Signal line driving circuits with active body pull-up capability for reducing boost delay
US5946243A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 27, 1998 |
| Grant date | Aug 31, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 27, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11C11/4085
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Driving circuits with active body pull-capability for inhibiting boost delay include main, subordinate and boosted signal lines and a first driver circuit electrically coupled to the main signal line, to drive the main signal line at a first potential (e.g., Vcc). A second driver circuit, electrically coupled to the boosted signal line, is also provided to drive the boosted signal line at a second potential (e.g., Vpp) greater than the first potential. A first field effect transistor is provided as a pull-up transistor which has a gate, drain and source electrically coupled to the main signal line, the boosted signal line and the subordinate signal line, respectively. To reduce body-bias effects which might inhibit the speed and pull-up capability of the pull-up transistor, a second field effect transistor is provided to actively pull-up the body (e.g., active region) of the pull-up transistor. This second field effect has a gate, drain and source electrically coupled to the main signal line (or boosted signal line), the boosted signal line and the body of the pull-up transistor, respectively. The second field effect transistor is designed to provide a pull-up function to the body …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.