External Memory Interface Handbook Volume 3: Reference Material: For UniPHY-based Device Families

Download PDF
ID 683841
Date 3/06/2023
Public
Document Table of Contents
Document Table of Contents x
1. Functional Description—UniPHY 2. Functional Description— Intel® MAX® 10 EMIF IP 3. Functional Description—Hard Memory Interface 4. Functional Description—HPS Memory Controller 5. Functional Description—HPC II Controller 6. Functional Description—QDR II Controller 7. Functional Description—RLDRAM II Controller 8. Functional Description—RLDRAM 3 PHY-Only IP 9. Functional Description—Example Designs 10. Introduction to UniPHY IP 11. Latency for UniPHY IP 12. Timing Diagrams for UniPHY IP 13. External Memory Interface Debug Toolkit 14. Upgrading to UniPHY-based Controllers from ALTMEMPHY-based Controllers
1. Functional Description—UniPHY x
1.1. I/O Pads 1.2. Reset and Clock Generation 1.3. Dedicated Clock Networks 1.4. Address and Command Datapath 1.5. Write Datapath 1.6. Read Datapath 1.7. Sequencer 1.8. Shadow Registers 1.9. UniPHY Interfaces 1.10. UniPHY Signals 1.11. PHY-to-Controller Interfaces 1.12. Using a Custom Controller 1.13. AFI 3.0 Specification 1.14. Register Maps 1.15. Ping Pong PHY 1.16. Efficiency Monitor and Protocol Checker 1.17. UniPHY Calibration Stages 1.18. Document Revision History
1.5. Write Datapath x
1.5.1. Leveling Circuitry
1.7. Sequencer x
1.7.1. Nios® II-Based Sequencer 1.7.2. RTL-based Sequencer
1.7.1. Nios® II-Based Sequencer x
1.7.1.1. Nios® II-based Sequencer Function 1.7.1.2. Nios® II-based Sequencer Architecture 1.7.1.3. Nios® II-based Sequencer SCC Manager 1.7.1.4. Nios® II-based Sequencer RW Manager 1.7.1.5. Nios® II-based Sequencer PHY Manager 1.7.1.6. Nios® II-based Sequencer Data Manager 1.7.1.7. Nios® II-based Sequencer Tracking Manager 1.7.1.8. Nios® II-based Sequencer Processor 1.7.1.9. Nios® II-based Sequencer Calibration and Diagnostics
1.8. Shadow Registers x
1.8.1. Shadow Registers Operation
1.9. UniPHY Interfaces x
1.9.1. The DLL and PLL Sharing Interface 1.9.2. The OCT Sharing Interface
1.9.1. The DLL and PLL Sharing Interface x
1.9.1.1. Sharing PLLs or DLLs 1.9.1.2. About PLL Simulation
1.9.2. The OCT Sharing Interface x
1.9.2.1. Modifying the Pin Assignment Script for QDR II and RLDRAM II
1.13. AFI 3.0 Specification x
1.13.1. Bus Width and AFI Ratio 1.13.2. AFI Parameters 1.13.3. AFI Signals
1.13.3. AFI Signals x
1.13.3.1. AFI Clock and Reset Signals 1.13.3.2. AFI Address and Command Signals 1.13.3.3. AFI Write Data Signals 1.13.3.4. AFI Read Data Signals 1.13.3.5. AFI Calibration Status Signals 1.13.3.6. AFI Tracking Management Signals
1.14. Register Maps x
1.14.1. UniPHY Register Map 1.14.2. Controller Register Map
1.15. Ping Pong PHY x
1.15.1. Ping Pong PHY Feature Description 1.15.2. Ping Pong PHY Architecture 1.15.3. Ping Pong PHY Operation
1.15.2. Ping Pong PHY Architecture x
