Sense amplifier
US6404019B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 29, 2000 |
| Grant date | Jun 11, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 13, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH10B12/50
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A sense amplifier for use with a dynamic random access memory is formed in a silicon integrated circuit. The pitch of an array of such sense amplifiers is equal to the pitch of pairs of bit lines of a memory array. Each array of sense amplifiers is formed from four rows of transistors of a given n or p-channel type Metal Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) transistor having a U-shaped gate electrode. The gate electrode of the transistors in each row of transistors of the sense amplifier is offset from those in a previous row by a preselected amount. The bit lines passing through the sense amplifier are straight, with no offsets to affect photolithographic performance, and no protuberances to increase the capacitance of the bit lines. Such an array of sense amplifiers has a size equivalent to the minimum size of the pairs of bit lines, and thus does not cause any increase in the width of the array of memory cells.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.