System and method for a self-calibrating sense-amplifier strobe
US6714464B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 26, 2002 |
| Grant date | Mar 30, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 13, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11C2207/2254
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system and method for self-calibration of the strobe timing of the sense-amplifiers of a RAM array. In one method example, the timing of two sense amplifiers used to read the bit-lines of the RAM array is controlled by a Delay Locked Loop circuit (DLL). The timing of a first sense-amplifier strobe is reduced until the sense amplifier fails. The second sense amplifier has adequate timing margin however and is used to actually read the RAM bit-lines. Once the RAM read fails with the first sense amplifier, the DLL lengthens the strobe timing. Once the minimum threshold is set, the second sense amplifier will always read the correct data because of a built-in timing margin between the first and second amplifier. Thus the system constantly optimizes the RAM array read timing with each read cycle even though the minimal time varies.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.