharge to close and then open the row before the write or read burst for every row change. When using the look-ahead precharge feature, the controller decides whether to do auto-precharge read/write by evaluating the incoming command; subsequent reads or writes to same bank/different row require only an activate command.

As shown in the preceding figure, the controller performs an auto-precharge for the write command to bank 0 at cycle 1. The controller detects that the next write at cycle 13 is to a different row in bank 0, and hence saves 2 data cycles.

The following efficiency results apply to the above figure:

Table 156.  Comparative Efficiencies With and Without Look-Ahead Auto-Precharge Feature

Without Look-ahead Auto-precharge

With Look-ahead Auto-precharge

Active cycles of data transfer

16

16

Total number of cycles

19

17

Approximate efficiency

84%

94%

The look-ahead auto-precharge used increases efficiency by approximately 10%.

The following figure shows how you can improve controller efficiency using the auto-precharge command.

Figure 82. Improving Efficiency Using Auto-Precharge Command


The following sequence of events describes the above figure:

  1. The controller accepts a read request from the local side as soon as the local_ready signal goes high.
  2. The controller gives the activate command and then gives the read command. The read command latency is approximately 14 clock cycles for this case as compared to the similar case with no auto precharge which had approximately 17 clock cycles of latency (described in the "data Transfer" topic).

When using the auto-precharge option, note the following guidelines:

  • Use the auto-precharge command if you know the controller is issuing the next read or write to a particular bank and a different row.
  • Auto-precharge does not improve efficiency if you auto-precharge a row and immediately reopen it.
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