Sensing circuit for programming/reading multilevel flash memory

• US 6,097,635 A
• Filed: 08/24/1999
• Issued: 08/01/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dosilicon Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Microelectronics Co., LTD. (SK Hynix Inc.)
• Inventors: Chang, Seung-Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Huan
• Application Number:
  US09/379,622
• Time in Patent Office: 343 Days
• Field of Search: 365/185.21, 365/185.2, 365/185.03, 365/189.07, 365/189.09, 365/185.33
• US Class Current: 365/185.21
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/5621 using charge storage in a floating gate
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/5642 Sensing or reading circuits; Data output circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/26 Sensing or reading circuits; Data output circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2211/5644 Multilevel memory comprising counting devices

Abstract

A sensing circuit for programming/reading a multilevel flash memory includes a voltage controller for controlling a voltage being applied to a drain of a selected cell, a reference voltage generator for generating a reference voltage, a comparator with its one terminal applied by the voltage at the drain connected in common to the PMOS transistor and the NMOS transistor and the other terminal thereof applied by the reference voltage of the reference voltage generator, a sense amplifier driving determinator for determining whether to receive and program 2-bit information during the programming and stopping the operation of the comparator and the voltage controller during completion of the programming, a register array having the same number of registers as the number of information bits of a cell array for one sense amplifier to process so as to provide the 2-bit information to the sense amplifier driving determinator at respective steps during the reading, and a counter unit for generation an 2-bit output for determining the data being stored in the register array at respective steps during the read mode. The circuit employs a simplified sense amplifier using one comparison circuit, thereby decreasing unit area and current consumption.

Claims

1. A sensing circuit for programming/reading a multilevel flash memory, comprising:

a voltage controller for controlling a voltage being applied to a drain of a selected cell;

a PMOS transistor with a programming voltage applied to a source thereof and its gate and drain connected in common, an NMOS transistor with its drain connected to a drain of the PMOS transistor, its gate connected to an output terminal of the voltage controller and its source connected to a drain of the selected cell;

a reference voltage generator for generating a reference voltage;

a comparator with its one terminal applied by the voltage at the drain connected in common to the PMOS transistor and the NMOS transistor and the other terminal thereof applied by the reference voltage of the reference voltage generator;

a sense amplifier driving determinator for determining whether to receive and program 2-bit information during the programming and stopping the operation of the comparator and the voltage controller during completion of the programming;

a register array having the same number of registers as the number of information bits of a cell array for one sense amplifier to process so as to provide the 2-bit information to the sense amplifier driving determinator at respective steps during the reading; and

a counter unit for generation an 2-bit output for determining the data being stored in the register array at respective steps during the read mode.

2. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the voltage controller comprises:

a first PMOS transistor with its source applied by the programming voltage and its gate connected in common;

a second PMOS transistor with its gate and drain connected in common;

a first NMOS transistor with its gate connected to the drain of the selected cell and its drain connected to the drain of the first PMOS transistor;

a second NMOS transistor with its gate applied by a clamp voltage and its drain connected to the drain of the second PMOS transistor; and

a third NMOS transistor with its gate applied by a voltage control enable signal, its drain connected to the source of the first NMOS transistor and the second NMOS transistor connected in common by the source and its source connected to ground voltage.

3. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the reference voltage generator comprises:

a PMOS transistor with its source applied to the programming voltage, its gate and drain connected in common to an input terminal of the comparator; and

a reference cell with its gate applied to a control gate voltage, its drain connected to the drain of the PMOS transistor and its source connected to ground voltage.

4. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the comparator is driven by the programming voltage and includes a differential amplifier with its one terminal applied by the reference voltage VREF of the reference voltage generator and the other terminal thereof applied by a cell voltage.

5. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the sense amplifier driving determinator comprises:

a sense amplifier enable signal generator for receiving 2-bit data from the register array during the programming and outputting a sense amplifier enable signal;

a latch unit for latching the sense amplifier enable signal of the sense amplifier enable signal generator;

a NAND gate for NANDing an output of the comparator, an output of the latch unit and a programming/reading mode selection signal and outputting a switching enable signal;

an AND gate for ANDing the output of the comparator and the programming/reading mode selection signal;

a first NMOS transistor with its drain applied by the sense amplifier enable signal, its gate applied by an output of the AND gate and its source connected to the ground voltage;

a second NMOS transistor with its gate applied by the output of the latch unit, its drain connected to the gate of the second NMOS transistor of the voltage controller and its source connected to the ground voltage;

a third NMOS transistor with its gate applied by the output of the latch unit, its drain applied to the gate of the NMOS transistor and its source applied to the ground voltage; and

an inverter for inverting the output of the latch unit and outputting a voltage control enable signal.

6. The circuit of claim 5, wherein the sense amplifier enable signal generator comprises:

a first transmission gate for being controlled by a first level enable signal and its inverted signal and selectively outputting the supply voltage;

a NAND gate for NANDing the most significant bit and the least significant bit of the register array;

a second transmission gate for controlling the output of the NAND gate by a second level enable signal and its inverted signal and selectively outputting the result;

an inverter for inverting the most significant bit, a third transmission gate for controlling the output of the inverter by a third level enable signal and its inverted signal and selectively outputting the result;

a NOR gate for NORing the most significant bit and the least significant bit; and

a fourth transmission gate for controlling the output of the NOR gate by a fourth level enable signal and its inverted signal and selectively outputting the result.