NONVOLATILE MEMORY DEVICE AND MERTHOD OF OPERATING THE SAME

• US 20150287469A1
• Filed: 08/29/2014
• Published: 10/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.
• Original Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.
• Inventors: JOO, Byoung In
• Granted Patent: US 9,142,310 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 13/0038 Power supply circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 13/004 Reading or sensing circuits or methods
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 13/0061 Timing circuits or methods
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/20 Initialising; Data preset; Chip identification
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/26 Sensing or reading circuits; Data output circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/30 Power supply circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/32 Timing circuits

Abstract

A nonvolatile memory device includes a control circuit that generates an integrated activation signal based on a read command signal for instructing start of an read operation and a ready/busy signal, and simultaneously generates a voltage control signal and a path control signal in response to the integrated activation signal, a voltage providing circuit that generates voltages used to perform the read operation in response to the voltage control signal, and path control circuits that control electrical path connection to a memory cell array in which the read operation is performed in response to the path control signal.

Claims

1. A nonvolatile memory device comprising:

a control circuit configured to generate an integrated activation signal based on a read command signal instructing start of a read operation and a ready/busy signal, and substantially simultaneously generate a voltage control signal and a path control signal in response to the integrated activation signal;

a voltage providing circuit configured to generate voltages used to perform the read operation in response to the voltage control signal; and

path control circuits configured to control an electrical path connection to a memory cell array in which the read operation is performed, in response to the path control signal.

2. The nonvolatile memory device of claim 1, wherein the control circuit includes:

an integrated activation signal generating circuit configured to generate the integrated activation signal in response to the read command signal and the ready/busy signal; and

a control logic configured to simultaneously generate the voltage control signal and the path control signal in response to the integrated activation signal.

3. The nonvolatile memory device of claim 2, wherein the integrated activation signal generating circuit includes:

a logic operator configured to generate a command interface read signal based on the read command signal and a mode signal; and

a flip flop configured to output the command interface read signal as the integrated activation signal in response to the ready/busy signal.

4. The nonvolatile memory device of claim 3, wherein the flip flop is configured to reset the command interface read signal in response to a reset signal.

5. The nonvolatile memory device of claim 1, wherein the voltage providing circuit includes a voltage pump, and

wherein the voltage pump is configured to generate voltages, which are to be applied to a word line and a bit line of the memory cell array, in response to the voltage control signal and to generate voltages controlling electrical paths through which the generated voltages are provided to the word line and the bit line of the memory cell array.

6. The nonvolatile memory device of claim 1, wherein the path control circuits include:

a row decoder coupled to a word line of the memory cell array;

a page buffer coupled to a bit line of the memory cell array; and

switches configured to control connections between the row decoder and page buffer and the memory cell array.

7. The nonvolatile memory device of claim 1, wherein the ready/busy signal is activated when a predetermined time elapses after the read command signal is activated, and

wherein the control circuit generates the integrated activation signal in response to the ready/busy signal so as to generate the voltage control signal and the path control signal at substantially the same point of time.

8. The nonvolatile memory device of claim 1, wherein the generated voltages used to perform the read operation include a voltage applied to a selected word line of the memory cell array, a voltage applied to a non-selected word line, and a voltage provided to a bit line of the memory cell array.

9. A method of operating a nonvolatile memory device, the method comprising:

generating an integrated activation signal based on a read command signal instructing start of a read operation and a ready/busy signal; and

generating, at substantially the same point of time, control signals for controlling generation of voltages used to perform the read operation and control signals for controlling electrical paths through which the generated voltages are provided to a memory cell array, in response to the integrated activation signal.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein simultaneously generating the control signals at substantially the same point of time includes generating a voltage control signal and a path control signal in response to the integrated activation signal at substantially the same point of time.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

generating the voltages used to perform the read operation in response to the voltage control signal; and

controlling the electrical paths through which the generated voltages are provided to the memory cell array in which the read operation is performed, in response to the path control signal.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing the voltages used to perform the read operation to the memory cell array through the controlled electrical paths.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the voltage control signal includes an oscillation signal, and

wherein generating the voltages includes driving a voltage pump in response to the oscillation signal.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein generating the integrated activation signal includes:

performing a logic operation on a mode signal and the read command signal; and

outputting a result of the logic operation as the integrated activation signal in response to the ready/busy signal.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein generating the integrated activation signal includes:

generating a command interface read signal by performing an AND operation on a mode signal and the read command signal; and

providing the command interface read signal as the integrated activation signal in response to the ready/busy signal.