1.15.2.1. Ping Pong Gasket 1.15.2.2. Ping Pong PHY Calibration
1.16. Efficiency Monitor and Protocol Checker x
1.16.1. Efficiency Monitor 1.16.2. Protocol Checker 1.16.3. Read Latency Counter 1.16.4. Using the Efficiency Monitor and Protocol Checker 1.16.5. Avalon® CSR Slave and JTAG Memory Map
1.17. UniPHY Calibration Stages x
1.17.1. Calibration Overview 1.17.2. Calibration Stages 1.17.3. Memory Initialization 1.17.4. Stage 1: Read Calibration Part One—DQS Enable Calibration and DQ/DQS Centering 1.17.5. Stage 2: Write Calibration Part One 1.17.6. Stage 3: Write Calibration Part Two—DQ/DQS Centering 1.17.7. Stage 4: Read Calibration Part Two—Read Latency Minimization 1.17.8. Calibration Signals 1.17.9. Calibration Time
1.17.4. Stage 1: Read Calibration Part One—DQS Enable Calibration and DQ/DQS Centering x
1.17.4.1. Guaranteed Write 1.17.4.2. DQS Enable Calibration 1.17.4.3. Centering DQ/DQS
2. Functional Description— Intel® MAX® 10 EMIF IP x
2.1. Intel® MAX® 10 EMIF Overview 2.2. External Memory Protocol Support 2.3. Intel® MAX® 10 Memory Controller 2.4. Intel® MAX® 10 Low Power Feature 2.5. Intel® MAX® 10 Memory PHY 2.6. Calibration 2.7. Sequencer Debug Information 2.8. Register Maps 2.9. Document Revision History
2.5. Intel® MAX® 10 Memory PHY x
2.5.1. Supported Topologies 2.5.2. Read Datapath 2.5.3. Write Datapath 2.5.4. Address and Command Datapath 2.5.5. Sequencer
2.6. Calibration x
2.6.1. Read Calibration 2.6.2. Write Calibration
3. Functional Description—Hard Memory Interface x
3.1. Multi-Port Front End (MPFE) 3.2. Multi-port Scheduling 3.3. MPFE Signal Descriptions 3.4. Hard Memory Controller 3.5. Hard PHY 3.6. Document Revision History
3.2. Multi-port Scheduling x
3.2.1. Port Scheduling 3.2.2. DRAM Burst Scheduling 3.2.3. DRAM Power Saving Modes
3.4. Hard Memory Controller x
3.4.1. Clocking 3.4.2. Reset 3.4.3. DRAM Interface 3.4.4. ECC 3.4.5. Bonding of Memory Controllers
3.5. Hard PHY x
3.5.1. Interconnections 3.5.2. Clock Domains 3.5.3. Hard Sequencer 3.5.4. MPFE Setup Guidelines 3.5.5. Soft Memory Interface to Hard Memory Interface Migration Guidelines 3.5.6. Bonding Interface Guidelines
4. Functional Description—HPS Memory Controller x
4.1. Features of the SDRAM Controller Subsystem 4.2. SDRAM Controller Subsystem Block Diagram 4.3. SDRAM Controller Memory Options 4.4. SDRAM Controller Subsystem Interfaces 4.5. Memory Controller Architecture 4.6. Functional Description of the SDRAM Controller Subsystem 4.7. SDRAM Power Management 4.8. DDR PHY 4.9. Clocks 4.10. Resets 4.11. Port Mappings 4.12. Initialization 4.13. SDRAM Controller Subsystem Programming Model 4.14. Debugging HPS SDRAM in the Preloader 4.15. SDRAM Controller Address Map and Register Definitions 4.16. Document Revision History
4.4. SDRAM Controller Subsystem Interfaces x
4.4.1. MPU Subsystem Interface 4.4.2. L3 Interconnect Interface 4.4.3. CSR Interface 4.4.4. FPGA-to-HPS SDRAM Interface
