Asymmetric sensing amplifier, memory device and designing method

• US 8,976,611 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Yang, Jung-Ping, Wu, Fu-An, Lee, Cheng Hung, Huang, Chia-En, Chiu, Chih-Chieh
• Primary Examiner(s): AUDUONG, GENE NGHIA
• Application Number:
  US13/837,614
• Publication Number:
  US 20140269110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 365/205, 365/207, 365/208, 365/185.21, 365/185.11, 365/203, 365/189.11
• US Class Current: 365/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/36 Circuit design at the analogue level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/398 Design verification or optimisation, e.g. using design rule check [DRC], layout versus schematics [LVS] or finite element methods [FEM] optical proximity correction [OPC] design processes G03F1/36
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/419 Read-write [R-W] circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/065 Differential amplifiers of latching type
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/1048 Data bus control circuits, e.g. precharging, presetting, equalising
• 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

A sensing amplifier for a memory device includes first and second nodes, an input device and an output device. The memory device includes first and second bit lines, and at least one memory cell coupled to the bit lines. The first and second nodes are coupled to the first and second bit lines, respectively. The input device is coupled to the first and second nodes and generates a first current pulling the first node toward a predetermined voltage in response to a first datum read out from the memory cell, and to generate a second current pulling the second node toward the predetermined voltage in response to a second datum read out from the memory cell. The output device is coupled to the first node to output the first or second datum read out from the memory cell. The first current is greater than the second current.

Claims

1. A sensing amplifier for a memory device, the memory device comprising first and second bit lines and at least one memory cell coupled to the first and second bit lines, the sensing amplifier comprising:

a first node configured to be coupled to the first bit line;

a second node configured to be coupled to the second bit line;

an input device coupled to the first and second nodes, the input device configured to

generate a first current pulling the first node toward a predetermined voltage in response to a first datum read out from the memory cell, and

generate a second current pulling the second node toward the predetermined voltage in response to a second datum read out from the memory cell; and

an output device coupled to the first node, the output device configured to output the first or second datum read out from the memory cell;

wherein the first current is greater than the second current.

2. The sensing amplifier of claim 1, wherein the sensing amplifier is an asymmetric sensing amplifier which is free of a dummy output device and a dummy conductive pattern coupled to the second node.

3. The sensing amplifier of claim 1, wherein the sensing amplifier is an asymmetric sensing amplifier which is free of direct coupling between the output device and the second node.

4. The sensing amplifier of claim 1, wherein a total capacitance loading of the first node is greater than a total capacitance loading of the second node.

5. The sensing amplifier of claim 1, wherein the input device is configured to have a ratio of the first current to the second current matching a ratio of a total capacitance loading of the first node to a total capacitance loading of the second node.

6. The sensing amplifier of claim 1, wherein

a first circuit of the input device comprises a first transistor defining the first current,

a second circuit of the input device comprises a second transistor defining the second current, and

a ratio of channel width to channel length of the first transistor is greater than that of the second transistor.

7. The sensing amplifier of claim 1, wherein

a first circuit of the input device comprises a first transistor defining the first current,

a second circuit of the input device comprises a second transistor defining the second current,

the first transistor has a first ratio of channel width to channel length,

the second transistor has a second a ratio of channel width to channel length, and

a ratio of the first ratio to the second ratio matches a ratio of a total capacitance loading of the first node to a total capacitance loading of the second node.

8. A memory device, comprising:

at least one pair of bit lines including a first bit line and a second bit line;

at least one memory cell coupled to the first and second bit lines;

first through fourth transistors; and

an output device;

wherein

the first and third transistors are coupled in series between a power supply voltage node and a reference node,

the second and fourth transistors are coupled in series between the power supply voltage node and the reference node,

the first transistor is configured to have a first drain current when the first transistor is turned on and is coupled to the third transistor at a first node, the first node configured to be coupled to the first bit line,

the first node is coupled to gates of the second and fourth transistors, and to the output device,

the second transistor is configured to have a second drain current when the second transistor is turned on and is coupled to the fourth transistor at a second node, the second node configured to be coupled to the second bit line, the first drain current and the second drain current having different current values,

the second node is coupled to gates of the first and third transistors, and

a ratio of the first drain current of the first transistor to the second drain current of the second transistor matches a ratio of a total capacitance loading of the first node to a total capacitance loading of the second node.

