Patent · US Expired

Shared dummy cell

US5291437A · kind A · utility

18Cited by
2References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJun 25, 1992
Grant dateMar 1, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 25, 2012

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C11/4099
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The present invention describes a circuit and method for utilizing a single dummy cell for each sense amplifier in a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) device. A precharge transistor connects a dummy cell capacitor to a reference potential and decoded selection transistors. The use of decoded selection transistors provides a means to share the dummy cell capacitor between either input of a differential or sense amplifier thereby reducing required area and circuit complexity.

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