4.5. Memory Controller Architecture x
4.5.1. Multi-Port Front End 4.5.2. Single-Port Controller
4.5.2. Single-Port Controller x
4.5.2.1. Command Generator 4.5.2.2. Timer Bank Pool 4.5.2.3. Arbiter 4.5.2.4. Rank Timer 4.5.2.5. Write Data Buffer 4.5.2.6. ECC Block 4.5.2.7. AFI Interface 4.5.2.8. CSR Interface
4.6. Functional Description of the SDRAM Controller Subsystem x
4.6.1. MPFE Operation Ordering 4.6.2. MPFE Multi-Port Arbitration 4.6.3. MPFE SDRAM Burst Scheduling 4.6.4. Single-Port Controller Operation
4.6.4. Single-Port Controller Operation x
4.6.4.1. Command and Data Reordering 4.6.4.2. Bank Policy 4.6.4.3. Write Combining 4.6.4.4. Burst Length Support 4.6.4.5. ECC 4.6.4.6. Interleaving Options 4.6.4.7. AXI-Exclusive Support 4.6.4.8. Memory Protection 4.6.4.9. Example of Configuration for TrustZone
4.6.4.5. ECC x
4.6.4.5.1. Byte Writes 4.6.4.5.2. ECC Write Backs 4.6.4.5.3. User Notification of ECC Errors
4.10. Resets x
4.10.1. Taking the SDRAM Controller Subsystem Out of Reset
4.12. Initialization x
4.12.1. FPGA-to-SDRAM Protocol Details
4.12.1. FPGA-to-SDRAM Protocol Details x
4.12.1.1. Avalon-MM Bidirectional Port 4.12.1.2. Avalon-MM Write-Only Port 4.12.1.3. Avalon-MM Read Port 4.12.1.4. AXI Port
4.13. SDRAM Controller Subsystem Programming Model x
4.13.1. HPS Memory Interface Architecture 4.13.2. HPS Memory Interface Configuration 4.13.3. HPS Memory Interface Simulation 4.13.4. Generating a Preloader Image for HPS with EMIF
4.13.4. Generating a Preloader Image for HPS with EMIF x
4.13.4.1. Creating a Project in Platform Designer (Standard) 4.13.4.2. Creating a Top-Level File and Adding Constraints
4.14. Debugging HPS SDRAM in the Preloader x
4.14.1. Enabling UART or Semihosting Printout 4.14.2. Enabling Simple Memory Test 4.14.3. Enabling the Debug Report 4.14.4. Writing a Predefined Data Pattern to SDRAM in the Preloader
4.14.3. Enabling the Debug Report x
4.14.3.1. Analysis of Debug Report
5. Functional Description—HPC II Controller x
5.1. HPC II Memory Interface Architecture 5.2. HPC II Memory Controller Architecture 5.3. HPC II Controller Features 5.4. External Interfaces 5.5. Top-Level Signals Description 5.6. Sequence of Operations 5.7. Document Revision History
5.2. HPC II Memory Controller Architecture x
5.2.1. Backpressure Support 5.2.2. Command Generator 5.2.3. Timing Bank Pool 5.2.4. Arbiter 5.2.5. Rank Timer 5.2.6. Read Data Buffer and Write Data Buffer 5.2.7. ECC Block 5.2.8. AFI and CSR Interfaces
5.3. HPC II Controller Features x
5.3.1. Data Reordering 5.3.2. Pre-emptive Bank Management 5.3.3. Quasi-1T and Quasi-2T 5.3.4. User Autoprecharge Commands 5.3.5. Address and Command Decoding Logic 5.3.6. Low-Power Logic 5.3.7. ODT Generation Logic 5.3.8. Burst Merging 5.3.9. ECC
5.3.9. ECC x
5.3.9.1. Partial Writes 5.3.9.2. Partial Bursts
5.4. External Interfaces x
