Apparatus and method for pipelined memory operations

• US 7,353,357 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2007
• Issued: 04/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rambus Inc.
• Original Assignee: Rambus Inc.
• Inventors: Barth, Richard M., Tsern, Ely K., Hampel, Craig E., Stark, Donald C., Ware, Frederick A., Horowitz, Mark A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bataille; Pierre-Michel
• Application Number:
  US11/675,054
• Publication Number:
  US 20070140035A1
• Time in Patent Office: 412 Days
• Field of Search: 711/167,169,154,5,104 365/189.04,189.01,189,189.03,230.5,233,233.5
• US Class Current: 711/167
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/1615 using a concurrent pipeline structrure
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/4076 Timing circuits for regeneration management G11C11/406
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/10 Input/output [I/O] data interface arrangements, e.g. I/O data control circuits, I/O data buffers
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/1006 Data managing, e.g. manipulating data before writing or reading out, data bus switches or control circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/1039 using pipelining techniques, i.e. using latches between functional memory parts, e.g. row/column decoders, I/O buffers, sense amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 8/12 Group selection circuits, e.g. for memory block selection, chip selection, array selection

Abstract

A semiconductor memory device has a memory core that includes at least eight banks of dynamic random access storage cells and an internal data bus coupled to the memory core. The internal data bus receives a plurality of data bits from a selected bank of the memory core. The semiconductor memory device further comprises a first interface to receive a read command from external to the semiconductor memory device and a second interface to output first and second subsets of the plurality of data bits. The first subset is output during a first phase of an external clock signal and the second subset is output during a second phase of the external clock signal. The first phase includes a first edge transition and the second phase includes a second edge transition. The second edge transition is an opposite edge transition with respect to the first edge transition.

Claims

1. A semiconductor memory device comprising:

a memory core including at least eight banks of dynamic random access storage cells;

an internal data bus coupled to the memory core, the internal data bus to receive a plurality of data bits from a selected bank of the memory core;

a first interface to receive a read command from external to the semiconductor memory device; and

a second interface to output a first subset of the plurality of data bits and a second subset of the plurality of data bits, wherein;

the first subset is output during a first phase of an external clock signal, wherein the first phase of the external clock signal includes a first edge transition; and

the second subset is output during a second phase of the external clock signal, wherein the second phase of the external clock signal includes a second edge transition, wherein the second edge transition is an opposite edge transition with respect to the first edge transition.

2. The semiconductor memory device of claim 1, wherein the first subset and the second subset are each one eighth of a total number of data bits of the plurality of data bits.

3. The semiconductor memory device of claim 1, further including a circuit to receive the external clock signal and to generate an internal clock signal to time the transfer of the first and second subsets.

4. The semiconductor memory device of claim 3, wherein the circuit to receive the external clock signal includes one of delay locked circuitry and phase locked circuitry.

5. The semiconductor memory device of claim 1, wherein a first bank of the at least eight banks is capable of performing a sense operation while a second bank of the at least eight banks performs a precharge operation.

6. A semiconductor memory device comprising:

a memory core having at least eight banks of dynamic random access storage cells;

a first set of connections to receive a read command;

an internal data path, coupled to the memory core, to transport a first plurality of data bits accessed from a first bank of the at least eight banks in response to the read command; and

a second set of connections to output, on each of two phases of an external clock signal, a respective subset of the first plurality of data bits in response to the read command, wherein the first plurality of data bits is at least eight times as numerous as each respective subset of the first plurality of data bits.

7. The semiconductor memory device of claim 6, further including a circuit to receive the external clock signal and to generate an internal clock signal to time the transfer of each respective subset.

8. The semiconductor memory device of claim 7, wherein the circuit to receive the external clock signal includes one of delay locked circuitry and phase locked circuitry.

9. The semiconductor memory device of claim 6, wherein a first bank of the at least eight banks is capable of performing a sense operation while a second bank of the at least eight banks performs a precharge operation.

10. A semiconductor memory device comprising:

a memory core including eight banks of dynamic random access storage cells;

an internal data bus coupled to the memory core, the internal data bus to transfer M bits of parallel data from a selected bank of the eight banks;

a first interface to receive control information that specifies a read operation from first connections external to the semiconductor memory device; and

a second interface to transfer N bits of the parallel data, on a single phase of a cycle of an external clock signal, to second connections external to the semiconductor memory device, wherein M is at least eight times N;

wherein a first N bits of the parallel data are transferred during a first phase of the cycle, wherein the first phase of the cycle includes a first edge transition; and

wherein a second N bits of the parallel data are transferred on a second phase of the cycle, wherein the second phase of the cycle includes a second edge transition, wherein the second edge transition is an opposite edge transition with respect to the first edge transition.

11. The semiconductor memory device of claim 10, further including a circuit to receive the external clock signal and to generate an internal clock signal to time the transfer of the first N bits and of the second N bits.

12. The semiconductor memory device of claim 10, wherein the circuit to receive the external clock signal includes one of delay locked circuitry and phase locked circuitry.

13. A memory device built on a single semiconductor substrate, the memory device comprising:

a memory core including at least eight banks of dynamic random access storage cells wherein a first bank of the at least eight banks is capable of performing a sense operation while a second bank of the at least eight banks performs a precharge operation;

a first interface to receive a read command from external to the memory device, wherein data is accessed, in response to the read command, from a selected bank of the at least eight banks, wherein a sense operation was performed in the selected bank; and

a second interface to output, in response to the read command, a first subset of the accessed data and a second subset of the accessed data, wherein;

the first subset is output during a first phase of an external clock signal, wherein the first phase of the external clock signal includes a first edge transition; and

the second subset is output during a second phase of the external clock signal, wherein the second phase of the external clock signal includes a second edge transition, wherein the second edge transition is an opposite edge transition with respect to the first edge transition.

14. The memory device of claim 13, wherein the first subset and the second subset are each one eighth of a total number of data bits of the accessed data.

15. The memory device of claim 13, further including a circuit to receive the external clock signal and to generate an internal clock signal to time the transfer of the first and second subsets.

16. The memory device of claim 15, wherein the circuit to receive the external clock signal includes one of delay locked circuitry and phase locked circuitry.

17. A method of operating a semiconductor memory device that includes a memory core having at least eight banks of dynamic random access storage cells, the method comprising:

receiving a read command from a first set of external connections;

transporting data bits accessed from the memory core in response to the read command;

outputting, on a second set of external connections, a first subset of the data bits and a second subset of the data bits, wherein;

the first subset is output during a first phase of an external clock signal, wherein the first phase of the external clock signal includes a first edge transition; and

the second subset is output during a second phase of the external clock signal, wherein the second phase of the external clock signal includes a second edge transition, wherein the second edge transition is an opposite edge transition with respect to the first edge transition.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

performing a sense operation in a first bank of the at least eight banks, wherein the data bits are accessed from the first bank after the sense operation is initiated in the first bank; and

performing a precharge operation in a second bank of the at least eight banks at the same time as performing the sense operation in the first bank.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the sense operation is performed in response to receiving a command that specifies sensing the first bank.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising receiving a bank address that selects the first bank for the sense operation.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the precharge operation is performed in response to receiving a command that specifies precharging the second bank.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising receiving a bank address that selects the second bank for the precharge operation.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving a write command, wherein the second set of external connections receives data corresponding to the write command.

24. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving a refresh command that specifies refreshing the dynamic random access memory cells.

25. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving a command that specifies a power state.