Integrated memory having a voltage regulating circuit

• US 6,545,930 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2001
• Issued: 04/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Polaris Innovations Limited (Wi-LAN Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Schnabel, Joachim, Fischer, Helmut
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, MICHAEL THANH
• Application Number:
  US10/008,793
• Publication Number:
  US 20020060937A1
• Time in Patent Office: 511 Days
• Field of Search: 365/226,230.06
• US Class Current: 365/226
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 8/08 Word line control circuits, e.g. drivers, boosters, pull-up circuits, pull-down circuits, precharging circuits, for word lines

Abstract

An integrated memory has a memory cell array with row lines and column lines. A row decoder for activating row lines is connected to address lines for transferring address signals. A voltage regulating circuit serves for applying a regulatable supply voltage to one of the row lines. For the purpose of setting the supply voltage, a driving circuit is connected to the address lines and to the voltage regulating circuit. This enables trimming of the voltage regulating circuit in conjunction with a comparatively small area requirement.

Claims

1. An integrated memory, comprising:

a memory cell array having memory cells, row lines for selecting said memory cells, and column lines for reading out or writing data signals to/from said memory cells;

a row decoder connected to said memory cell array for activating said row lines;

address lines connected to the row decoder, said address lines transferring address signals;

a voltage regulating circuit connected to said memory cell array and having a terminal for a regulatable supply voltage for application to one of said row lines;

a driving circuit for setting the regulatable supply voltage, said driving circuit connected to said address lines and to said voltage regulating circuit.

2. The integrated memory according to claim 1, including storage circuits connected between said address lines and said driving circuit, said storage circuit storing signals on said address lines.

3. The integrated memory according to claim 2, wherein said storage circuits each contain bistable multivibrators.

4. The integrated memory according to claim 2, including a control line connected to said storage circuits, said control line controlling a transfer of the signals between said storage circuits and said address lines.

5. The integrated memory according to claim 1, including programmable elements connected to said address lines for nonvolatile storage of signals for transfer into said driving circuit.

6. The integrated memory according to claim 1, wherein said terminal for the regulatable supply voltage can be connected to said row lines for deactivating said row lines.

7. The integrated memory according to claim 6, wherein the regulatable supply voltage is negative relative to a reference-ground voltage.

8. The integrated memory according to claim 1, wherein:

said memory cell array has sense amplifiers and is subdivided into individual series segments isolated from one another by said sense amplifiers, said individual series segments are disposed next to one another in a direction of said address lines;

said voltage regulating circuit is one of a plurality of voltage regulating circuits; and

said driver circuit is one of a plurality of driver circuits each connected to one of said voltage regulating circuits, said individual series segments are respectively assigned to one of said plurality of driving circuits and one of said plurality of voltage regulating circuits.

9. The integrated memory according to claim 8, including a common line for the regulatable supply voltage, and said voltage regulating circuits are connected to said common line.

10. The integrated memory according to claim 1, wherein said voltage regulating circuit has a terminal for receiving a reference voltage and a voltage divider circuit connected to said terminal for the reference voltage, said voltage divider having voltage divider elements that can be selectively connected in and disconnected by said driving circuit for setting the regulatable supply voltage.