5.4.1. Clock and Reset Interface 5.4.2. Avalon® -ST Data Slave Interface 5.4.3. AXI Data Slave Interface 5.4.4. Controller-PHY Interface 5.4.5. Memory Side-Band Signals 5.4.6. Controller External Interfaces
5.4.3. AXI Data Slave Interface x
5.4.3.1. Enabling the AXI Interface 5.4.3.2. AXI Interface Parameters 5.4.3.3. AXI Interface Ports
5.5. Top-Level Signals Description x
5.5.1. Clock and Reset Signals 5.5.2. Local Interface Signals 5.5.3. Controller Interface Signals 5.5.4. CSR Interface Signals 5.5.5. Soft Controller Register Map 5.5.6. Hard Controller Register Map
6. Functional Description—QDR II Controller x
6.1. Block Description 6.2. Avalon® -MM and Memory Data Width 6.3. Signal Descriptions 6.4. Document Revision History
6.1. Block Description x
6.1.1. Avalon® -MM Slave Read and Write Interfaces 6.1.2. Command Issuing FSM 6.1.3. AFI
7. Functional Description—RLDRAM II Controller x
7.1. Block Description 7.2. User-Controlled Features 7.3. Avalon® -MM and Memory Data Width 7.4. Signal Descriptions 7.5. Document Revision History
7.1. Block Description x
7.1.1. Avalon® -MM Slave Interface 7.1.2. Write Data FIFO Buffer 7.1.3. Command Issuing FSM 7.1.4. Refresh Timer 7.1.5. Timer Module 7.1.6. AFI
7.2. User-Controlled Features x
7.2.1. Error Detection Parity 7.2.2. User-Controlled Refresh
8. Functional Description—RLDRAM 3 PHY-Only IP x
8.1. Block Description 8.2. Features 8.3. RLDRAM 3 AFI Protocol 8.4. Document Revision History
9. Functional Description—Example Designs x
9.1. UniPHY-Based Example Designs 9.2. Document Revision History
9.1. UniPHY-Based Example Designs x
9.1.1. Synthesis Example Design 9.1.2. Simulation Example Design 9.1.3. Traffic Generator and BIST Engine 9.1.4. Creating and Connecting the UniPHY Memory Interface and the Traffic Generator in Platform Designer
9.1.3. Traffic Generator and BIST Engine x
9.1.3.1. Read and Write Generation 9.1.3.2. Address and Burst Length Generation 9.1.3.3. Traffic Generator Signals 9.1.3.4. Traffic Generator Add-Ons 9.1.3.5. Traffic Generator Timeout Counter
9.1.4. Creating and Connecting the UniPHY Memory Interface and the Traffic Generator in Platform Designer x
9.1.4.1. Notes on Configuring UniPHY IP in Platform Designer
10. Introduction to UniPHY IP x
10.1. Release Information 10.2. Device Support Levels 10.3. Device Family and Protocol Support 10.4. UniPHY-Based External Memory Interface Features 10.5. System Requirements 10.6. Intel® FPGA IP Core Verification 10.7. Resource Utilization 10.8. Document Revision History
10.7. Resource Utilization x
10.7.1. DDR2, DDR3, and LPDDR2 Resource Utilization in Arria V Devices 10.7.2. DDR2 and DDR3 Resource Utilization in Arria II GZ Devices 10.7.3. DDR2 and DDR3 Resource Utilization in Stratix III Devices 10.7.4. DDR2 and DDR3 Resource Utilization in Stratix IV Devices 10.7.5. DDR2 and DDR3 Resource Utilization in Arria V GZ and Stratix V Devices 10.7.6. QDR II and QDR II+ Resource Utilization in Arria V Devices 10.7.7. QDR II and QDR II+ Resource Utilization in Arria II GX Devices 10.7.8. QDR II and QDR II+ Resource Utilization in Arria II GZ, Arria V GZ, Stratix III, Stratix IV, and Stratix V Devices 10.7.9. RLDRAM II Resource Utilization in Arria® V Devices 10.7.10. RLDRAM II Resource Utilization in Arria®  II GZ, Arria® V GZ, Stratix®  III, Stratix®  IV, and Stratix® V Devices
