Semiconductor memory device adopting improved local input/output line precharging scheme

• US 8,223,568 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2009
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Seo, Seong-Young
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Douglas
• Application Number:
  US12/588,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20100157702A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• Field of Search: 365/149, 365/189.15, 365/194, 365/190, 365/203
• US Class Current: 365/203
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/4096 Input/output [I/O] data management or control circuits, e.g. reading or writing circuits, I/O drivers or bit-line switches
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/4097 Bit-line organisation, e.g. bit-line layout, folded bit lines
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2207/002 Isolation gates, i.e. gates coupling bit lines to the sense amplifier
• 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: G11C 7/1048 Data bus control circuits, e.g. precharging, presetting, equalising
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/1051 Data output circuits, e.g. read-out amplifiers, data output buffers, data output registers, data output level conversion circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/1069 I/O lines read out arrangements

Abstract

A semiconductor memory device capable of preventing or minimizing bit line disturbance and performing a low-voltage high-speed operation includes a read data path circuit including a bit line sense amplifier, a local input/output line sense amplifier, a column selecting unit to operationally connect bit lines connected to the bit line sense amplifier to local input/output lines connected to the local input/output line sense amplifier in response to a column selection signal, and a local input/output line precharging unit to precharge the pair of local input/output lines by a first precharging unit, equalizing the pair of local input/output lines by an equalizing unit, and to precharge the local input/output lines by a second precharging unit following an elapsed time after the bit line sense amplifier is activated, while the column selection is deactivated.

Claims

1. A read data path circuit of a semiconductor memory device, the circuit comprising:

a first sense amplifier; and

a precharging unit including a first conductive type precharging unit, a second conductive type precharging unit, a delay unit, a NAND gate, and an equalizing unit,

the first conductive type precharging unit configured to precharge input/output lines that correspond with a second sense amplifier,

the equalizing unit configured to equalize a voltage of the input/output lines of the circuit,

the second conductive type precharging unit configured to precharge the input/output lines following an elapsed time after the first sense amplifier is activated and while a column selection unit is deactivated, the column selecting unit configured to operationally connect bit lines corresponding with the first sense amplifier to the input/output lines in response to a selection signal,

the delay unit configured to delay an enable signal to the second sense amplifier, and

the NAND gate performing a NAND operation on an output of the delay unit and an equalization enable signal of the equalizing unit, to produce a NAND response in order to activate the second conductive type precharging unit.

2. The read data path circuit of claim 1, wherein the first conductive type precharging unit includes two NMOS transistors.

3. The read data path circuit of claim 2, wherein the equalizing unit includes one PMOS transistor.

4. The read data path circuit of claim 3, wherein the second conductive type precharging unit includes two PMOS transistors.

5. The read data path circuit of claim 2, wherein at least one of the first conductive type precharging unit and the second conductive type precharging unit precharges the input/output lines to a voltage equal to an operation voltage of the semiconductor memory device minus a threshold voltage of the two NMOS transistors.

6. The read data path circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a half source voltage precharging/equalizing unit configured to precharge the input/output lines to a voltage equal to half of a source voltage until a word line is activated.

7. The read data path circuit of claim 6, wherein the half source voltage precharging/equalizing unit includes NMOS transistors.

8. The read data path circuit of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first conductive type precharging unit and the second conductive type precharging unit precharges the input/output lines to a voltage equal to an operation voltage of the semiconductor memory device.

9. A semiconductor memory device comprising:

a memory cell array including a plurality of memory cells arranged in a matrix, each of the plurality of memory cells including at least one access transistor and one storage capacitor;

a plurality of first sense amplifiers electrically connected to corresponding bit lines electrically connected to the plurality of memory cells;

a plurality of precharging units each of which includes a first conductive type precharging unit, a second conductive type precharging unit, an equalizing unit, a delay unit and a NAND gate,

the first conductive type precharging unit configured to precharge first input/output lines,

the equalizing unit configured to equalize a voltage of the first input/output lines,

the second conductive type precharging unit configured to precharge the first input/output lines following an elapsed time after an associated first sense amplifier of the plurality of first sense amplifiers is activated and while an associated column selecting unit of a plurality of column selecting units is deactivated,

the delay unit configured to delay an enable signal to a corresponding sense amplifier of a plurality of second sense amplifiers,

the NAND gate performing a NAND operation on an output of the delay unit and an equalization enable signal of the equalizing unit, to produce a NAND response in order to activate the second conductive type precharging unit.

10. The semiconductor memory device of claim 9, wherein,

each of the plurality of column selecting units is configured to operationally connect the bit lines to the first input/output lines in response to a selection signal, and

second input/output lines electrically connect one of a the corresponding plurality of second sense amplifiers to a third sense amplifier.

11. The semiconductor memory device of claim 9, wherein, if the first conductive type precharging unit includes NMOS transistors, the second conductive type precharging unit includes PMOS transistors.

12. The semiconductor memory device of claim 11, further comprising:

a plurality of half source voltage precharging/equalizing units configured to precharge the input/output lines to a voltage equal to half of a source voltage until a corresponding word line is activated.

13. The semiconductor memory device of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of half source voltage precharging/equalizing units include NMOS transistors.

14. The semiconductor memory device of claim 9, wherein the plurality of precharging units precharge the input/output lines to a voltage equal to an operation voltage of the memory cell array.

15. A read data path circuit of a semiconductor memory device, the circuit comprising:

a first sense amplifier;

a second sense amplifier;

a column selecting unit configured to operationally connect bit lines corresponding to the first sense amplifier to input/output lines corresponding to the second sense amplifier, in response to a selection signal;

a precharging unit configured to precharge the input/output lines by NMOS transistors, the precharging unit configured to equalize a voltage of the input/output lines by a PMOS transistor, and the precharging unit configured to precharge the input/output lines by PMOS transistors following an elapsed time after the first sense amplifier is activated and the selection signal is deactivated, the precharging unit including

a delay unit configured to delay an enable signal to the second sense amplifier; and

a NAND gate performing a NAND operation on an output of the delay unit and an equalization enable signal of the PMOS transistor for equalizing, to produce a NAND response in order to activate the second conductive type precharging unit.

16. The read data path circuit of claim 15, further comprising:

a half source voltage precharging/equalizing unit configured to precharge the input/output lines to half of a source voltage until a word line is activated.