Sense amplifier including multiple conduction state field effect transistor
US7123529B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 7, 2005 |
| Grant date | Oct 17, 2006 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 7, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11C2207/065
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An integrated circuit is provided which includes a sensing circuit. In the sensing circuit, a pair of conductors including a first conductor and a second conductor are adapted to conduct a first differential signal having a small voltage difference and a second differential signal having a rail-to-rail voltage difference. A sense amplifier is coupled to the pair of conductors, the sense amplifier being operable to amplify the first differential signal into the second differential signal. The sensing circuit further includes a multiple conduction state field effect transistor or “multi-state FET” which has a source, a drain, and a gate operable to control conduction between the source and the drain. The multi-state FET has a first threshold voltage and a second threshold voltage which is effective at the same time as the first threshold voltage such that the multi-state FET is operable by the gate voltage to switch between an essentially nonconductive state, a first conductive state when a gate-source voltage applied between a gate and a source of the FET is between the first threshold voltage and the second threshold voltage, and a second conductive state when the gate voltage exce…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.