Patent · US Expired

Semiconductor integrated circuit

US5764580A · kind A · utility

18Cited by
5References
24Claims
0Family size

Assignees

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 16, 1996
Grant dateJun 9, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 16, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C7/22
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A semiconductor integrated circuit capable of preventing the excessive overdriving of sense amplifiers when the supply voltage fed thereto is raised. The integrated circuit has differential amplifiers for amplifying a potential difference on complementary signal lines, and a control circuit for generating a first driving control signal for supplying the differential amplifiers with a first driving voltage as an overdriving power supply therefor. The control circuit further generates a second driving control signal for supplying the differential amplifiers with a second driving voltage which is activated after the activated first driving control signal is deactivated and which is lower in level than the first driving voltage. The control circuit includes a MOS circuit as a delay circuit composed of MOS transistors for defining a time interval from the time the first driving control signal is activated until the second driving control signal is activated. With this arrangement, the period during which the overdriving voltage is applied is variable in dependence on the level of the supply voltage such that the overdrive period is relatively short if the supply voltage is high and rela…

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