11. Latency for UniPHY IP x
11.1. DDR2 SDRAM LATENCY 11.2. DDR3 SDRAM LATENCY 11.3. LPDDR2 SDRAM LATENCY 11.4. QDR II and QDR II+ SRAM Latency 11.5. RLDRAM II Latency 11.6. RLDRAM 3 Latency 11.7. Variable Controller Latency 11.8. Document Revision History
12. Timing Diagrams for UniPHY IP x
12.1. DDR2 Timing Diagrams 12.2. DDR3 Timing Diagrams 12.3. QDR II and QDR II+ Timing Diagrams 12.4. RLDRAM II Timing Diagrams 12.5. LPDDR2 Timing Diagrams 12.6. RLDRAM 3 Timing Diagrams 12.7. Document Revision History
13. External Memory Interface Debug Toolkit x
13.1. User Interface 13.2. Setup and Use 13.3. Operational Considerations 13.4. Troubleshooting 13.5. Debug Report for Arria V and Cyclone V SoC Devices 13.6. On-Chip Debug Port for UniPHY-based EMIF IP 13.7. Example Tcl Script for Running the Legacy EMIF Debug Toolkit 13.8. Document Revision History
13.1. User Interface x
13.1.1. Communication 13.1.2. Calibration and Report Generation
13.2. Setup and Use x
13.2.1. General Workflow 13.2.2. Linking the Project to a Device 13.2.3. Establishing Communication to Connections 13.2.4. Selecting an Active Interface 13.2.5. Reports
13.5. Debug Report for Arria V and Cyclone V SoC Devices x
13.5.1. Enabling the Debug Report for Arria V and Cyclone V SoC Devices 13.5.2. Determining the Failing Calibration Stage for a Cyclone V or Arria V HPS SDRAM Controller
13.6. On-Chip Debug Port for UniPHY-based EMIF IP x
13.6.1. Access Protocol 13.6.2. Command Codes Reference 13.6.3. Header Files 13.6.4. Generating IP With the Debug Port 13.6.5. Example C Code for Accessing Debug Data
14. Upgrading to UniPHY-based Controllers from ALTMEMPHY-based Controllers x
14.1. Generating Equivalent Design 14.2. Replacing the ALTMEMPHY Datapath with UniPHY Datapath 14.3. Resolving Port Name Differences 14.4. Creating OCT Signals 14.5. Running Pin Assignments Script 14.6. Removing Obsolete Files 14.7. Simulating your Design 14.8. Document Revision History
1. Functional Description—UniPHY
2. Functional Description— Intel® MAX® 10 EMIF IP
3. Functional Description—Hard Memory Interface
4. Functional Description—HPS Memory Controller
5. Functional Description—HPC II Controller
6. Functional Description—QDR II Controller
7. Functional Description—RLDRAM II Controller
8. Functional Description—RLDRAM 3 PHY-Only IP
9. Functional Description—Example Designs
10. Introduction to UniPHY IP
11. Latency for UniPHY IP
12. Timing Diagrams for UniPHY IP
13. External Memory Interface Debug Toolkit
14. Upgrading to UniPHY-based Controllers from ALTMEMPHY-based Controllers

