Nonvolatile configuration cells and cell arrays

• US 6,532,170 B1
• Filed: 08/02/2001
• Issued: 03/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Altera Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Altera Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Madurawe, Raminda U., Sansbury, James D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Andrew Q.
• Application Number:
  US09/921,548
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 365/185.28, 365/185.1, 365/185-5-1, 365/185.29, 365/185.33
• US Class Current: 365/185.1
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/0416 comprising cells containing a single floating gate transistor and no select transistor, e.g. UV EPROM
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/0441 comprising cells containing multiple floating gate devices, e.g. separate read-and-write FAMOS transistors with connected floating gates
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 5/00 Details of stores covered by group G11C11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 5/025 Geometric lay-out considerations of storage- and peripheral-blocks in a semiconductor storage device geometrical lay-out of the components in integrated circuits, H01L27/0207
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/17748 Structural details of configuration resources
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/1776 for memories
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/17772 for powering on or off
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/1778 Structural details for adapting physical parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/17784 for supply voltage

Abstract

A memory cell (400) used to store data in an integrated circuit. The memory cell (400) is static, nonvolatile, and programmable. The layout of the memory cell is compact. A logic high output from the memory cell (400) is about VDD and a logic low output is about VSS. The memory cell (400) of the present invention includes a programmable memory element (810). In one embodiment, the programmable memory element (810) is coupled between supply voltage (510) and an output node (405). A pull-down device (525) is coupled between another supply voltage (505) and the output node (405). The memory cell (400) may be used to store the configuration information for a programmable logic device (121).

Claims

1. A memory cell comprising:

a first voltage source line, second voltage source line, and erase node line;

a control gate line and a select gate line;

a resistance device and floating gate device positioned between the first and second voltage source lines, wherein the control gate line is coupled to a control gate of the floating gate device;

a tunnel dielectric coupled to the floating gate device;

a tunnel diode coupled to tunnel dielectric; and

a select transistor coupled between the tunnel diode and the erase node line.

2. The memory cell of claim 1 wherein the resistance device is a polysilicon resistor.

3. The memory cell of claim 1 wherein the resistance device is a thin-film transistor.

4. The memory cell of claim 1 wherein the floating gate device is an EEPROM memory cell.

5. The memory cell of claim 1 further comprising:

an output line arranged in a first direction and coupled to a node between the resistance device and the floating gate device.

6. The memory cell of claim 1 wherein the second voltage source line is between the first voltage source line and the erase node line.

7. The memory cell of claim 5 wherein the output line is between the first and second voltage source lines.

8. The memory cell of claim 1 wherein the floating gate device and select transistor are NMOS transistors.

9. The memory cell of claim 1 wherein the floating gate device is a Flash memory cell.

10. A memory cell of an integrated circuit comprising:

a first voltage source line and a second voltage source line;

a control gate line;

a resistance device and a first floating gate device positioned between the first and second voltage source lines, wherein the first floating gate device is coupled to the first voltage source line and has a control gate coupled to the control gate line;

a tunnel dielectric coupled to a floating gate of the first floating gate device; and

a tunnel diode coupled to the tunnel dielectric.

11. The memory cell of claim 10 wherein the control gate line, the first voltage source line, and a second voltage source line are arranged in a first direction.

12. The memory cell of claim 10 wherein the control gate line is arranged in a second direction, transverse to the first direction.

13. The memory cell of claim 12 wherein the control gate line crosses the second voltage source line.

14. The memory cell of claim 10 wherein the resistance device is a polysilicon resistor or a thin-film transistor.

15. The memory cell of claim 10 wherein the resistance device provides a resistance in a range between a resistance of the first floating gate device in an erased state and a resistance of the first floating gate device is a programmed state.

16. The memory cell of claim 10 further comprising;

a second floating gate device positioned between the first and second voltage source lines, wherein the second floating gate device has a control gate coupled to the control gate line and a floating gate coupled to the floating gate of the first floating gate device.

17. The memory cell of claim 10 further comprising:

a program node line and an erase node line arranged in a second direction, transverse to the first direction; and

a second floating gate device positioned between the first and second voltage source lines, wherein the second floating gate device is coupled to the program node line and the erase node line.

18. The memory cell of claim 10 further comprising:

a second floating gate device positioned between the first and second voltage source lines, wherein the second floating gate device is oriented so that current flow from a source to a drain is in a similar direction as current flow from a source to a drain of the first floating gate device.

19. The memory cell of claim 10 wherein the floating gate device is an EEPROM, EPROM, or Flash device.

20. The memory cell of claim 10 further comprising:

an output node line coupled to the resistance device and the first floating gate device.

21. The memory cell of claim 10 further comprising:

an output node line arranged in a first direction and coupled to the resistance device and first floating gate device.

22. The memory cell of claim 21 wherein the resistance device is coupled to the second voltage source line.

24. The memory cell of claim 22 wherein the resistance device is a polysilicon resistor or a thin-film transistor.

25. The memory cell of claim 22 wherein the floating gate device is an EEPROM, EPROM, or Flash device.

26. The memory cell of claim 22 further comprising:

an erase node line arranged in a first direction, wherein the tunnel diode is coupled to the erase node line.

27. The memory cell of claim 22 further comprising:

an erase node line arranged in a first direction, wherein the resistance device and floating gate device are positioned between the second voltage source line and erase node line.

28. The memory cell of claim 27 wherein the output node line is arranged in a second direction, perpendicular to the first direction, and the output node line crosses the erase node line.

29. The memory cell of claim 27 wherein the first voltage source line is not between the second voltage source line and the erase node line.

30. The memory cell of claim 27 further comprising:

a control gate line arranged in a second direction, perpendicular to the first direction, coupled to a control gate of the floating device.

31. The memory cell of claim 30 wherein the control gate line crosses the first and second voltage source lines.

32. The memory cell of claim 22 wherein the output node line is arranged in a second direction, perpendicular to the first direction.

23. A memory cell of an integrated circuit comprising:

a first voltage source line and a second voltage source line;

a resistance device coupled to the first voltage source line;

a floating gate device coupled to the second voltage source line;

an output node line coupled to the resistance device and the floating gate device;

a tunnel dielectric coupled to a floating gate of the floating gate device; and

a tunnel diode coupled to the tunnel dielectric.