Semiconductor memory device having column redundancy scheme to improve redundancy efficiency

• US 6,414,896 B1
• Filed: 07/13/2001
• Issued: 07/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Su-a, Moon, Byung-sick
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, TRONG Q
• Application Number:
  US09/905,376
• Publication Number:
  US 20020021614A1
• Time in Patent Office: 354 Days
• Field of Search: 365/230.03, 365/200
• US Class Current: 365/230.03
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/808 using a flexible replacement scheme
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/846 by choosing redundant lines at an output stage

Abstract

A semiconductor memory device having a column redundancy scheme for improving redundancy efficiency includes sub memory blocks, a redundancy memory block, global data input output lines respectively associated with the sub memory blocks, a redundancy global data input output line and switches. Each of the sub memory blocks has a plurality of memory cells. The redundancy memory block has a plurality of redundancy memory cells. The data of selected memory cells of a sub memory block are transmitted to a corresponding global data input output line. The data of selected redundancy memory cells of the redundancy memory block are transmitted to the redundancy global data input output line. A switch switches the global data input output line to the redundancy global data input output line if a memory cell connected to the global data input output line is defective.

Claims

1. A semiconductor memory device comprising:

a plurality of sub memory blocks having a plurality of memory cells;

a redundancy memory block having a plurality of redundancy memory cells;

a global data input output line for carrying data of selected memory cells of a sub memory block;

a redundancy global data input output line for carrying data of selected redundancy memory cells of the redundancy memory block; and

a switch for switching the global data input output line to the redundancy global data input output line if a memory cell connected to the global data input output line is defective.

2. The semiconductor memory device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sub memory blocks are associated with a plurality of global data input output lines, respectively, each of which carries data of selected memory cells in a corresponding sub memory block, and the plurality of global data input output lines are connected to a plurality of switches, respectively, each of which switches a corresponding global data input output line to the redundancy global data input output line when a defective memory cell is connected to the corresponding global data input output line.

3. The semiconductor memory device of claim 2, further comprising a switch controller for controlling the plurality of switches to correct defective memory cells in the plurality of sub memory blocks with corresponding redundancy memory cells in the redundancy memory block.

4. The semiconductor memory device of claim 1, further comprising a reading sense amplifier/writing driver which is connected to the global data input output line or the redundancy global data input output line via the switch.

5. The semiconductor memory device of claim 1, further comprising a column selection circuit for connecting bit lines of memory cells of a sub memory block to a corresponding global data input output line, wherein the column selection circuit comprises:

a first selection unit for transmitting data on the bit lines of the memory cells of the sub memory block in response to a bank selection signal for selecting the sub memory block;

a second selection unit for transmitting outputs of the first selection unit to a local data input output line in response to a column selection signal; and

a third selection unit for transmitting data on the local data input output line to the corresponding global data input output line in response to the bank selection signal.

6. The semiconductor memory device of claim 1, further comprising a redundancy column selection circuit for connecting redundancy bit lines of redundancy memory cells of the redundancy memory block to the redundancy global data input output line, wherein the redundancy column selection circuit comprises:

a first redundancy selection unit for transmitting data on the redundancy bit lines of the redundancy memory cells of the redundancy memory block in response to a bank selection signal for selecting a sub memory block;

a second redundancy selection unit for transmitting outputs of the first redundancy selection unit to a local redundancy data input output line in response to a redundancy column selection signal; and

a third redundancy selection unit for transmitting data on the local data input output line to the redundancy global data input output line in response to the bank selection signal.

7. The semiconductor memory device of claim 1, wherein a predetermined number of redundancy bit lines of the redundancy memory block are connected to the redundancy global data input output line and the predetermined number of bit lines of the sub memory block are connected to the global data input output line, data on the predetermined number of bit lines being replaced with data on the predetermined redundancy bit lines by switching the global data input output line to the redundancy global data input output line.

