Compensatory Memory System

• US 20100265779A1
• Filed: 04/16/2010
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Cano, Francisco A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,144,533 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 365/194
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/08 Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/22 Read-write [R-W] timing or clocking circuits; Read-write [R-W] control signal generators or management
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/222 Clock generating, synchronizing or distributing circuits within memory device
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 8/10 Decoders
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 8/18 Address timing or clocking circuits; Address control signal generation or management, e.g. for row address strobe [RAS] or column address strobe [CAS] signals

Abstract

A compensatory memory system is described. This memory system substantially improves performance by adapting an associated delay in a way that optimizes circuit performance.

Claims

1. An compensatory memory system with voltage scaling, comprising:

a clock generator for transmitting a second clock signal in response to receiving the first clock signal;

a first decode logic block for receiving a first group of addresses associated with data storage locations and the second clock signal, the first decode logic block operative for transmitting a second group of addresses in response to receiving the first group of addresses;

a compensatory delay device coupled for receiving the second clock signal and operative for transmitting an enable signal;

wherein the compensatory delay device is designed using a slow process corner and the compensatory memory system with voltage scaling has increased performance by compensating for logic delays an amplifier trigger speed.

2. The compensatory memory system of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of decoders;

a plurality of word lines, where a decoder is associated with each word line;

a plurality of bit lines; and

a plurality of amplifiers, where an amplifier is associated with pairs of bit lines.

3. The compensatory memory system of claim 2, wherein each of the sense amplifiers receive the enable signal, and the compensatory delay device compensates for delays associated with the decoders, the word lines, and bit lines.

4. The compensatory memory system of claim 2, wherein the compensatory delay device tracks an invariant portion of a statistical variation associated with each of the bit lines.

5. The compensatory memory system of claim 1 wherein the amplifiers are sense amplifiers and the amplifier trigger speed is a maximum amplifier trigger speed.

6. The compensatory memory system of claim 1, wherein the compensatory delay device operates at an optimized delay.

7. The compensatory memory system of claim 1, wherein the optimized delay includes a margin for further enhancing performance.

8. The compensatory memory system of claim 1, wherein the compensatory memory system is of a memory type selected from the group consisting of static random access memory, dynamic random access memory, and read only memory.

9. An compensatory memory system with voltage scaling, comprising:

a register for storing a plurality of addresses for identifying a plurality of bits;

a decoder adapted to be coupled for receiving the addresses and a clock signal;

a compensatory delay device coupled to receive the clock signal and transmit an enable signal;

an amplifier coupled to transmit a data signal in response receiving the enable signal,

wherein the compensatory delay device is designed using a slow process corner and the compensatory memory system with voltage scaling has increased performance by compensating for a maximum trigger speed of the amplifier and a delay associated with a tracking element.

10. A method for designing an compensatory memory system having a word line and a bit line, steps of the method comprising:

selecting optimal decode logic based on a slow process corner;

determining word line characteristics;

determining bit line characteristics;

determining sense amplifier trigger characteristics;

defining an optimized delay;

creating a delay device with the optimized delay;

determining an compensatory delay that compensates for the maximum timing characteristic of the word line, bit line, and the maximum trigger speed; and

adding a delay margin when the compensatory delay does not meet desired performance standard.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising the steps of:

determining the performance of an associated circuit;

determining whether the performance meets a desired standard; and

adding the delay margin when the compensatory delay meets the desired standard.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein determining bit line characteristics further comprises determining a maximum separation of associated bitlines.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein determining word line characteristics further comprise determining a word line delay.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein determining bit line characteristics further comprises determining a bit line delay.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein selecting the optimal decode logic further comprises determining a delay associated with decode logic.