Patent · US Expired

Sense amplifier precharge control

US4879682A · kind A · utility

20Cited by
1References
15Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateSep 15, 1988
Grant dateNov 7, 1989
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 15, 2008

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C16/28
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A non-volatile memory has a sense amplifier having a select side and a reference side which compares the current drawn by a selected bit line to the current drawn by a reference bit line. There is a column decoder which selects the bit line and couples it to the select side of the sense amplifier. The column decoder adds capacitance so that the capacitance is greater on the select side of the sense amplifier than on the reference side. The natural result of the capacitance imbalance was slowing of the speed with which the sense amplifier could provide reliable sensing. There is provided circuitry for compensating for this capacitance imbalance.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.