Clock generation circuit generating internal clock of small variation in phase difference from external clock, and semiconductor memory device including such clock generation circuit

摘要

A clock generation circuit includes a clock input circuit receiving complementary external clocks to generate an internal clock, a variable delay circuit delaying the internal clock to generate an internal operation clock, a replica circuit further delaying the internal operation clock by a predetermined time to generate a return clock, a phase comparator directly comparing the phase where potential levels of external clocks cross with the phase of the return clock, and a delay control circuit adjusting the delay amount of the variable delay circuit according to a phase comparison result of the phase comparator.