Memory module with double data rate command and data interfaces supporting two-channel and four-channel modes

Abstract

A memory module supports multiple memory channel modes, each including a double-date-rate (DDR) data channel supported by an independent command-and-address (CA) channel. In a two-channel mode, the memory module supports two DDR data channels using two respective DDR CA channels. Each CA channel includes a corresponding set of CA links. In a four-channel mode, the memory module supports two pairs of DDR data channels, each pair supported by a pair of independent CA channels. Memory commands issued in the four-channel mode are time interleaved to share one of the sets of CA links.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A memory module comprising:
 a module connector having a first module command port, a second module command port, and first, second, third, and fourth sets of module data ports;   an address-buffer component having a first primary command port coupled to the first module command port, a second primary command port coupled to the second module command port, and first, second, third, and fourth secondary command ports;   four sets of dynamic, random-access memory (DRAM) ICs, including:
 a first set of DRAM ICs having a first DRAM command port coupled to the first secondary command port and a first DRAM data port coupled to the first module data port; 
 a second set of DRAM ICs having a second DRAM command port coupled to the second secondary command port and a second DRAM data port coupled to the second module data port; 
 a third set of DRAM ICs having a third DRAM command port coupled to the third secondary command port and a third DRAM data port coupled to the third module data port; and 
 a fourth set of DRAM ICs having a fourth DRAM command port coupled to the fourth secondary command port and a fourth DRAM data port coupled to the fourth module data port; and 
   a mode register to store a first mode value to control the address-buffer component to time multiplex first and second memory commands to the first module command port, directing the first memory commands to the first DRAM command port and the second memory commands to the second DRAM command port.   
     
     
         2 . The memory module of  claim 1 , the first mode value to further control the address-buffer component to time multiplex third and fourth memory commands to the second module command port, directing the third memory commands to the third DRAM command port and the fourth memory commands to the fourth DRAM command port. 
     
     
         3 . The memory module of  claim 2 , wherein the address-buffer component receives a clock signal having alternating rising and falling clock edges, the address-buffer component to time the third memory commands to the rising clock edges and the fourth memory commands to the falling clock edges. 
     
     
         4 . The memory module of  claim 1 , the mode register to store a second mode value to control the address-buffer component to direct third memory commands from the first module command port to the first and second DRAM command ports and fourth memory commands from the second module command port to the third and fourth DRAM command ports. 
     
     
         5 . The memory module of  claim 1 , further comprising data-buffer components communicatively coupled between the four sets of DRAM ICs and the module data ports. 
     
     
         6 . The memory module of  claim 5 , wherein a first of the data-buffer components is communicatively coupled between the first module data port and the first set of DRAM ICs, a second of the data-buffer components is communicatively coupled between the second module data port and the second set of DRAM ICs, and a third of the data-buffer components is communicatively coupled between both the first and second module data ports and both the first and second sets of DRAM ICs. 
     
     
         7 . The memory module of  claim 6 , wherein the third data-buffer component comprises two bidirectional data buffers, each of data buffer having a data width of four bits and independently controlled responsive to the first mode value. 
     
     
         8 . The memory module of  claim 7 , the mode register to store a second mode value, the two bidirectional data buffers managed collectively responsive to the second mode value to provide a second data width of eight bits. 
     
     
         9 . The memory module of  claim 1 , wherein the DRAM ICs are arranged in a first row of DRAM ICs and a second row of DRAM ICs, and wherein at least one of the first, second, third, and fourth secondary command port is coupled to ones of the DRAM ICs in both the first and second rows of DRAM ICs. 
     
     
         10 . The memory module of  claim 9 , wherein each of the first, second, third, and fourth secondary command port is coupled to ones of the DRAM ICs in both the first and second rows of DRAM ICs. 
     
     
         11 . A memory module comprising:
 two pairs of data channels, each data channel including:
 memory-module data nodes to communicate data signals representing data; 
 memory coupled to the memory-module data nodes, the memory having address locations to store the data; 
 a memory command interface to receive memory commands and addresses to direct the data to and from the address locations in the memory; and 
   an address-buffer component coupled to the memory command interfaces of each of the data channels, the address-buffer component to derive the memory commands from host commands, the address-buffer component supporting:
 a wide-data mode to direct the memory commands to a pair of the data channels responsive to each of the host commands; and 
 a narrow-data mode to direct the memory commands to only one of the data channels responsive to each of the host commands. 
   
     
     
         12 . The memory module of  claim 11 , the address-buffer component including a first command channel including first memory-module command nodes to receive a first portion of the host commands and a second command channel including second memory-module command nodes to receive a second portion of the host commands. 
     
     
         13 . The memory module of  claim 12 , the first command channel including first time-divisional-multiplexing logic to deinterleave the host commands of the first portion of the host commands in the four-channel mode. 
     
     
         14 . The memory module of  claim 13 , the second command channel including second time-divisional-multiplexing logic to deinterleave the host commands of the second portion of the host commands in the four-channel mode. 
     
     
         15 . The memory module of  claim 13 , the first command channel to direct the memory commands derived from the first portion of the module commands to both of the data channels in the first of the pairs of the data channels in the two-channel mode. 
     
     
         16 . The memory module of  claim 11 , further comprising a register to store one of a two-channel-mode value and a four-channel-mode value, the address-buffer component entering the two-channel mode responsive to the two-channel-mode value and the four-channel mode responsive to the four-channel-mode value. 
     
     
         17 . The memory module of  claim 11 , each data channel further including at least one data-buffer component coupled between the memory-module data nodes and the memory. 
     
     
         18 . The memory module of  claim 17 , the at least one data-buffer component communicating the data signals at a wide data width in the two-channel mode and a narrow data width in the four-channel mode. 
     
     
         19 . The memory module of  claim 17 , wherein the at least one data-buffer component communicates full-width data responsive to the memory commands and addresses in the two-channel mode and half-width data responsive to the memory commands and addresses in the four-channel mode. 
     
     
         20 . A memory module comprising:
 four data channels, each data channel including:
 memory-module data nodes to communicate data signals representing data; 
 memory coupled to the memory-module data nodes, the memory having address locations to store the data; 
   a memory command interface to receive memory commands and addresses to direct the data to and from the address locations in the memory; and   mode-selection means for deriving the memory commands from module commands, the mode-selection means supporting:
 a two-channel mode to direct the memory commands to a pair of the data channels responsive to each of the module commands; and 
 a four-channel mode to direct the memory commands to only one of the data channels responsive to each of the module commands.