Patent · US Active

Dual port PLD embedded memory block to support read-before-write in one clock cycle

US7499365B1 · kind B1 · utility

2Cited by
2References
14Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateMar 7, 2007
Grant dateMar 3, 2009
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 7, 2027

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C11/419
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method for a read-before-write functionality for a memory within a programmable logic device (PLD) is provided. The method begins when a read operation and a write operation are initiated through two different ports of a memory simultaneously to access the same address in the memory. In order to prevent the write operation from proceeding prior to the read operation, a read-before-write control logic is provided to the control block of the port that supports the write operation. Thus, the write operation is paused until the control block of the port that supports the write operation receives a signal from a read sense amplifier indicating that the read operation is complete. The read sense amplifier is capable of detecting the completion of a read operation by monitoring the voltage difference of the read bitline. When this voltage difference reaches a threshold value, the read sense amplifier triggers a write wordline signal. The enabling of the write wordline signal causes, the data to be written to the memory.

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