2.9.3. Stratix® 10 Calibration Algorithms

The calibration algorithms sometimes vary, depending on the targeted memory protocol.

Address and Command Calibration

Address and command calibration consists of the following parts:
  • Leveling calibration— (DDR3 and DDR4 only) Toggles the CS# and CAS# signals to send read commands while keeping other address and command signals constant. The algorithm monitors for incoming DQS signals, and if the DQS signal toggles, it indicates that the read commands have been accepted. The algorithm then repeats using different delay values, to find the optimal window.

  • Deskew calibration— (DDR4, QDR-IV, and LPDDR3 only)
    • (DDR4) Uses the DDR4 address and command parity feature. The FPGA sends the address and command parity bit, and the DDR4 memory device responds with an alert signal if the parity bit is detected. The alert signal from the memory device tells the FPGA that the parity bit was received.

      Deskew calibration requires use of the PAR/ALERT# pins, so you should not omit these pins from your design. One limitation of deskew calibration is that it cannot deskew ODT and CKE pins.

    • (QDR-IV) Uses the QDR-IV loopback mode. The FPGA sends address and command signals, and the memory device sends back the address and command signals which it captures, via the read data pins. The returned signals indicate to the FPGA what the memory device has captured. Deskew calibration can deskew all synchronous address and command signals.
    • (LPDDR3) Uses the LPDDR3 CA training mode. The FPGA sends signals onto the LPDDR3 CA bus, and the memory device sends back those signals that it captures, via the DQ pins. The returned signals indicate to the FPGA what the memory device has captured. Deskew calibration can deskew all signals on the CA bus. The remaining command signals (CS, CKE, and ODT) are calibrated based on the average of the deskewed CA bus.

Read Calibration

  • DQSen calibration— (DDR3, DDR4, LPDDR3, RLDRAMx and QDRx) DQSen calibration occurs before Read deskew, therefore only a single DQ bit is required to pass in order to achieve a successful read pass.
    • (DDR3, DDR4,and LPDDR3) The DQSen calibration algorithm searches the DQS preamble using a hardware state machine. The algorithm sends many back-to-back reads with a one clock cycle gap between. The hardware state machine searches for the DQS gap while sweeping DQSen delay values. the algorithm then increments the VFIFO value, and repeats the process until a pattern is found. The process is then repeated for all other read DQS groups.

    • (RLDRAMx and QDRx) The DQSen calibration algorithm does not use a hardware state machine; rather, it calibrates cycle-level delays using software and subcycle delays using DQS tracking hardware. The algorithm requires good data in memory, and therefore relies on guaranteed writes. (Writing a burst of 0s to one location, and a burst of 1s to another; back-to-back reads from these two locations are used for read calibration.)

      The algorithm enables DQS tracking to calibrate the phase component of DQS enable, and then issues a guaranteed write, followed by back-to-back reads. The algorithm sweeps DQSen values cycle by cycle until the read operation succeeds. The process is then repeated for all other read groups.

  • Deskew calibration— Read deskew calibration is performed before write leveling, and must be performed at least twice: once before write calibration, using simple data patterns from guaranteed writes, and again after write calibration, using complex data patterns.

    The deskew calibration algorithm performs a guaranteed write, and then sweeps dqs_in delay values from low to high, to find the right edge of the read window. The algorithm then sweeps dq-in delay values low to high, to find the left edge of the read window. Updated dqs_in and dq_in delay values are then applied to center the read window. The algorithm then repeats the process for all data pins.

  • Vref-In calibration— Read Vref-In calibration begins by programming Vref-In with an arbitrary value. The algorithm then sweeps the Vref-In value from the starting value to both ends, and measures the read window for each value. The algorithm selects the Vref-In value which provides the maximum read window.

  • LFIFO calibration— Read LFIFO calibration normalizes read delays between groups. The PHY must present all data to the controller as a single data bus. The LFIFO latency should be large enough for the slowest read data group, and large enough to allow proper synchronization across FIFOs.

Write Calibration

  • Leveling calibration— Write leveling calibration aligns the write strobe and clock to the memory clock, to compensate for skews. In general, leveling calibration tries a variety of delay values to determine the edges of the write window, and then selects an appropriate value to center the window. The details of the algorithm vary, depending on the memory protocol.
    • (DDRx, LPDDR3) Write leveling occurs before write deskew, therefore only one successful DQ bit is required to register a pass. Write leveling staggers the DQ bus to ensure that at least one DQ bit falls within the valid write window.
    • (RLDRAMx) Optimizes for the CK versus DK relationship.
    • (QDR-IV) Optimizes for the CK versus DK relationship. Is covered by address and command deskew using the loopback mode.
    • (QDR II/II+/Xtreme) The K clock is the only clock, therefore write leveling is not required.
  • Deskew calibration— Performs per-bit deskew of write data relative to the write strobe and clock. Write deskew calibration does not change dqs_out delays; the write clock is aligned to the CK clock during write leveling.

  • VREF-Out calibration— (DDR4) Calibrates the VREF level at the memory device. The VREF-Out calibration algorithm is similar to the VREF-In calibration algorithm.
Level Two Title