Sense amplifier and method of sensing data using the same

• US 8,259,514 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2012
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Cho, Caleb Yu-Sheng, Lee, Chia-Fu
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tuan T.
• Application Number:
  US13/364,000
• Publication Number:
  US 20120127815A1
• Time in Patent Office: 216 Days
• Field of Search: 365/189.11, 365/189.07, 365/203, 365/205, 365/185.25
• US Class Current: 365/189.11
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/062 Differential amplifiers of non-latching type, e.g. comparators, long-tailed pairs
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/12 Bit line control circuits, e.g. drivers, boosters, pull-up circuits, pull-down circuits, precharging circuits, equalising circuits, for bit lines

Abstract

Some embodiments regard a circuit comprising a pre-charge circuit and a latch circuit. The pre-charge circuit charges a voltage node to a pre-determined voltage level based on which the latch circuit generates a feedback signal to stop the pre-charge circuit from charging.

Claims

1. A circuit comprising:

a node having a node voltage;

a memory cell coupled to the node;

a first device coupled to the node;

a charge circuit coupled to the node; and

a feedback circuit coupled to the node,

wherein during a pre-charge cycle of the memory cell;

the first device is configured to cause the node voltage to transition to a first voltage level,

the charge circuit is configured to cause the node voltage to transition to a second voltage level after the node voltage equals the first voltage level, the second voltage level being different from the first voltage level; and

the feedback circuit is configured to selectively activate or deactivate the charge circuit in response to the node voltage.

2. The circuit of claim 1, further comprising a second device coupled to the node and configured to provide a reference current for use in determining a logic level of a read datum during a read cycle of the memory cell.

3. The circuit of claim 2, wherein the memory cell is configured to generate a memory cell current, and the logic level of the read datum is determined according to comparison of a ratio of the reference current to the memory cell current and a predetermined threshold value.

4. The circuit of claim 1, further comprising an output circuit coupled between the node and the feedback circuit and configured to generate a read datum for the memory cell during a read cycle of the memory cell.

5. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the feedback circuit is configured to generate a feedback signal in a first phase of a read cycle, and the feedback signal is used in a second phase of the read cycle to deactivate the charge circuit.

6. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the charge circuit comprises:

a first inverter having a first PMOS transistor coupled in series with a first NMOS transistor, an output of the first inverter coupled to an input of the first inverter and to the node.

7. The circuit of claim 6, further comprising an output circuit that includes a second inverter having a second PMOS transistor coupled in series with a second NMOS transistor, and the first inverter configured to have a trip point higher than a trip point of the second inverter.

8. The circuit of claim 7, wherein the trip point of the first inverter is configured by sizing one or a combination of the first PMOS transistor and the first NMOS transistor, and the trip point of the second inverter is configured by sizing one or a combination of the second PMOS transistor and the second NMOS transistor.

9. The circuit of claim 1, further comprising a second device configured to selectively connect/disconnect the memory cell to/from the node.

10. A circuit comprising:

a node having a node voltage;

a first device coupled to the node;

a memory cell coupled to the node;

a charge circuit coupled to the node;

a second device coupled to the node;

a feedback circuit coupled to the node; and

an output circuit coupled to the node and the feedback circuit,

wherein during a first phase of a read cycle of the memory cell;

the first device configured to cause the node voltage to transition to a first voltage level; and

the second device and the memory cell are configured to be electrically disconnected from the node,

wherein during a second phase of the read cycle;

the charge circuit configured to cause the node voltage to transition to a second voltage level different from the first voltage level; and

wherein during a third phase of the read cycle;

the second device and the memory cell are configured to be electrically connected to the node;

the feedback circuit configured to deactivate the charge circuit; and

the output circuit configured to generate a read datum for the memory cell.

11. The circuit of claim 10, further comprising

a multiplexer;

a third device configured to selectively connect/disconnect the node to/from the second device electrically; and

a fourth device configured to selectively electrically connect/disconnect, via the multiplexer, the node to/from the memory cell.

12. The circuit of claim 10, wherein the second device is configured to provide a reference current for use in determining a logic level of the read datum during the read cycle of the memory cell.

13. The circuit of claim 12, wherein the memory cell is configured to generate a memory cell current, and the logic level of the read datum is determined according to comparison of a ratio of the reference current to the memory cell current and a predetermined threshold value.

14. A circuit comprising:

an output circuit having an input node, the input node having an input node voltage level, and the output circuit being configured to generate an output signal having a first logic state during a period that the input node voltage level is equal to or greater than a trip voltage level of the output circuit and to generate the output signal having a second logic state during a period that the input node voltage level is less than the trip voltage level of the output circuit;

a feedback circuit coupled to the output circuit and configured to generate a feedback control signal according to the output signal from the output circuit; and

a charge circuit coupled to the feedback circuit for receiving the feedback control signal and coupled to the input node of the output circuit,

the feedback circuit being configured to, via the feedback control signal, selectively activate the charge circuit to charge the input node or selectively deactivate the charge circuit in response to the output signal.

15. The circuit of claim 14, wherein the feedback circuit is configured to activate the charge circuit in response to the output signal having the first logic state and to deactivate the charge circuit in response to the output signal having the second logic state.

16. The circuit of claim 14, further comprising:

a memory cell; and

a switch circuit configured to selectively connect/disconnect the input node to/from the memory cell.

17. The circuit of claim 14, wherein the output circuit comprises at least one inverter, and the trip voltage of the output circuit is the trip voltage of the at least one inverter.

18. The circuit of claim 14, wherein the charge circuit comprises:

a PMOS transistor; and

an NMOS transistor coupled in series with the PMOS transistor, gate terminals of the PMOS transistor and the NMOS transistor are coupled to drain terminals of the PMOS transistor and the NMOS transistor.

19. The circuit of claim 18, wherein the charge circuit further comprises:

a switch configured to selectively couple the PMOS transistor or the NMOS transistor to a power node in response to the feedback control signal.

20. The circuit of claim 18, wherein the PMOS transistor and the NMOS transistor are configured to have a voltage level at the drain terminals of the PMOS transistor and the NMOS transistor during a period that the charge circuit is activated, and the voltage level is greater than the trip voltage of the output circuit.