RESISTANCE CHANGE MEMORY CELL CIRCUITS AND METHODS

• US 20130215669A1
• Filed: 10/26/2011
• Published: 08/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hefei Reliance Memory Limited
• Original Assignee: Rambus Inc.
• Inventors: Haukness, Brent
• Granted Patent: US 8,861,259 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 365/148
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 13/0007 comprising metal oxide memory material, e.g. perovskites
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 13/0028 Word-line or row circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 13/004 Reading or sensing circuits or methods
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 13/0069 Writing or programming circuits or methods
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 13/0097 Erasing, e.g. resetting, circuits or methods
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2013/0045 Read using current through the cell
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2013/0071 Write using write potential applied to access device gate
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2013/0078 Write using current through the cell
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2213/79 Array wherein the access device being a transistor
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 8/08 Word line control circuits, e.g. drivers, boosters, pull-up circuits, pull-down circuits, precharging circuits, for word lines

Abstract

The gate of the access transistor of a 1 transistor 1 resistor (1T1R) type RRAM cell is biased relative to the source of the access transistor using a current mirror. Under the influence of a voltage applied across the 1T1R cell (e.g., via the bit line), the RRAM memory element switches from a higher resistance to a lower resistance. As the RRAM memory element switches from the higher resistance to the lower resistance, the current through the RRAM cell switches from being substantially determined by the higher resistance of the RRAM device (while the access transistor is operating in the linear region) to being substantially determined by the saturation region operating point of the access transistor.

Claims

1. A method of changing a state of a resistive change memory element of an integrated circuit device, the method comprising:

generating a reference current;

biasing an access transistor coupled to the resistive change memory element to establish a bias of the access transistor; and

,

based on the bias of the access transistor, using a current mirror to establish from the reference current, a current that flows through the resistive change memory element.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the current mirror comprises a transistor receiving the reference current to generate the bias of the access transistor.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the resistive change memory element is part of a resistive change memory cell that is part of an array of resistive change memory cells addressable by a plurality of bit lines and a plurality of word lines, a first node of the resistive change memory cell is connected to a bit line of the array, a second node of the resistive change memory cell is connected to a common source line of the array, and a third node of the resistive change memory cell is connected to a word line of the array.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the access transistor is a field-effect transistor having a source, a gate, and a drain, the gate being connected to the bit line bit line of the array and the source is connected to the common source line of the array.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the bias of the access transistor determines a second voltage difference between the source and the gate, the second voltage difference determining the current passing through the resistive change memory element.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the resistive change memory element is disposed in series with the drain and the source of the access transistor and between the first node and the second node.

7. A method of performing a memory operation in an integrated circuit memory device to change a state of a resistive change memory element in an array having a plurality of bit lines and a plurality of word lines, comprising:

providing a first voltage on a bit line of the plurality of bit lines to change a state of a resistive change memory cell; and

,

providing a second voltage on a word line of the plurality of word lines, the second voltage to bias an access transistor using a current mirror to establish, from a reference current a current that flows through the resistive change memory element.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a voltage across the resistive change memory element changes a resistance of the resistive change memory element from a first resistance to a second resistance.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first resistance is greater than the second resistance.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the second voltage determines a gate to source voltage of a field-effect transistor (FET) of the resistive change memory cell.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the current flows from the bitline through the resistive change memory element and a channel of the FET while a resistance of the resistive change memory element is changed.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the current is limited to the reference current by the FET in response to the gate to source voltage.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the gate to source voltage is determined by a diode-connected FET.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the FET and the diode-connected FET have matched gate lengths.

15. An integrated circuit, comprising:

at least one memory cell having an access transistor coupled to a resistive change memory element;

a reference current generator; and

,

a word line driver circuit to receive a reference current from the reference current generator, to generate a bias, and to bias the access transistor such that the reference current is mirrored as a current that flows through the access transistor.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a resistance of the resistive change memory element of the resistive change memory cell changes from a first resistance to a second resistance.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first resistance is greater than the second resistance.

18. The integrated circuit of claim 17, wherein the word line driver circuit is to bias the access transistor by setting a voltage on a word line connected to a gate of the access transistor.

19. The integrated circuit of claim 17, wherein the resistive change memory element is connected in series with the access transistor to receive a programming voltage across the resistive change memory element in response to the access transistor turning on to an amount controlled by the bias generated by the word line driver circuit.

20. The integrated circuit of claim 18, wherein a bit line is connected to the resistive change memory element to supply a program voltage used to change the resistive change memory element, and a current flowing through the resistive change memory element is limited to a peak current by the biasing of the access transistor by the word line driver circuit.

21-36. -36. (canceled)