Semiconductor memory device

• US 6,317,362 B1
• Filed: 07/12/2000
• Issued: 11/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries LLC (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nomura, Hidemi, Yoneyama, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, TRONG Q
• Application Number:
  US09/614,778
• Time in Patent Office: 489 Days
• Field of Search: 365/185.2, 365/185.21, 365/185.33
• US Class Current: 365/185.2
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/28 using differential sensing or reference cells, e.g. dummy cells

Abstract

A pair of reference cells 77 and 78 has the same structure as that of memory cells 51 and 52 and is arranged in the same direction on a semiconductor substrate. The memory cell 51 and the reference cell 77 (even cell) are coincident in their source/drain direction. The memory cell 52 and the reference cell 78 (odd cell) are coincident in their source/drain direction. A selection circuit 79 selects the reference cell 77 when the memory cell 51 is selected, whereas the selection circuit 79 selects the reference cell 78 when the memory cell 52 is selected. In this configuration, a semiconductor memory device is provided which can prevent erroneous read and provide stable read-out characteristic irrespectively of a change in a manufacturing process.

Claims

1. A semiconductor memory device comprising:

a plurality of memory cells formed on semiconductor substrate;

a plurality of row lines and column lines for selecting a specific memory cell of said plurality of memory cells;

first voltage applying means for passing a cell current through the specific memory cell selected by said plurality of row lines and column lines;

a plurality of reference cells each having the same structure as that of each of the plurality of memory cells and formed on said semiconductor substrate;

second voltage applying means for passing a reference current through each of said reference cells; and

sense amplifier means for comparing the cell current and the reference current, wherein

said plurality of memory cells include a plurality of memory cell groups arranged in plural different source/drain directions, and cell-layout is set so that the reference cells to each of the memory cell groups are arranged in the same direction as the memory cells in the corresponding memory cell group.

2. A semiconductor memory device according to claim 1, wherein the memory cells are arranged in a matrix shape, and said memory cell groups have common source regions along the column lines, and the memory cell groups adjacent to each other are linearly symmetrical along a source line connecting said source regions.

3. A semiconductor memory device according to claim 2, each of the memory cells and said reference cells is a split-gate type non-volatile semiconductor memory cell.

6. A semiconductor memory device according to claim 1, further comprising current/voltage converting means for converting said cell current and the reference current into a cell voltage and a reference voltage, respectively, wherein said sense amplifier means compares the cell voltage with said reference voltage.

7. A semiconductor memory device according to claim 6, wherein said current/voltage converting means includes first load resistor means to which said first and said second memory cell are connected, and second load resistor means to which said first and said second reference cell are connected.

8. A semiconductor memory device according to claim 7, wherein said first and said second load resistor means are MOS transistors.

9. A semiconductor memory device according to claim 1, wherein:

said second voltage applying means comprises a first reference voltage applying means for passing a first reference current through the first reference cell;

a second reference voltage applying means for passing a second reference current through the second reference cell;

a switching circuit for producing either one of said first and said second reference current; and

sense amplifier means for comparing the cell current and the reference current produced by said switching circuit, wherein where said first memory cell is selected, said switching circuit produces said first reference current, and where said second memory cell is selected, said switching circuit produces said second reference current.

4. A semiconductor memory device comprising:

a plurality of memory cells formed on a semiconductor substrate, said memory cells constituting a plurality of memory cell groups each having a first memory cell and a second memory cell with their sources commonly connected to a source line and their drains commonly connected to a single column line, and selected by adjacent row lines, respectively;

first voltage applying means for passing a current through a specific memory cell selected by the row line and column line;

a first and a second reference cell each having the same structure as that of each of the first and the second memory cell and formed on the semiconductor substrate;

a selecting circuit for selecting either one of said first and said second reference cell;

second voltage applying means for passing a reference current through the reference cell selected by said selecting circuit; and

sense amplifier means for comparing said cell current and said reference current, wherein where said first memory cell is selected, the selecting circuit selects the first reference cell, and where said second memory cell is selected, said selecting circuit selects said second reference cell.

5. A semiconductor memory device according to claim 4, wherein each of said first and said second memory cell and said first and said second reference cell is a split-gate type non-volatile semiconductor memory cell.

10. A semiconductor memory device comprising:

a plurality of memory cells formed on semiconductor substrate;

a plurality of row lines and column lines for selecting a specific memory cell of said plurality of memory cells;

first voltage applying means for passing a cell current through the specific memory cell selected by said plurality of row lines and column lines;

a plurality of reference cells each having the same structure as that of each of the plurality of memory cells and formed on said semiconductor substrate;

second voltage applying means for passing a reference current through each of said reference cells; and

sense amplifier means for comparing the cell current and the reference current, wherein the memory cells are arranged in a matrix shape, and a group of said memory cells has common source regions along the column lines, and the memory cells adjacent to each other are linearly symmetrical along a source line connecting said source regions, and the reference cells corresponding to the memory cell group are arranged in the same direction as the memory cell group.