Patent · US Active

Semiconductor memory device implementing full-VDD bit line precharge scheme using bit line sense amplifier

US8009494B2 · kind B2 · utility

5Cited by
1References
24Claims
0Family size

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Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJul 14, 2009
Grant dateAug 30, 2011
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 9, 2029

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C11/4094
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A semiconductor memory device using a full-VDD bit line precharge scheme by using a bit line sense amplifier includes a precharge unit precharging a bit line and a complementary bit line from a power voltage to a voltage that is less than the power voltage by a predetermined voltage, and the bit line sense amplifier including first and second transistors serially connected between the bit line and the complementary bit line to be cross-coupled to each other, wherein a gate of the first transistor is connected to the complementary bit line and a gate of the second transistor is connected to the bit line. The precharge unit precharges, in response to a first precharge signal, the bit line and the complementary bit line to a voltage that is less than the power voltage by a threshold voltage of the first or second transistor, and precharges, in response to a second precharge signal, the bit line and the complementary bit line from the power voltage to a voltage that is less than the power voltage by half of a threshold voltage of the first or second transistor.

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