Patent attributes
Data transmitter circuitry on a programmable logic device (“PLD”) includes a plurality of channels of serializer circuitry, and a plurality of clock multiplier units (“CMUs”), each of which is associated with a respective subplurality of the serializer channels. Each CMU includes multiple reference clock signal sources, multiple phase-locked loop (“PLL”) circuits, and circuitry for allowing any PLL to get its reference input from any of the reference sources. Raw and centrally processed clock signals produced by each CMU are distributed to the serializer channels associated with that CMU and, at least in the case of the centrally processed signals, to the serializer channels associated with another CMU. The signal that controls release of parallel data to each serializer channel can be an output signal of that channel, or it can be an output signal of any CMU from which that channel can get a clock signal.
