Semiconductor storage apparatus

• US 7,251,179 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2005
• Issued: 07/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohsawa, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN
• Application Number:
  US11/092,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20060044911A1
• Time in Patent Office: 853 Days
• Field of Search: 365/195
• US Class Current: 365/222
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/406 Management or control of the refreshing or charge-regeneration cycles

Abstract

A semiconductor storage apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, comprising: memory cells which need refresh operation; and a refresh control circuit which suspends the refresh operation when external access for reading out from or writing into the memory cells is requested.

Claims

1. A semiconductor storage apparatus, comprising:

floating body cells (FBCs) which need refresh operation;

a refresh control circuit which terminates an on-going refresh operation when an external access for reading out from or writing into the FBCs is requested;

a first time measuring unit which measures a first period after the refresh operation is begun, until the next refresh operation is begun afterwards;

a second time measuring unit which measures a second period necessary for the refresh operation; and

an address generator which generates addresses of the FBCs for the refresh operation,

wherein the refresh control circuit controls a timing of the refresh operation based on the outputs of the first and second time measuring units and an external access request signal.

2. The semiconductor storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the refresh operation is terminated in accordance with request of the external access, the refresh control circuit completes the refresh operation during a period after the external access has completed, until a next refresh operation is begun.

3. The semiconductor storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the refresh operation is terminated in accordance with request of the external access, the refresh control circuit begins the refresh operation continuously from the terminated address, and afterwards the refresh operation is resumed.

4. The semiconductor storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the address generator suspends generation of new addresses when the refresh operation is terminated by the external access.

5. The semiconductor storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first time measuring unit includes:

a ring oscillator;

a bias circuit which supplies a bias voltage or a bias current to the ring oscillator; and

an output circuit which generates a signal for regulating the first period based on the output signal of the ring oscillator.

6. The semiconductor storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the refresh control circuit outputs a count indication signal which regulates refresh timings of the FBCs to be refreshed;

and

the address generator has a plurality of divider circuits connected in series which generate refresh addresses based on the count indicating signal.

7. The semiconductor storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the refresh control circuit outputs a signal indicative of a refresh period.

8. The semiconductor storage apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of cell arrays each having its own refresh control circuit and capable of individually conducting refresh, each having a plurality of FBCs,

wherein the refresh control circuit determines individually an operating state of the associated cell array, and controls whether to conduct refresh of the cell array.

9. The semiconductor storage apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising sense amplifiers which are disposed between two cell arrays adjacent to each other and sense data read out from the FBC.

10. A semiconductor storage apparatus comprising:

floating body cells (FBCs) which need refresh operation;

a refresh control circuit which terminates an on-going refresh operation when an external access for reading out from or writing into the FBCs is requested; and

a refresh timing adjustment circuit which generates a refresh timing adjustment signal for adjusting a timing of a refresh period, based on an external access request signal and a refresh request signal,

wherein the refresh control circuit controls the refresh operation based on the refresh timing adjustment signal.

11. The semiconductor storage apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the refresh timing adjustment circuit generates the refresh timing adjustment signal with respect to the case where the refresh request signal becomes active while the external access request signal is active, the case where the external access request signal becomes active during the refresh operation, and the case where the external access request signal becomes active after completing the refresh operation.

12. A refreshing method, comprising:

terminating an on-going refresh operation when an external access for reading out from or writing into the floating body cells (FBCs) is requested;

completing the refresh operation during a period after the external access has completed, until a next refresh operation is begun;

measuring a first period after the refresh operation is begun, until the next refresh operation is begun afterwards;

measuring a second period necessary for the refresh operation; and

generating addresses of the FBCs for the refresh operation,

wherein a timing of the refresh operation is controlled based on a result of measuring the first period, a result of measuring the second period and an external access request signal.

13. The refreshing method according to claim 12, wherein when the refresh operation is terminated in accordance with request of the external access and afterwards the refresh operation is resumed, the refresh operation is conducted continuously from the terminated address.

14. The refreshing method according to claim 12,

wherein a signal indicative of a refresh period is outputted, when performing control of the refresh.

15. The refreshing method according to claim 12,

generating a refresh timing adjustment signal for adjusting a timing of a refresh period, based on an external access request signal and a refresh request signal,

wherein the refresh operation is controlled based on the refresh timing adjustment signal.

16. The refreshing method according to claim 12,

a plurality of cell arrays capable of individually conducting refresh is provided, each cell array having a plurality of FBCs,

wherein an operating state of each cell array is individually determined, and whether to conduct refresh of the cell array is individually controlled.