One-transistor adaptable analog storage element and array

• US 5,864,242 A
• Filed: 12/11/1995
• Issued: 01/26/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Allen, Timothy P., Cser, James B.
• Primary Examiner(s): SANTAMAURO, JON P
• Application Number:
  US08/570,268
• Time in Patent Office: 1,142 Days
• Field of Search: 307/201, 307/529, 307/465, 307/450, 395/24, 365/185, 365/185.03, 365/185.06, 365/185.14, 365/185.18, 365/185.21, 365/185.28, 327/525, 326/39, 326/38, 326/44, 326/49, 326/112, 257/320, 706/33
• US Class Current: 326/44
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/063 using electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/065 Analogue means
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 27/005 with non-volatile charge storage, e.g. on floating gate or MNOS

Abstract

An analog storage array according to the present invention is disposed on a semiconductor substrate. The array is arranged as a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns and includes a plurality of N-channel MOS transistors disposed in the rows and columns in a p-well in the semiconductor substrate. Each of the MOS transistors includes a source, a drain, and a floating gate forming a tunneling junction with a tunneling electrode. An input line is associated with each of the rows in the array. Each input line is connected to the source of each of the N-channel MOS transistors disposed in the row with which the input line is associated. A bias line is associated with each of the rows in the array. Each bias line is capacitively coupled to the floating gate of each of the N-channel MOS transistors disposed in the row with which the bias line is associated. A tunnel line is associated with each of the columns in the array. Each tunnel line connected to the tunneling electrode of each of the N-channel MOS transistors disposed in the column with which the bias line is associated. A current-sum line is associated with each of the columns in the array. Each current-sum line is connected to the drain of each of the N-channel MOS transistors disposed in the column with which the bias line is associated. Circuitry is provided for forward biasing said p-well with respect to the substrate. Circuitry is provided for simultaneously driving a selected one of the bias lines low while driving a selected one of the tunnel lines high, for raising the floating gate voltage of the one of the N-channel MOS transistors common to the selected one of the bias lines and the selected one of the tunnel lines.

Claims

1. An analog storage element, said element disposed on an n-type semiconductor substrate and including:

a p-type well disposed in the n-type substrate;

an N-channel MOS transistor disposed in said p-type well of the n-type semiconductor substrate, said N-channel MOS transistor including a source, a drain and a floating gate;

a tunneling electrode forming a tunneling junction with said floating gate;

a gate reference node capacitively coupled to said floating gates;

means for programming that simultaneously drives said gate reference node low while driving said tunnel electrode high, causing electron tunneling from said floating gate to said tunnel electrode;

means for reading the analog storage element by measuring an output current from said drain of said N-channel MOS transistor while driving said tunnel electrode low, said output current related to an amount of charge within said floating gate and a voltage potential placed at said source of said N-channel MOS transistor; and

means for erasing the analog storage element using means for forward biasing said p-type well with respect to said n-type substrate in order to inject minority electrons into said p-type well and using means for selectively raising said drain and source voltages of said N-channel floating gate transistor to accelerate said minority electrons enough to enable said minority electrons to migrate onto said floating gate of said N-channel MOS transistor.

2. An analog storage element as in claim 1, wherein said means for programming includes a tunnel electrode driver circuit coupled to said tunnel electrode, and said means for reading includes a current sense amplifier coupled to said drain of said N-channel MOS transistor.

3. An analog storage element as in claim 1, wherein said means for erasing includes a programming circuit coupled to said floating gate of said N-channel MOS transistor, and an input driver circuit coupled to said source of said N-channel MOS transistor said floating gate driven high by said programming circuit while disabling said input driver circuit and simultaneously driving high said drain of said N-channel MOS transistor.

4. An analog storage element as in claim 2, wherein said tunnel electrode driver circuit includes:

a current mirror formed from a first P-channel MOS transistor and a second P-channel MOS transistor, said first P-channel MOS transistor having a source connected a first voltage supply rail and having a drain and gate connected to a gate of said second P-channel MOS transistor, said second P-channel MOS transistor having a source connected to said first voltage supply rail;

a first N-channel MOS transistor having a source connected to a second voltage supply rail, a drain connected to said drain of said first P-channel MOS transistor;

a second N-channel MOS transistor having a source connected to said second voltage supply rail, a drain connected to said drain of said second P-channel MOS transistor, said drain connection between said second P-channel MOS transistor and said second N-channel MOS transistor coupled to said tunnel electrode;

a control signal node connected to a gate of said first N-channel MOS transistor; and

an inverter having an input coupled to said control signal node and an output coupled to a gate of said second N-channel MOS transistor.

5. An analog storage element as in claim 3, wherein said programming circuit includes:

a first complementary pair of MOS transistors having a P-channel MOS transistor and a N-channel MOS transistor, said P-channel MOS transistor having a source connected to a first voltage supply rail and a drain connected to a drain of said N-channel MOS transistor, said N-channel MOS transistor having a source connected to a second voltage supply rail, said first and second voltage supply rails having a potential difference of about 5 volts;

a high control node coupled to a gate of said P-channel MOS transistor of said first complementary pair;

a low control node coupled to a gate of said N-channel MOS transistor of said first complementary pair;

a row node coupled to the drains of said P-channel and N-channel MOS transistors of said first complementary pair, said row node coupled to said source of said N-channel MOS transistor of said analog storage element;

a second complementary pair of MOS transistors having a P-channel MOS transistor and a N-channel MOS transistor, said P-channel MOS transistor having a source connected to said first voltage supply rail and a drain connected to a drain of said N-channel MOS transistor, said N-channel MOS transistor having a source connected to said second voltage supply rail;

a tunnel electrode control node coupled to a gate of said P-channel MOS transistor of said second complementary pair and to a gate of said N-channel MOS transistor of said second complementary pair, said tunnel electrode control node coupled to said tunneling electrode; and

a gate reference node coupled to the drains of said P-channel and N-channel MOS transistors of said second complementary pair, said gate reference node coupled to said floating gate of said N-channel MOS transistor of analog storage element.

