The DDR2 SDRAM uses a double data rate architecture to achieve high-speed operation. The double data rate architecture is essentially a 4n-prefetch architecture, with an interface designed to transfer two data words per clock cycle at the I/O balls. A single READ or WRITE operation for the DDR2 SDRAM effectively consists of a single 4n-bitwide, two-clock-cycle data transfer at the internal DRAM core and four corresponding n-bit-wide, one-half-clock-cycle data transfers at the I/O balls.
A bidirectional data strobe (DQS, DQS#) is transmitted externally, along with data, for use in data capture at the receiver. DQS is a strobe transmitted by the DDR2 SDRAM during READs and by the memory controller during WRITEs. DQS is edge-aligned with data for READs and center-aligned with data for WRITEs.
The x16 offering has two data strobes, one for the lower byte (LDQS, LDQS#) and one for the upper byte (UDQS, UDQS#). The DDR2 SDRAM operates from a differential clock (CK and CK#); the crossing of CK going HIGH and CK# going LOW will be referred to as the positive edge of CK. Commands (address and control signals) are registered at every positive edge of CK. Input data is registered on both edges of DQS, and output data is referenced to both edges of DQS as well as to both edges of CK.