Main amplifier

• US 6,194,919 B1
• Filed: 12/14/1998
• Issued: 02/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Electronics Industries Co. Ltd. (SK Hynix Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Electronics Industries Co. Ltd. (SK Hynix Inc.)
• Inventors: Park, San Ha
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Toan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Linh M
• Application Number:
  US09/210,389
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: 327/52, 327/53, 327/63, 327/65
• US Class Current: 327/52
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2207/063 Current sense amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/062 Differential amplifiers of non-latching type, e.g. comparators, long-tailed pairs
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/1051 Data output circuits, e.g. read-out amplifiers, data output buffers, data output registers, data output level conversion circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/1069 I/O lines read out arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/45371 the AAC comprising parallel coupled multiple transistors at their source and gate and drain or at their base and emitter and collector, e.g. in a cascode dif amp, only those forming the composite common source transistor or the composite common emitter transistor respectively
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/7203 the gated amplifier being switched on or off by a switch in the bias circuit of the amplifier controlling a bias current in the amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/45183 Long tailed pairs H03F3/4521, H03F3/45237 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/72 Gated amplifiers, i.e. amplifiers which are rendered operative or inoperative by means of a control signal

Abstract

An amplifier is provided that includes a current amplifying and current/voltage converting part that performs current amplification with respect to signals received from a first data bus and a second data bus. The current amplifying and current/voltage converting part further converts the amplified signal currents into a voltage. The amplifier further includes a voltage amplifying part that amplifies the voltage from the current amplifying part and current/voltage converting part to produce an amplified output.

Claims

1. An amplifier, comprising:

a current converting circuit that amplifies signals applied from a first data bus and a second data bus and converts the amplified signal currents into a voltage; and

a voltage amplifier circuit that amplifies the voltage from the current converting circuit to produce an amplified output, wherein the current converting circuit includes a plurality of current mirrors, and each of the respective signals from the first and second data bus is amplified by at least two of the plurality of current mirrors.

2. The amplifier of claim 1, wherein the current converting circuit comprises a converting part that includes a pair of transistors having control electrodes coupled together, first electrodes coupled together and coupled to a first prescribed voltage, and second electrodes receiving respective amplified signals outputted by the plurality of current mirrors.

3. The amplifier of claim 2, wherein a second prescribed voltage is applied to the control electrodes of the pair of transistors to operate the pair of transistors in a saturation region.

4. The amplifier of claim 3, wherein the control, first and second electrodes are respectively gate, source and drain electrodes, wherein the first and second prescribed voltages are respectively a power supply voltage and a bias voltage, and wherein the pair of transistors are PMOS transistors.

12. The amplifier of claim 1, the current converting circuit having a current/voltage converter, comprising:

a first transistor having a first electrode coupled to a supply voltage, a second electrode coupled between the amplified signal current from the first data bus and a first input terminal of the voltage amplifier circuit, and a control electrode coupled for receiving a bias voltage; and

a second transistor having a first electrode coupled to the supply voltage, a second electrode coupled between the amplified signal current from the second data bus and a second input terminal of the voltage amplifier circuit, and a control electrode coupled for receiving the bias voltage.

5. A main current sense amplifier, comprising:

a first current amplifier circuit that amplifies a first data bus signal;

a second current amplifier circuit that amplifies a second data bus signal;

a converting circuit that converts the amplified first and second data bus signals into a voltage; and

a voltage amplifying circuit that amplifies the voltage output from the converting circuit,

wherein

the converting circuit has a current/voltage converter, comprising;

a first transistor having a first electrode coupled to a supply voltage, a second electrode coupled between the amplified first data bus signal and a first input terminal of the voltage amplifying circuit, and a control electrode coupled for receiving a bias voltage; and

a second transistor having a first electrode coupled to the supply voltage, a second electrode coupled between the amplified second data bus signal and a second input terminal of the voltage amplifying circuit, and a control electrode coupled for receiving the bias voltage.

6. The main current sense amplifier of claim 5, wherein the second current amplifier circuit comprises:

a first current mirror amplifying a first time the second data bus signal; and

a second current mirror amplifying a second time the second data bus signal amplified by the first current mirror.

7. The main current sense amplifier of claim 5, wherein the converting circuit comprises a pair of transistors having control electrodes coupled together, first electrodes coupled together and coupled to a first prescribed voltage, and second electrodes respectively receiving the amplified first and second data bus signals.

8. The main current sense amplifier of claim 5, further comprising:

a first enabling circuit that enables the first current amplifier circuit; and

a second enabling circuit that enables the second current amplifier circuit.

9. The main current sense amplifier of claim 8, wherein said first and second enabling circuits are MOS transistors.

13. The main current sense amplifier of claim 5,

wherein the first current amplifier comprises:

a first current mirror amplifying a first time the first data bus signal; and

a second current mirror amplifying a second time the first data bus signal amplified by the first current mirror.

10. A method of operating a current sense amplifier, comprising:

amplifying a first signal current applied through a first data bus;

amplifying a second signal current applied through a second data bus;

converting each of the amplified first and second signal currents into a voltage using a converting circuit having a current/voltage converter, wherein the current/voltage converter comprises,

a first transistor having a first electrode coupled to a supply voltage, a second electrode coupled between the amplified first data bus signal and a first input terminal of a voltage amplifying circuit, and a control electrode coupled for receiving a bias voltage, and

a second transistor having a first electrode coupled to the supply voltage, a second electrode coupled between the amplified second data bus signal and a second input terminal of the voltage amplifying circuit, and a control electrode coupled for receiving the bias voltage; and

amplifying the voltage to generate an output signal with the voltage amplifying circuit, wherein the amplifying a first signal current includes,

amplifying the first signal current applied through the first data bus;

amplifying the amplified first signal current; and

outputting the twice current amplified first signal current.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

enabling a first current amplifier to amplify the first signal current; and

enabling a second current amplifier to amplify the second signal current.