8. A semiconductor memory device comprising:

a plurality of sub memory blocks having a plurality of memory cells;

local redundancy memory blocks having a plurality of local redundancy memory cells, each of the local redundancy memory blocks being adjacent to each of the sub memory blocks;

a redundancy memory block having a plurality of redundancy memory cells;

a global data input output line for carrying data of selected memory cells of a sub memory block or data of selected local redundancy memory cells of a local redundancy memory block;

a redundancy global data input output line for carrying data of selected redundancy memory cells of the redundancy memory block; and

a switch for switching the global data input output line to the redundancy global data input output line if a memory cell connected to the global data input output line is defective.

9. The semiconductor memory device of claim 8, wherein each of a plurality of switches is connected to a corresponding global data input output line and the redundancy global data input output line, and each switch switches the corresponding global data input output line to the redundancy global data input output line when a defective memory cell connected to the corresponding global data input output line is not replaced with a corresponding local redundancy memory cell in a local redundancy memory block.

10. The semiconductor memory device of claim 9, further comprising a switch controller for controlling the plurality of switches to correct defective memory cells in the plurality of sub memory blocks with corresponding redundancy memory cells in the redundancy memory block.

11. The semiconductor memory device of claim 8, further comprising a reading sense amplifier/writing driver which is connected to the global data input output line or the redundancy global data input output line via the switch.

12. The semiconductor memory device of claim 8, further comprising a column selection circuit for connecting bit lines of memory cells of a sub memory block to a corresponding global data input output line, wherein the column selection circuit comprises:

a first selection unit for transmitting data on the bit lines of the memory cells of the sub memory block in response to a bank selection signal for selecting the sub memory block;

a second selection unit for transmitting outputs of the first selection unit to a local data input output line in response to a column selection signal; and

a third selection unit for transmitting data on the local data input output line to the corresponding global data input output line in response to the bank selection signal.

13. The semiconductor memory device of claim 12, further comprising a local column selection circuit for connecting redundancy bit lines of local redundancy memory cells of a local redundancy memory block to the local data input output line, wherein the local column selection circuit comprises:

a first local selection unit for transmitting data on the redundancy bit lines of the local redundancy memory cells of the local redundancy memory block in response to the bank selection signal; and

a second local selection unit for transmitting outputs of the first local selection unit to the local data input output line in response to a local column selection signal.

14. The semiconductor memory device of claim 8, further comprising a redundancy column selection circuit for connecting redundancy bit lines of redundancy memory cells of the redundancy memory block to the redundancy global data input output line, wherein the redundancy column selection circuit comprises:

a first redundancy selection unit for transmitting data on the redundancy bit lines of the redundancy memory cells of the redundancy memory block in response to a bank selection signal for selecting a sub memory block;

a second redundancy selection unit for transmitting outputs of the first redundancy selection unit to a local redundancy data input output line in response to a redundancy column selection signal; and

a third redundancy selection unit for transmitting data on the local redundancy data input output line to the redundancy global data input output line in response to the bank selection signal.

15. A semiconductor memory device comprising:

an upper memory block;

a lower memory block;

a plurality of sub memory blocks having a plurality of memory cells, the plurality of sub memory blocks included in each of the upper and lower memory blocks;

a column decoder connected to each of the upper and lower memory blocks for addressing bit lines of the memory cells within the sub memory blocks;

a redundancy memory block having a plurality of redundancy memory cells, the redundancy memory block included in each of the upper and lower memory blocks;

a global data input output line for carrying data of selected memory cells of a sub memory block;

a redundancy global data input output line for carrying data of selected redundancy memory cells of the redundancy memory block; and

a switch for switching the global data input output line to the redundancy global data input output line if a memory cell connected to the global data input output line is defective.

16. The semiconductor memory device of claim 15, wherein a plurality of switches are connected with a plurality of global data input output lines each of which is associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of sub memory blocks in the upper and lower memory block, each switch being connected with a global data input output line and a redundancy global data input output line of the upper memory block and a global data input output line and a redundancy global data input output line of the lower memory block.

17. The semiconductor memory device of claim 16, wherein the plurality of switches are installed at an area of the column decoder.

18. The semiconductor memory device of claim 16, further comprising a switch controller for controlling the plurality of switches, wherein the switch controller connects the global data input output line of the upper memory block to the global data input output line of the lower memory block if the upper memory block is selected, and disconnects the global data input output line of the upper memory block from the global data input output line of the lower memory block if the lower memory block is selected.

