TRACKING MECHANISMS

• US 20150213857A1
• Filed: 04/06/2015
• Published: 07/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: WANG, Bing, HSU, Kuoyuan (Peter)
• Granted Patent: US 9,324,393 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/4076 Timing circuits for regeneration management G11C11/406
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/419 Read-write [R-W] circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/1051 Data output circuits, e.g. read-out amplifiers, data output buffers, data output registers, data output level conversion circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/1078 Data input circuits, e.g. write amplifiers, data input buffers, data input registers, data input level conversion circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/18 Bit line organisation; Bit line lay-out
• 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 7/227 Timing of memory operations based on dummy memory elements or replica circuits
• 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 tracking circuit in a memory macro includes a data line, a tracking cell electrically coupled with the data line, a logical gate, a feedback transistor, and a plurality of pulling devices. The logical gate has an input terminal and an output terminal. The input terminal of the logical gate is electrically coupled with the data line. The feedback transistor has a first terminal, a second terminal, and a gate terminal. The first terminal of the feedback transistor is electrically coupled with the data line, and the gate terminal of the feedback transistor is electrically coupled with the output terminal of the logical gate. The plurality of pulling devices is configured to pull the second terminal of the feedback transistor toward a first voltage.

Claims

1. A tracking circuit in a memory macro, comprising:

a data line;

a tracking cell electrically coupled with the data line;

a logical gate having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal of the logical gate being electrically coupled with the data line, the output terminal having a first voltage level when the input terminal has a second voltage level, and the output terminal having the second voltage level when the input terminal has the first voltage level;

a feedback transistor having a first terminal, a second terminal, and a gate terminal, the first terminal of the feedback transistor being electrically coupled with the data line, and the gate terminal of the feedback transistor being electrically coupled with the output terminal of the logical gate; and

a plurality of pulling devices configured to pull the second terminal of the feedback transistor toward the first voltage.

2. The tracking circuit of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pulling devices comprises a plurality of transistors connected in parallel.

3. The tracking circuit of claim 2, wherein a transistor of the plurality of transistors is a P-type transistor.

4. The tracking circuit of claim 2, wherein a transistor of the plurality of transistors is an N-type transistor.

5. The tracking circuit of claim 1, wherein a pulling device of the plurality of pulling devices comprises a resistor and a switch connected in series.

6. The tracking circuit of claim 1, further comprising a switching circuit configured to electrically connect and disconnect the plurality of pulling devices from the second terminal of the feedback transistor.

7. The tracking circuit of claim 1, wherein the logical gate is an inverter or a NAND gate configured as an inverter.

8. The tracking circuit of claim 1, wherein

the logical gate has

a first current capability configured to pull the output terminal of the logical gate toward the first voltage level;

and

a second current capability configured to pull the output terminal of the logical gate toward the second voltage level; and

the second current capability is greater than the first current capability.

9. A memory macro, comprising:

an input/output circuit, comprising;

a first data line;

a first logical gate having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal of the first logical gate being electrically coupled with the first data line;

a first feedback transistor having a first terminal, a second terminal, and a gate terminal, the first terminal of the first feedback transistor being electrically coupled with the first data line, and the gate terminal of the first feedback transistor being electrically coupled with the output terminal of the first logical gate; and

a first pulling device configured to pull the input terminal of the first logical gate toward a first voltage level; and

a tracking circuit, comprising;

a second data line;

a second logical gate having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal of the second logical gate being electrically coupled with the second data line;

a second feedback transistor having a first terminal, a second terminal, and a gate terminal, the first terminal of the second feedback transistor being electrically coupled with the second data line, and the gate terminal of the second feedback transistor being electrically coupled with the output terminal of the second logical gate; and

a second pulling device configured to pull the input terminal of the second logical gate toward the first voltage level; and

at least one of the following conditions;

the second pulling device having a current capacity greater than that of the first pulling device;

or

the first logical gate having a first current capacity for pulling the output terminal of the first logical gate toward the first voltage level, the second logical gate having a second current capacity for pulling the output terminal of the second logical gate toward the first voltage level, and the first current capacity is greater than the second current capacity.

10. The memory macro of claim 9, wherein the second pulling device comprises a plurality of transistors connected in parallel.

11. The memory macro of claim 10, wherein a transistor of the plurality of transistors is a P-type transistor.

12. The memory macro of claim 10, wherein a transistor of the plurality of transistors is an N-type transistor.

13. The memory macro of claim 9, wherein the pulling device comprises a resistor and a switch connected in series.

14. The memory macro of claim 9, wherein the tracking circuit further comprises a switching circuit configured to electrically connect and disconnect the second pulling device from the second terminal of the second feedback transistor.

18. The memory macro of claim 9, wherein the first logical gate is a NAND gate, and the second logical gate is another NAND gate configured as an inverter.

19. A method comprising:

configuring a logical gate of a tracking circuit to have a trip point;

determining a delay current value of a delay current corresponding to a time delay of the logical gate based on an access condition of a memory cell in a memory macro having the tracking circuit; and

configuring a current source to provide the delay current value to the tracking circuit,

wherein

the delay current affects a transition of a signal at an output terminal of the logical gate of the tracking circuit; and

the transition of the signal at the output terminal of the logical gate causes a transition of a signal of a control line of the memory cell.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the configuring a current source comprises configuring a plurality of parallel-connected transistors.