Patent · US Expired

Semiconductor memory devices for outputting bit cell data without separate reference voltage generator and related methods of outputting bit cell data

US6940743B2 · kind B2 · utility

3Cited by
6References
24Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJun 9, 2004
Grant dateSep 6, 2005
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 9, 2024

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C11/4099
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Semiconductor memory devices are provided which include an array of memory cells, an array of reference cells, and a plurality of sense amplifiers that are associated with respective of the memory cells. The reference cells have a first capacitor that is coupled to a first supply voltage, to a first complementary bit line associated with one of the memory cells and to a second complementary bit line that is associated with a different memory cell. The sense amplifiers are configured to sense and amplify the voltage difference between a signal on the first bit line and a signal on the first complementary bit line. These semiconductor memory devices may output bit cell data without a separate reference voltage generator.

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