Memory, supply voltage generation circuit, and operation method of a supply voltage generation circuit used for a memory array

• US 8,724,404 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2012
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marlin Semiconductor Limited (f/k/a Sandyford Semiconductor Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: United Microelectronics Corporation
• Inventors: Lu, Hsin-Pang, Tsai, Chung-Cheng, Mou, Ya-Nan, Chen, Shi-Wen
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Ly D
• Application Number:
  US13/652,422
• Publication Number:
  US 20140104962A1
• Time in Patent Office: 575 Days
• Field of Search: 365/189.07, 365/189.09, 365/189.11
• US Class Current: 365/189.09
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/4074 Power supply or voltage generation circuits, e.g. bias voltage generators, substrate voltage generators, back-up power, power control circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/30 Power supply circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/021 in voltage or current generators
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 5/147 Voltage reference generators, voltage or current regulators; Internally lowered supply levels; Compensation for voltage drops G11C5/141 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/00 Arrangements for writing information into, or reading information out from, a digital store G11C5/00 takes precedence; auxiliary circuits for stores using semiconductor devices G11C11/4063, G11C11/413
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/08 Control thereof
• 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 8/08 Word line control circuits, e.g. drivers, boosters, pull-up circuits, pull-down circuits, precharging circuits, for word lines

Abstract

A supply voltage generation circuit includes a comparison unit, a voltage level control unit and a voltage regulator circuit. The comparison unit is configured to compare input data and output data of a memory array to each other and thereby generating a comparison result, wherein the output data are storage data stored in a plurality of memory units of the memory array processed by a program operation according to the input data, and the comparison result indicates the number of different bits existing between the output data and the input data. The voltage level control unit is configured to generate a control signal according to the comparison result. The voltage regulator circuit is configured to provide a supply voltage for the memory array and adjust the value of the supply voltage according to the control signal. A memory and an operation method of a supply generation circuit used for a memory array are also provided.

Claims

1. A supply voltage generation circuit for a memory array, the memory array comprising a plurality of memory units, the supply voltage generation circuit comprising:

a comparison unit configured to compare input data and output data of the memory array to each other and thereby generating a comparison result, wherein the output data are storage data stored in a plurality of memory units of the memory array processed by a program operation according to the input data, and the comparison result indicates the number of different bits existing between the output data and the input data;

a voltage level control unit configured to generate a control signal according to the comparison result; and

a voltage regulator circuit configured to provide a supply voltage for the memory array and adjust the value of the supply voltage according to the control signal.

2. The supply voltage generation circuit according to claim 1, wherein the comparison unit compares the input data and the output data to each other through a digital data comparison manner, analog-type current comparison manner or analog-type voltage comparison manner.

3. The supply voltage generation circuit according to claim 2, wherein the comparison result is derived from outside of a memory associated with the memory array.

4. The supply voltage generation circuit according to claim 1, wherein the voltage regulator circuit comprises:

a P-type transistor having a first source/drain, a second source/drain and a gate, the P-type transistor being configured to have the first source/drain thereof electrically coupled to an operating power supply and the second source/drain thereof for providing the supply voltage;

a voltage divider circuit comprising a plurality of resistors coupled in series, the voltage divider circuit being configured to have one terminal thereof electrically coupled to the second source/drain of the P-type transistor and another terminal thereof electrically coupled to a first reference voltage;

a plurality of switches each having a first terminal, a second terminal and a control terminal, each switch being configured to have the first terminal and the second terminal thereof electrically coupled to two terminals of one respective resistor in the voltage divider circuit, respectively;

a switch control circuit electrically coupled to the control terminals of the switches and configured to selectively turn on the switches according to the control signal; and

a voltage comparator having a positive input terminal, a negative input terminal and an output terminal, the voltage comparator being configured to have the positive input terminal thereof for receiving a second reference voltage, the negative input terminal thereof electrically coupled to an electrical connection node of two specific resistors in the voltage divider circuit, and the output terminal thereof electrically coupled to the gate of the P-type transistor.

5. The supply voltage generation circuit according to claim 1, wherein the voltage regulator circuit is further electrically coupled to an input terminal of a decoder of the memory array and is further configured to generate a feedback signal according to a signal received by the input terminal of the decoder and the control signal and consequently adjust the value of the supply voltage according to the feedback signal.

