Static type of semiconductor memory device having great low voltage operation margin

• US 5,642,315 A
• Filed: 09/28/1995
• Issued: 06/24/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Yamaguchi, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Viet Q.
• Application Number:
  US08/535,723
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 365/189.01, 365/189.09, 365/203, 365/204, 365/189.11, 365/230.06
• US Class Current: 365/189.09
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/418 Address circuits
• 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

A static type of semiconductor memory device includes a power supply line for supplying a power supply voltage, a pair of bit lines, a word line, and a memory cell connected to the word line and the pair of bit lines. The power supply voltage is boosted up to provide the boosted voltage on a boosted voltage line. A predetermined voltage is supplied to the word line using the boosted voltage and a write operation or read operation is performed to the memory cell via the pair of bit lines when the predetermined voltage is supplied on the word line. The predetermined voltage is approximately equal to a sum of the power supply voltage and a threshold voltage of a MOS transistor, resulting in a great low voltage operation margin.

Claims

1. A static type of semiconductor memory device comprising:

a power supply line for supplying a power supply voltage;

a static type of memory cell having a flip-flop which is composed of two load resistors and two driving MOS transistors respectively connected to said two load resistors, wherein said two load resistors are connected to said power supply line, transfer MOS transistors are provided between output terminals of said flip-flop and said bit lines, respectively, and gates of said transfer MOS transistors are connected to a word line;

a boosting circuit for boosting said power supply voltage;

a word line driving circuit for driving said word line with a boosted voltage supplied from said boosting circuit; and

a voltage control circuit for controlling said boosted voltage to be in the neighborhood of a predetermined voltage such that ratio of current through one of said driving MOS transistors in an on state to current through one of said transfer MOS transistors is set to a desired value.

5. A static type of semiconductor memory device according to claim 1, wherein said voltage control circuit comprises a clamping circuit.

2. A static type of semiconductor memory device comprising:

a power supply line for supplying a power supply voltage;

a static type of memory cell having a flip-flop which is composed of two load resistors and two driving MOS transistors respectively connected to said two load resistors, wherein said two load resistors are connected to said power supply line, transfer MOS transistors are provided between output terminals of said flip-flop and bit lines of a pair, respectively, and gates of said transfer MOS transistors are connected to a word line; and

voltage adjusting means for adjusting a voltage of said word line to a predetermined voltage such that a ratio of current flowing through one of said two driving MOS transistors in an on state to current flowing through one of said transfer MOS transistors is set to a desired value.

3. A static type of semiconductor memory device according to claim 2, wherein said voltage adjusting means includes:

a boosting circuit for boosting up said power supply voltage;

a word line driving circuit for driving said word line with said boosted voltage supplied from said boosting circuit; and

a voltage control circuit for controlling said boosted voltage to be in the neighborhood of said predetermined voltage.

6. A static type of semiconductor memory device according to claim 2, wherein said predetermined voltage is approximately equal to a sum of said power supply voltage and a threshold voltage of one of said MOS transistors.

7. A static type of semiconductor memory device according to claim 3, wherein said voltage control circuit is provided between said boosting circuit and said power supply line.

8. A static type of semiconductor memory device according to claim 7, wherein said predetermined voltage is approximately equal to a sum of said power supply voltage and a threshold voltage of one of said MOS transistors.

9. A static type of semiconductor memory device according to claim 8, wherein said voltage control circuit comprises an N-channel MOS transistor having a gate and drain connected to said boosting circuit and a source connected to said power supply line.

10. A static type of semiconductor memory device according to claim 8, wherein said voltage control circuit comprises diodes connected in series, an anode of the first diode being connected to said boosting circuit and a cathode of the last diode being connected to said power supply line.

4. A method of providing a large low voltage operation margin in a static type of semiconductor memory device, comprising the steps of:

providing in said static type of memory cell a flip-flop which is composed of two load resistors and two driving MOS transistors respectively connected to said two load resistors, wherein said two load resistors are connected to a power supply line for supplying a power supply voltage, transfer MOS transistors are provided between output terminals of said flip-flop and bit lines of a pair, respectively, and gates of said transfer MOS transistors are connected to a word line; and

adjusting a voltage of said word line to a predetermined voltage such that a ratio of current flowing through one of said two driving MOS transistors in an on state to current flowing through one of said transfer MOS transistors is set to a desired value.

12. A method according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined voltage is approximately equal to a sum of the power supply voltage and a threshold voltage of one of said MOS transistors.

13. A method according to claim 4, wherein said adjusting step includes:

boosting the power supply voltage;

regulating the boosted voltage to the predetermined voltage; and

applying the regulated voltage to the word line.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the predetermined voltage is approximately equal to a sum of the power supply voltage and a threshold voltage of one of said MOS transistors.

15. A method according to claim 13, wherein said regulating step includes flowing current from the boosted voltage line to the power supply line such that a voltage drop is approximately equal to a threshold voltage of an N-channel MOS transistor between the boosted voltage line and the power supply line.

11. A method of providing a great low voltage operation margin in a static type of semiconductor memory device;

comprising the steps of;

providing in said static type of memory cell a flip-flop which is composed of two load resistors and two driving MOS transistors respectively connected to said two load resistors, wherein said two load resistors are connected to said power supply line, transfer MOS transistors are provided between output terminals of said flip-flop and said bit lines, respectively, and gates of said transfer MOS transistors are connected to a word line;

boosting the power supply voltage to provide boosted voltage on a boosted voltage line;

adjusting said boosted voltage to generate a predetermined voltage;

supplying the predetermined voltage to the word line; and

performing a write operation or read operation to the memory cell via the pair of bit lines when the predetermined voltage is supplied on the word line, wherein the predetermined voltage supplied on the word line is such that ratio of current through one of said driving MOS transistors in an on state to current through one of said transfer MOS transistors is set to a desired value.

16. A static type of semiconductor memory device comprising:

a power supply line for supplying a power supply voltage;

a pair of bit lines;

a word line;

a static type of memory cell having a flip-flop which is composed of two load resistors and two driving MOS transistors respectively connected to said two load resistors, wherein said two load resistors are connected to said power supply line, transfer MOS transistors are provided between output terminals of said flip-flop and said bit lines, respectively, and gates of said transfer MOS transistors are connected to a word line;

adjusting means for adjusting a voltage of said word line to a predetermined voltage such that a ratio of current flowing through one of said two driving MOS transistors in an on state to current flowing through one of said transfer MOS transistors is set to a desired value; and

an access circuit for performing a write operation or read operation to the memory cell via the pair of bit lines in response to supply of the predetermined voltage to the word line.

17. A static type of semiconductor memory device according to claim 16, wherein the predetermined voltage is approximately equal to a sum of the power supply voltage and a threshold voltage of one of said MOS transistors.

18. A static type of semiconductor memory device according to claim 16, wherein said adjusting means includes:

a boosting circuit for boosting the power supply voltage;

a regulating circuit for regulating the boosted voltage to the predetermined voltage; and

a word line driving circuit for applying the regulated voltage to the word line.

19. A static type of semiconductor memory device according to claim 18, wherein the predetermined voltage is approximately equal to a sum of the power supply voltage and a threshold voltage of one of said MOS transistors.

20. A static type of semiconductor memory device according to claim 18, wherein said regulating circuit is adapted for flowing current from the boosted voltage line to the power supply line such that a voltage drop is approximately equal to a threshold voltage of an N-channel MOS transistor between the boosted voltage line and the power supply line.