Current/voltage converter, sense amplifier and sensing method using same
First Claim
1. A current/voltage converter, comprising:
- an amplification circuit that amplifies an input current, wherein the amplification circuit comprises,a first conductivity type current mirror having an input terminal and an output that generates an amplified input current, anda first transistor having a source coupled to receive the input current, a drain coupled to the input terminal of the first current mirror and a gate coupled to receive an input pulse signal; and
a conversion circuit that converts the amplified input current into a voltage, the conversion circuit including a second current mirror having a second conductivity type.
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Abstract
A sense amplifier and method are provided using current/voltage converters that are suitable for a multibit (2 bit/cell) memory device. The sense amplifier includes first and second current/voltage converters and a voltage comparator. The current/voltage converters each include a current mirror amplification unit to amplify an input current and a current mirror conversion unit to convert the amplified current into a voltage. A current to be sensed is applied to the first current/voltage converter and a reference current is applied to the second current/voltage converter. The voltage comparator determines a voltage difference by comparing the voltage output by the first and second current/voltage converters. The sense amplifier and method increases the speed and ease of sensing the input current. Further, the sense amplifier and method applied to a multibit memory can reduce an area for memory elements by 40%.
49 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A current/voltage converter, comprising:
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an amplification circuit that amplifies an input current, wherein the amplification circuit comprises, a first conductivity type current mirror having an input terminal and an output that generates an amplified input current, and a first transistor having a source coupled to receive the input current, a drain coupled to the input terminal of the first current mirror and a gate coupled to receive an input pulse signal; and a conversion circuit that converts the amplified input current into a voltage, the conversion circuit including a second current mirror having a second conductivity type. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A sense amplifier, comprising:
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first and second current/voltage converters each including an amplification unit and a conversion unit, wherein the amplification unit includes a first current mirror that amplifies an input current and the conversion unit, which includes a second current mirror, that converts the amplified input current into a voltage; and a voltage comparator that compares the respective voltages converted by the first and second current/voltage converters. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of operating a sense amplifier, comprising:
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amplifying an input current to be sensed and a reference current with first and second current mirrors, respectively; converting the amplified input current and the amplified reference current into respective first and second voltages; comparing the first and second voltages for sensing a voltage difference between the first and second voltages; and controlling an operating time of the first and second current mirrors based on a first pulse signal applied thereto. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method of operating a sense amplifier, comprising:
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amplifying an input current to be sensed and a reference current with first and second current mirrors, respectively; converting the amplified input current and the amplified reference current into respective first and second voltages; and comparing the first and second voltages for sensing a voltage difference between the first and second voltages, wherein the converting step converts the first and second voltages using third and fourth current mirrors, respectively. - View Dependent Claims (24)
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Specification