Mode-selectable voltage driving circuit for use in semiconductor memory device
US5656946A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 23, 1996 |
| Grant date | Aug 12, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 23, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11C5/143
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A voltage driving circuit for use in a semiconductor memory device. The voltage driving circuit includes a generator which generates a first voltage for an operating mode of the device, a generator which generates a second voltage for a standby mode, and a pair of switches connected between the voltage generators and an operating circuit, for selectively supplying the first and second voltages thereto. The first and second switches each have a control terminal, both of which are commonly coupled to a mode signal, for allowing external control of the voltage selection. The first and second voltages are preferably set relative to each other so as to reduce the subthreshold leakage current consumed by the semiconductor memory during a standby mode, while maintaining a desired operating speed during an operating mode.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.