Word line voltage boosting circuit and method thereof

• US 5,673,225 A
• Filed: 03/29/1996
• Issued: 09/30/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jeong, Woo-Seop, Lee, Ho-Cheol
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelms, David C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAN, TRONG Q
• Application Number:
  US08/623,772
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• Field of Search: 365/189.11, 365/203, 365/230.06, 365/226
• US Class Current: 365/189.11
• 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 word line voltage boosting circuit varies a word line output voltage according to variation of the number of the word lines to be activated. A boosting circuit boosts a word line voltage which has been precharged to a first level voltage to a second level voltage in response to an activation signal. A voltage adding circuit further boosts the word line voltage to a third voltage level by adding a predetermined voltage to the second level voltage if the number of the word lines to be activated increases. A driving circuit includes a bootstrap circuit for stably providing the boosted word line voltage to an output line.

Claims

1. A word line voltage boosting circuit for a semiconductor memory device, comprising:

a boosting circuit which boosts a word line voltage from a first voltage level to a second voltage level in response to an activation signal when less than a first predetermined number of word lines are activated;

a voltage adding circuit coupled to an output of said boosting circuit which further boosts said word line voltage to a third voltage level greater than said second voltage level in response to a mode operation signal, such that said voltage adding circuit is not operative to boost said word line voltage to said third voltage level until at least said first predetermined number of word lines are activated; and

a word line driving circuit coupled to said output of said boosting circuit and an output of said voltage adding circuit which supplies said boosted word line voltage having one of said second voltage level and said third voltage level to an output line.

2. The word line voltage boosting circuit according to claim 1, further comprising a precharge circuit which precharges said word line voltage to said first voltage level.

3. The word line voltage boosting circuit according to claim 1, wherein said word line voltage driving circuit includes a bootstrap circuit which stably provides said boosted word line voltage to said output line.

4. The word line voltage boosting circuit according to claim 1, wherein said voltage adding circuit includes a plurality of voltage adders, certain of said plurality of voltage adders being selected to correspond with a plurality of predetermined numbers of activated word lines, an additional one of said voltage adders being selected in response to an increased predetermined number of activated word lines so that an increased third voltage level results therefrom.

5. A word line voltage boosting circuit according to claim 4, wherein said plurality of voltage adders are respectively selected in response to a plurality of predetermined pulse widths of said mode operation signal.

6. An word line voltage boosting method of a semiconductor memory device, comprising:

boosting a word line voltage from a first voltage level to a second voltage level in response to an activation signal when less than a first predetermined number of word lines are activated;

further boosting said word line voltage to a third voltage level greater than said second voltage level in response to a mode operation signal, said word line voltage being prevented from being boosted to said third voltage level until at least said first predetermined number of word lines are activated; and

supplying said boosted word line voltage having one of said second voltage level and said third voltage level to an output line.

7. The word line voltage boosting method according to claim 6, further comprising:

precharging said word line voltage to said first voltage level.

8. The word line voltage boosting method according to claim 6, wherein said step of supplying said boosted word line voltage includes bootstrapping said boosted word line voltage to provide a stable output to said output line.

9. The word line voltage boosting method according to claim 6, wherein said step of further boosting said word line voltage includes selecting one of a plurality of predetermined voltage boosting levels in response to said mode operation signal to form said third voltage level greater than said second voltage level, said plurality of predetermined voltage boosting levels respectively corresponding to a plurality of predetermined numbers of activated word lines greater than said first predetermined number of activated word lines.