Ferroelectric memory and method for preventing aging in a memory cell

US6091625A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Siemens Aktiengesellschaft · DE

Inventors

• Georg Braun · Hersbruck, DE
• Carlos Mazure-Espejo · Zorneding, DE
• Heinz Honigschmid · Starnberg, DE
• Andrej Majdic · Zorneding, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 28, 1999
• Grant date: Jul 18, 2000
• Expiry date: Sep 28, 2019

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G11C11/22
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

An integrated memory includes a cell array having bit lines, word lines and writable memory cells. A first differential sense amplifier has connections connected to a data line pair through which the first sense amplifier reads information from one of the memory cells during a read access operation in order to amplify it subsequently, and through which the first sense amplifier writes information to one of the memory cells during a write access operation. The relevant information is transferred as differential signals through the data line pair and is temporarily stored by the first sense amplifier during every write access operation. The memory also has a switching unit through which the data line pair is connected to the connections of the first sense amplifier, for interchanging the lines of the data line pair in relation to the connections of the first sense amplifier, depending on the switching state of the switching unit. The switching state of the switching unit is changed at least once during a write access operation, so that the information to be written is written to the relevant memory cell by the first sense amplifier initially in noninverted form and then in inverted f…