6. An analog storage array arranged as a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, said array disposed on an n-type semiconductor substrate and including:

a p-type well disposed in the n-type substrate;

a plurality of N-channel MOS transistors disposed in the plurality of rows and columns in said p-type well of the n-type semiconductor substrate, said N-channel MOS transistor including a source, a drain and a floating gate;

a tunneling electrode forming a tunneling junction with said floating gate;

a gate reference node capacitively coupled to said floating gates

a plurality of input line lines, each input line connected to the source of each of said plurality of N-channel MOS transistors disposed in the row with which said input line is associated;

a plurality of bias lines, each bias line capacitively coupled to said floating gate of each of said plurality of N-channel MOS transistors disposed in the row with which said bias line is associated

a plurality of tunnel lines, each tunnel line connected to said tunneling electrodes of said plurality of N-channel MOS transistors disposed in the column with which said bias line is associated;

a plurality of current-sum lines, each current-sum line connected to said drain of each of said plurality of N-channel MOS transistors disposed in the column with which said bias line is associated;

means for programming that simultaneously drives a selected one of said bias lines low while driving a selected one of said tunnel lines high, causing electron tunneling from the floating gate of one of said plurality of N-channel MOS transistors common to said selected one of said bias lines and said selected one of said tunnel lines; and

means for reading a selected one of said plurality of N-channel MOS transistors by measuring an output current from a drain of a selected one of said plurality of N-channel MOS transistors while a selected one of said plurality of tunnel lines is driven low, said output current related to an amount of charge within said floating gate and a voltage potential placed at said source of said selected one of said plurality of N-channel MOS transistors; and

means for erasing, said means for erasing having means for forward biasing said p-well with respect to the n-type substrate in order to inject minority electrons into said p-well and means for selectively raising the drain and source voltages of at least one of said N-channel floating gate transistors to accelerate said injected minority electrons enough to enable them to migrate onto the floating gate of said at least one of said N-channel floating gate transistors.

7. An analog storage element as in claim 6, wherein said means for programming includes a tunnel electrode driver coupled to one of said plurality of tunnel lines and said means for reading includes a current sense amplifier coupled to one of said plurality of current-sum lines.

8. An analog storage element as in claim 6, wherein said means for erasing includes a programming circuit coupled to one of said plurality of bias lines and an input driver circuit coupled to one of said plurality of said input lines, said programming circuit driven high while disabling said input driver circuit and driving high a selected one of said plurality of column-sum lines.

9. An analog storage element as in claim 7, wherein said tunnel electrode driver circuit includes:

a current mirror formed from a first P-channel MOS transistor and a second P-channel MOS transistor, said first P-channel MOS transistor having a source connected a first voltage supply rail and having a drain and gate connected to a gate of said second P-channel MOS transistor, said second P-channel MOS transistor having a source connected to said first voltage supply rail;

a first N-channel MOS transistor having a source connected to a second voltage supply rail, a drain connected to said drain of said first P-channel MOS transistor;

a second N-channel MOS transistor having a source connected to said second voltage supply rail, a drain connected to said drain of said second P-channel MOS transistor, said drain connection between said second P-channel MOS transistor and said second N-channel MOS transistor for coupling to said selected one of said tunnel lines;

a control signal node connected to a gate of said first N-channel MOS transistor; and

an inverter having an input coupled to said control signal node and an output coupled to a gate of said second N-channel MOS transistor.

10. An analog storage element as in claim 8, wherein said programming circuit includes:

a first complementary pair of MOS transistors having a P-channel MOS transistor and a N-channel MOS transistor, said P-channel MOS transistor having a source connected to a first voltage supply rail and a drain connected to a drain of said N-channel MOS transistor, said N-channel MOS transistor having a source connected to a second voltage supply rail, said first and second voltage supply rails having a potential difference of about 5 volts;

a high control node coupled to a gate of said P-channel MOS transistor of said first complementary pair;

a low control node coupled to a gate of said N-channel MOS transistor of said first complementary pair;

a row control node coupled to the drains of said P-channel and N-channel MOS transistors of said first complementary pair, said row node for coupling to one of said plurality of input lines;

a second complementary pair of MOS transistors having a P-channel MOS transistor and a N-channel MOS transistor, said P-channel MOS transistor having a source connected to said first voltage supply rail and a drain connected to a drain of said N-channel MOS transistor, said N-channel MOS transistor having a source connected to said second voltage supply rail;

a tunnel electrode control node coupled to a gate of said P-channel MOS transistor of said second complementary pair and to a gate of said N-channel MOS transistor of said second complementary pair; and

a bias reference node coupled to the drains of said P-channel and N-channel MOS transistors of said second complementary pair, said bias reference node for coupling to one of said plurality of bias lines.