SENSE STRUCTURE BASED ON MULTIPLE SENSE AMPLIFIERS WITH LOCAL REGULATION OF A BIASING VOLTAGE
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Accused Products
Abstract
A sense structure may include sense amplifiers each having measuring and reference terminals for receiving a measuring and a reference current, respectively, output circuitry for providing an output voltage based upon the measuring and reference currents, and voltage regulating circuitry in cascode configuration for regulating a voltage at the measuring and reference terminals. The regulating circuitry may include measuring and regulating transistors and a reference regulating transistor having a first conduction terminal coupled with the measuring terminal and with the reference terminal, respectively, a second conduction terminal coupled with the output circuitry and a control terminal coupled with a biasing terminal. Biasing circuitry is for providing a biasing voltage to the biasing terminal, and common regulating circuitry is for regulating the biasing voltage. Each sense amplifier may also include local regulating circuitry for regulating the biasing voltage applied to the biasing terminal.
7 Citations
24 Claims
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1-9. -9. (canceled)
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10. A sense structure comprising:
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a plurality of sense amplifiers, each comprising at least one measuring terminal and a reference terminal configured to receive a measuring current and a reference current, respectively, output circuitry configured to provide an output voltage based upon a comparison between the measuring current and the reference current, a biasing terminal, and voltage regulating circuitry in a cascode configuration and configured to regulate a voltage at the measuring terminal and at the reference terminal, the voltage regulating circuitry comprising a measuring regulating transistor and a reference regulating transistor having first conduction terminals coupled to the measuring and reference terminals, respectively, second conduction terminals coupled to the output circuitry, and control terminals coupled to the biasing terminal; biasing circuitry configured to provide a biasing voltage to the biasing terminal of the plurality of sense amplifiers; common regulating circuitry configured to regulate the biasing voltage for the plurality of sense amplifiers; each sense amplifier further comprising local regulating circuitry configured to regulate the biasing voltage applied to the biasing terminal; and switching circuitry selectively controllable and configured to couple the local regulating circuitry of each of the plurality of sense amplifiers to the common regulating circuitry to refresh the local regulating circuitry in a rest condition and to decouple the local regulating circuitry of each of the plurality of sense amplifiers from the common regulating circuitry in an operative condition. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A non-volatile memory device comprising:
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a plurality of memory cells; and a sense structure coupled to the plurality of memory comprising a plurality of sense amplifiers, each comprising at least one measuring terminal and a reference terminal configured to receive a measuring current and a reference current, respectively, output circuitry configured to provide an output voltage based upon a comparison between the measuring current and the reference current, a biasing terminal, and voltage regulating circuitry configured to regulate a voltage at the measuring terminal and at the reference terminal, the voltage regulating circuitry comprising a measuring regulating transistor and a reference regulating transistor having first conduction terminals coupled to the measuring and reference terminals, respectively, second conduction terminals coupled to the output circuitry, and control terminals coupled to the biasing terminal, biasing circuitry configured to provide a biasing voltage to the biasing terminal of the plurality of sense amplifiers, common regulating circuitry configured to regulate the biasing voltage for the plurality of sense amplifiers, each sense amplifier further comprising local regulating circuitry configured to regulate the biasing voltage applied to the biasing terminal, switching circuitry selectively controllable and configured to couple the local regulating circuitry of each of the plurality of sense amplifiers to the common regulating circuitry to refresh the local regulating circuitry in a rest condition and to decouple the local regulating circuitry of each of the plurality of sense amplifiers from the common regulating circuitry in an operative condition. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A sensing method comprising:
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receiving at least one measuring current and a reference current at a measuring terminal and at a reference terminal, respectively, of each one of a plurality of sense amplifiers; regulating a biasing voltage for the plurality of sense amplifiers using common regulating circuitry; providing the biasing voltage to a biasing terminal of the plurality of sense amplifiers; regulating a voltage at the measuring and reference terminals of each of the plurality of sense amplifiers by voltage regulating circuitry comprising a measuring regulating transistor and a reference regulating transistor having first conduction terminals coupled to the measuring terminal and to the reference terminal, respectively, second conduction terminals coupled to output circuitry of a sense amplifier, and control terminals coupled to the biasing terminal; providing an output voltage based upon a comparison between the measuring current and the reference current by the output circuitry of each of the plurality of sense amplifiers; further regulating the biasing voltage at the biasing terminal of each of the plurality of sense amplifiers by local regulating circuitry; and selectively controlling switching circuitry to couple the local regulating circuitry of each of the plurality of sense amplifiers to the common regulating circuitry to refresh the local regulating circuitry in a rest condition and to decouple the local regulating circuitry of each of the plurality of sense amplifiers from the common regulating circuitry in an operative condition. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
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Specification