Single ended dynamic sense amplifier
US5619149A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 15, 1995 |
| Grant date | Apr 8, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 15, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03K19/018571
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A single-ended sense amplifier circuit for sensing the state of a bitline in a memory array. The sense amplifier includes an output circuit having an input and an output, the output for indicating a state of the bitline in response to a bitline voltage level. A precharge circuit is coupled to the input for charging the input to a first voltage level when the input is decoupled from the bitline. A discharge circuit is coupled between the bitline and the input. In one embodiment, the discharge circuit includes a field effect transistor coupled as a cascode device for coupling and decoupling the input to the bitline. The discharge circuit couples the input to the bitline when the discharge voltage level exceeds a threshold voltage level of the discharge circuit. The sense amplifier circuit also includes a noise margin circuit coupled to the bitline for charging the bitline to a voltage level that is less than the first voltage level such that the discharge voltage level is less than the threshold voltage level by a predetermined noise margin voltage.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.