Virtex-E 1.8 V Field Programmable Gate Arrays
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DS022-2 (v3.0) March 21, 2014
Module 2 of 4
Production Product Specification
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mits the internal storage elements to begin changing state
in response to the logic and the user clock.
The relative timing of these events can be changed. In addi-
tion, the GTS, GSR, and GWE events can be made depen-
dent on the DONE pins of multiple devices all going High,
forcing the devices to start synchronously. The sequence
can also be paused at any stage until lock has been
achieved on any or all DLLs.
Readback
The configuration data stored in the Virtex-E configuration
memory can be readback for verification. Along with the
configuration data it is possible to readback the contents all
flip-flops/latches, LUT RAMs, and block RAMs. This capa-
bility is used for real-time debugging. For more detailed
information, see application note XAPP138 “Virtex FPGA
Series Configuration and Readback”.
Design Considerations
This section contains more detailed design information on
the following features.
Delay-Locked Loop . . . see
page 19Using DLLs
The Virtex-E FPGA series provides up to eight fully digital
dedicated on-chip Delay-Locked Loop (DLL) circuits which
provide zero propagation delay, low clock skew between
output clock signals distributed throughout the device, and
advanced clock domain control. These dedicated DLLs can
be used to implement several circuits which improve and
simplify system level design.
Introduction
As FPGAs grow in size, quality on-chip clock distribution
becomes increasingly important. Clock skew and clock
delay impact device performance and the task of managing
clock skew and clock delay with conventional clock trees
becomes more difficult in large devices. The Virtex-E series
of devices resolve this potential problem by providing up to
eight fully digital dedicated on-chip DLL circuits, which pro-
vide zero propagation delay and low clock skew between
output clock signals distributed throughout the device.
Each DLL can drive up to two global clock routing networks
within the device. The global clock distribution network min-
imizes clock skews due to loading differences. By monitor-
ing a sample of the DLL output clock, the DLL can
compensate for the delay on the routing network, effectively
eliminating the delay from the external input port to the indi-
vidual clock loads within the device.
In addition to providing zero delay with respect to a user
source clock, the DLL can provide multiple phases of the
source clock. The DLL can also act as a clock doubler or it
can divide the user source clock by up to 16.
Clock multiplication gives the designer a number of design
alternatives. For instance, a 50 MHz source clock doubled
by the DLL can drive an FPGA design operating at 100
MHz. This technique can simplify board design because the
clock path on the board no longer distributes such a
high-speed signal. A multiplied clock also provides design-
ers the option of time-domain-multiplexing, using one circuit
twice per clock cycle, consuming less area than two copies
of the same circuit. Two DLLs in can be connected in series
to increase the effective clock multiplication factor to four.
The DLL can also act as a clock mirror. By driving the DLL
output off-chip and then back in again, the DLL can be used
to deskew a board level clock between multiple devices.
In order to guarantee the system clock establishes prior to
the device “waking up,” the DLL can delay the completion of
the device configuration process until after the DLL
achieves lock.
By taking advantage of the DLL to remove on-chip clock
delay, the designer can greatly simplify and improve system
level design involving high-fanout, high-performance clocks.
Library DLL Symbols
Figure 21 shows the simplified Xilinx library DLL macro
symbol, BUFGDLL. This macro delivers a quick and effi-
cient way to provide a system clock with zero propagation
the two library DLL primitives. These symbols provide
access to the complete set of DLL features when imple-
menting more complex applications.
Figure 21: Simplified DLL Macro Symbol BUFGDLL
0ns
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