9. The memory device of claim 8, wherein

the total capacitance loading of the first node comprises a sum of a parasitic capacitance of the at least one memory cell, parasitic capacitances of drains of the first and third transistors, parasitic capacitances of the gates of the second and fourth transistors, and a parasitic capacitance of the output device, and

the total capacitance loading of the second node comprises a sum of a parasitic capacitance of the at least one memory cell, parasitic capacitances of drains of the second and fourth transistors, and parasitic capacitances of the gates of the first and third transistors.

10. The memory device of claim 8, further comprising:

a fifth transistor commonly coupling the fifth and second transistors to the reference node.

11. The memory device of claim 8, further comprising:

a pair of data lines including a first data line and a second data line, the first data line coupled to the first node, and the second data line coupled to the second node; and

at least one pair of switches including a first switch and a second switch, the first switch coupled between the first data line and the first bit line, the second switch coupled between the second data line and the second bit line, the first and second switches configured to be turned ON or OFF by a common column select signal.

12. The memory device of claim 11, wherein

the at least one memory cell comprises a plurality of memory cells coupled to the first and second bit lines,

the total capacitance loading of the first node comprises a sum of parasitic capacitances of the plurality of memory cells, parasitic capacitances of drains of the first and third transistors, parasitic capacitances of the gates of the second and fourth transistors, and a parasitic capacitance of the output device, and

the total capacitance loading of the second node comprises a sum of parasitic capacitances of the plurality of memory cells, parasitic capacitances of drains of the second and fourth transistors, and parasitic capacitances of the gates of the first and third transistors.

13. The memory device of claim 11, wherein

the at least one memory cell comprises a plurality of memory cells,

the at least one pair of bit lines comprises a plurality of pairs of bit lines, each of the plurality of pairs of bit lines coupled to multiple memory cells among the plurality of memory cells, and

the at least one pair of switches comprises a plurality of pairs of switches, each of the plurality of pairs of switches coupled between the pair of data lines and a corresponding one of the plurality of pairs of bit lines.

14. The memory device of claim 8, wherein

the first and second transistors are n-channel metal-oxide semiconductor (NMOS) transistors, and

the third and fourth transistors are p-channel metal-oxide semiconductor (PMOS) transistors.

15. The memory device of claim 14, wherein

the first transistor has a first ratio of channel width to channel length,

the second transistor has a second a ratio of channel width to channel length, and

a ratio of the first ratio to the second ratio matches a ratio of a total capacitance loading of the first node to a total capacitance loading of the second node.

16. The memory device of claim 8, wherein the memory device is free of a dummy output device and a dummy conductive pattern coupled to the second node.

17. The memory device of claim 16, wherein the memory device is free of direct coupling between the output device and the second node.

18. A method of designing a memory device, the method performed by at least one processor and comprising:

determining a total capacitance loading of a first node of an asymmetric sensing amplifier;

determining a total capacitance loading of a second node of the asymmetric sensing amplifier, the asymmetric sensing amplifier having complementary logic states at the first node and second node; and

configuring at least one of a first circuit or a second circuit of the asymmetric sensing amplifier based on a ratio of the determined total capacitance loading of the first node to the determined total capacitance loading of the second node, the first circuit associated with the first node, the second circuit associated with the second node.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the memory device comprises first and second bit lines, at least one memory cell coupled to the first and second bit lines, and the asymmetric sensing amplifier,

the first node configured to be coupled to the first bit line,

the second node configured to be coupled to the second bit line,

the first circuit configured to pull the first node toward a predetermined voltage in response to a first datum read out from the memory cell,

the second circuit configured to pull the second node toward the predetermined voltage in response to a second datum read out from the memory cell, and

the asymmetric sensing amplifier further comprising an output device coupled to the first node, the output device configured to output the first or second datum read out from the memory cell.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the total capacitance loading of the first node comprises a parasitic capacitance of the output device, whereas the total capacitance loading of the second node does not comprise the parasitic capacitance of the output device.