19. The semiconductor memory device of claim 15, further comprising a reading sense amplifier/writing driver which is connected to the global data input output line or the redundancy global data input output line via the switch.

20. The semiconductor memory device of claim 15, further comprising a column selection circuit for connecting bit lines of memory cells of a sub memory block to a corresponding global data input output line, wherein the column selection circuit comprises:

a first selection unit for transmitting data on the bit lines of the memory cells of the sub memory block to a local data input output line in response to a column selection signal; and

a second selection unit for transmitting data on the local data input output line to the corresponding global data input output line in response to a block selection signal.

21. The semiconductor memory device of claim 15, further comprising a redundancy column selection circuit for connecting redundancy bit lines of redundancy memory cells of a redundancy memory block to a corresponding redundancy global data input output line, wherein the redundancy column selection circuit comprises:

a first redundancy selection unit for transmitting data on the redundancy bit lines of the redundancy memory block to a local redundancy data input output line in response to a redundancy column selection signal; and

a second redundancy selection unit for transmitting data on the local redundancy data input output line to the corresponding redundancy global data input output line in response to a block selection signal.

22. A semiconductor memory device comprising:

an upper memory block;

a lower memory block;

a plurality of sub memory blocks having a plurality of memory cells, the plurality of sub memory blocks included in each of the upper and lower memory blocks;

local redundancy memory blocks each having a plurality of local redundancy memory cells, the local redundancy memory blocks included in each of the upper and lower memory blocks;

a redundancy memory block having a plurality of redundancy memory cells, the redundancy memory block included in each of the upper and lower memory blocks;

a column decoder connected to each of the upper and lower memory blocks for addressing bit lines of the memory cells within the sub memory blocks;

a global data input output line for carrying data of selected memory cells of a sub memory block;

a redundancy global data input output line for carrying data of selected redundancy memory cells of the redundancy memory block; and

a switch for switching the global data input output line to the redundancy global data input output line if a memory cell connected to the global data input output line is defective.

23. The semiconductor memory device of claim 22, wherein a plurality of switches are connected with a plurality of global data input output lines each of which is associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of sub memory blocks in the upper and lower memory block, each switch being connected with a global data input output line and a redundancy global data input output line of the upper memory block and a global data input output line and a redundancy global data input output line of the lower memory block.

24. The semiconductor memory device of claim 23, wherein the plurality of switches are installed at an area of the column decoder.

25. The semiconductor memory device of claim 23, further comprising a switch controller for controlling the plurality of switches, wherein the switch controller connects the global data input output line of the upper memory block to the global data input output line of the lower memory block if the upper memory block is selected, and disconnects the global data input output line of the upper memory block from the global data input output line of the lower memory block if the lower memory block is selected.

26. The semiconductor memory device of claim 22, further comprising a reading sense amplifier/writing driver which is connected to the global data input output line or the redundancy global data input output line via the switch.

27. The semiconductor memory device of claim 22, further comprising:

a column selection circuit for connecting bit lines of memory cells of a sub memory block to a corresponding global data input output line, wherein the column selection circuit comprises;

a first selection unit for transmitting data on the bit lines of the memory cells of the sub memory block to a local data input output line in response to a column selection signal; and

a second selection unit for transmitting data on the local data input output line to the corresponding global data input output line in response to a block selection signal; and

a local column selection circuit for connecting redundancy bit lines of local redundancy memory cells of a local redundancy memory block to the local data input output line, wherein the local column selection circuit comprises a local selection unit for transmitting data on the redundancy bit lines of the local redundancy memory cells of the local redundancy memory block to the local data input output line in response to a local column selection signal.

28. The semiconductor memory device of claim 22, further comprising a redundancy column selection circuit for connecting redundancy bit lines of redundancy memory cells of the redundancy memory block to the redundancy global data input output line, wherein the redundancy column selection circuit comprises:

a first redundancy selection unit for transmitting data on the redundancy bit lines of the redundancy memory block to a local redundancy data input output line in response to a redundancy column selection signal; and

a second redundancy selection unit for transmitting data on the local redundancy data input output line to the redundancy global data input output line in response to a block selection signal.