SEMICONDUCTOR MEMORY DEVICE AND METHOD WITH AUXILIARY I/O LINE ASSIST CIRCUIT AND FUNCTIONALITY
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A semiconductor device comprising:
- a pair of first data lines transferring complementary signals;
a second data line;
a first circuit coupled with the pair of first data lines to generate a control signal from the complementary signals;
a second circuit driving the second data line from a first potential level to a second potential level in response to the control signal; and
a third circuit driving the second data line from the first potential level to the second potential level in parallel to the second circuit in response to a potential level of the second data line exceeding a prescribed value.
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Abstract
A semiconductor memory device includes an I/O line for transmitting read data that has been read from a memory cell, a plurality of driver circuits for driving the I/O line on the basis of the read data, a read circuit for receiving the read data transmitted through the I/O line, and an assist circuit for amplifying the read data transmitted through the I/O line. The assist circuit is disposed farther away from a prescribed drive circuit included in the plurality of drive circuits as viewed from the read circuit. The signal level can thereby rapidly change levels even in memories having relatively long I/O lines.
375 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A semiconductor device comprising:
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a pair of first data lines transferring complementary signals; a second data line; a first circuit coupled with the pair of first data lines to generate a control signal from the complementary signals; a second circuit driving the second data line from a first potential level to a second potential level in response to the control signal; and a third circuit driving the second data line from the first potential level to the second potential level in parallel to the second circuit in response to a potential level of the second data line exceeding a prescribed value. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method comprising:
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providing complementary signals onto a pair of first data lines; generating a control signal from the complementary signals; driving a second data line from a first potential level to a second potential level in response to the control signal; and supplementing the driving the second data line from the first potential level to the second potential level in response to a potential level of the second data line exceeding a prescribed value. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification