SPRAD06B March 2022 – November 2024 AM620-Q1 , AM623 , AM625 , AM625-Q1
Prior to DDR4, the output buffers were push-pull CMOS buffers. They would sink current when driving low and source current when driving high. They were then terminated to a mid-level Thevenin resistance to obtain optimum power transfer and signal integrity. Unfortunately, this resulted in current flowing, and power being dissipated, whenever the buffers were enabled at either high or low. Pseudo Open Drain (POD) is a connection type where the termination at the load, ODT, is only connected to VDDQ. POD connections only consume power when driving low, thus reducing power. In DDR4, both the PHY (for reads) and SDRAM (for writes) provide these terminations to VDDQ internally on all of the data group pins.
Signals look different on connections using POD terminations as compared to previous DDR connections, where the data group signals went from VSS to VDDQ and sampling was based on a mid-level reference voltage. The high level is still at VDDQ. However, the low level is now calculated based on the drive impedance and the ODT resistance. If they are both set to 50 Ω, the low-level voltage is now at VDDQ/2. That then requires a sampling voltage half way between those voltages, or 3/4*VDDQ, for optimum performance.