6. The supply voltage generation circuit according to claim 5, wherein the decoder comprises a source line decoder.

7. The supply voltage generation circuit according to claim 5, wherein the voltage regulator circuit comprises:

a P-type transistor having a first source/drain, a second source/drain and a gate, the P-type transistor being configured to have the first source/drain thereof electrically coupled to an operating power supply and the second source/drain thereof for providing the supply voltage;

a voltage divider circuit comprising a plurality of resistors coupled in series, the voltage divider circuit being configured to have one terminal thereof electrically coupled to the input terminal of the decoder and another terminal thereof electrically coupled to a first reference voltage;

a plurality of switches each having a first terminal, a second terminal and a control terminal, each switch being configured to have the first terminal and the second terminal thereof electrically coupled to two terminals of one respective resistor in the voltage divider circuit, respectively;

a switch control circuit electrically coupled to the control terminals of the switches and configured to selectively turn on the switches according to the control signal; and

a voltage comparator having a positive input terminal, a negative input terminal and an output terminal, the voltage comparator being configured to have the positive input terminal thereof for receiving a second reference voltage, the negative input terminal thereof electrically coupled to an electrical connection node of two specific resistors in the voltage divider circuit, and the output terminal thereof electrically coupled to the gate of the P-type transistor, the electrical connection node being configured to provide the feedback signal.

8. The supply voltage generation circuit according to claim 1, wherein the voltage regulator circuit is further electrically coupled to a plurality of output terminals of a decoder of the memory array and is further configured to generate a feedback signal according to a signal outputted from one output terminal of the decoder and the control signal and consequently adjust the value of the supply voltage according to the feedback signal.

9. The supply voltage generation circuit according to claim 8, wherein the decoder comprises a source line decoder.

10. The supply voltage generation circuit according to claim 8, wherein the voltage regulator circuit comprises:

a P-type transistor having a first source/drain, a second source/drain and a gate, the P-type transistor being configured to have the first source/drain thereof electrically coupled to an operating power supply and the second source/drain thereof for providing the supply voltage;

a selection circuit having a plurality of input terminals and an output terminal, the selection circuit being configured to have the input terminals thereof electrically coupled to the output terminals of the decoder, respectively, the selection circuit being configured to select one of the input terminals thereof according to a selection signal and output a signal received by the selected input terminal through the output terminal thereof;

a voltage divider circuit comprising a plurality of resistors coupled in series, the voltage divider circuit being configured to have one terminal thereof electrically coupled to the output terminal of the selection circuit and another terminal thereof electrically coupled to a first reference voltage;

a plurality of switches each having a first terminal, a second terminal and a control terminal, each switch being configured to have the first terminal and the second terminal thereof electrically coupled to two terminals of one respective resistor in the voltage divider circuit, respectively;

a switch control circuit electrically coupled to the control terminals of the switches and configured to selectively turn on the switches according to the control signal; and

a voltage comparator having a positive input terminal, a negative input terminal and an output terminal, the voltage comparator being configured to have the positive input terminal thereof for receiving a second reference voltage, the negative input terminal thereof electrically coupled to an electrical connection node of two specific resistors in the voltage divider circuit, and the output terminal thereof electrically coupled to the gate of the P-type transistor, the electrical connection node being configured to provide the feedback signal.

11. The supply voltage generation circuit according to claim 1, wherein the comparison unit is further electrically coupled to a data input/output interface of the memory and is further configured to receive the input data and the output data transmitted by the data input/output interface, the data input/output interface is further configured to latch the input data.

12. The supply voltage generation circuit according to claim 11, wherein the data input/output interface comprises an input data transmission unit and an output data transmission unit, the input data transmission unit is configured to transmit and latch the input data, the output data transmission unit is configured to transmit the output data.

13. The supply voltage generation circuit according to claim 1, wherein the voltage regulator circuit is realized by a low dropout regulator.

14. The supply voltage generation circuit according to claim 1, wherein the voltage level control unit stores with a lookup table recording a mapping relationship between the number of the memory units required to process the program operation and the corresponding supply voltage, and the voltage level control unit generates the control signal according to a lookup result generated by looking up the lookup table according to the comparison result.