Patent · US Expired

Memory circuit for preventing rise of cell array power source

US6611472B2 · kind B2 · utility

4Cited by
3References
7Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 6, 2001
Grant dateAug 26, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 6, 2021

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C11/4074
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The present invention is that, in a memory circuit comprising a cell array and peripheral circuit, the cell array power source is supplied to a circuit which operates during the power-down mode in addition to the cell array. The circuit which operates during the power-down mode is, for example, a self-refresh circuit. A dynamic memory requires refreshing operations in fixed intervals even during the power-down mode. Therefore, the self-refresh circuit is operating even during the power-down mode. Thus, by supplying the cell array power source to the self-refresh circuit, it is possible to consume a prescribed quantity of current from the cell array power source generation circuit to an extent of being able to maintain the level thereof even during the power-down mode. The cell array power source may be maintained within an appropriate voltage range thereby.

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