Nvidia Corporation

Andreas J Gotterba

Jesse S Wang

Lalit Gupta

Stefan P Sywyk

Jun Yang

Lei Wang

Stephen Felix

Ge Yang

Spencer Montgomery Gold

Hua Chen

Hwong-Kwo Lin

Jing Guo

Eric H Voelkel

Haiyan Gong

Karthik Natarajan

Jason Golbus

Zhenye Jiang

Beibei Ren

Joel DeWitt

Marek Smoszna

A static random access memory (SRAM) or other bit-storing cell arrangement includes memory cells and a hierarchical bitline structure including local bitlines for subsets of the memory banks and a global bitline spanning the subsets. A keeper circuit for the global bitline is replaced by bias circuitry on output transistors of the memory cells.

Keeper-free volatile memory system

To mitigate pulse shape degradation along a signal route, the signal is driven from two ends. One end of the route is loaded and the other is relatively unloaded. The loaded route and unloaded route may traverse two different metal layers on a printed circuit board. The two routes may thus be related such that the unloaded route has less RC distortion effects on the signal than does the loaded route.

Slew signal shaper circuit using two signal paths

A machine memory includes multiple memory cells. Word lines, each with at least one word line driver, are coupled to the memory cells along rows. The word line drivers of at least some adjacent pairs of the word lines are coupled together by a pull-down transistor, in a manner that reduces read disturb of the memory cells.

Area efficient memory cell read disturb mitigation

Three state latch. In accordance with a first embodiment, an electronic circuit includes a single latch having three stable states. The electronic circuit may be configured so that all three outputs reflect a change at any one input in not more than three gate delays. The electronic circuit may further be configured so that when all inputs are set to one, a previous state of the latch is retained and output on the outputs.

Three state latch

Three state latch. In accordance with a first embodiment, an electronic circuit includes n pairs of cascaded logical gates. Each of the n pairs of cascaded logical gates includes a first logical gate including n&#x2212;1 first gate inputs and one first gate output, and a second logical gate including two second gate inputs and one second gate output. One of the second gate inputs is coupled to the first gate output. The second gate output is cross coupled to one of the first gate inputs of all other the pairs of cascaded logical gates, and n is greater than 2.

A subsystem configured to select the power supply to a static random access memory cell compares the level of a dedicated memory supply voltage to the primary system supply voltage. The subsystem then switches the primary system supply to the SRAM cell when the system voltage is higher than the memory supply voltage with some margin. When the system voltage is lower than the memory supply voltage, with margin, the subsystem switches the memory supply to the SRAM cell. When the system voltage is comparable to the memory supply, the subsystem switches the system voltage to the SRAM cell if performance is a prioritized consideration, but switches the memory supply to the SRAM cell if power reduction is a prioritized consideration. In this manner, the system achieves optimum performance without incurring steady state power losses and avoids timing issues in accessing memory.

Power savings via selection of SRAM power source

Handshaking sense amplifier. In accordance with a first embodiment, an electronic circuit includes a sense amplifier configured to differentially sense contents of a memory cell. The circuit also includes a self-timing circuit configured to detect a completion of evaluation by the sense amplifier; and to initiate a subsequent memory operation responsive to the completion. A completion of evaluation may not be aligned with a clock edge.

Handshaking sense amplifier

A column select multiplexer, a method of reading data from a random-access memory and a memory subsystem incorporating the multiplexer or the method. In one embodiment, the column select multiplexer includes: (1) a first field-effect transistor having a gate coupled via an inverter to a bitline of a static random-access memory array, (2) a second field-effect transistor coupled in series with the first field-effect transistor and having a gate coupled to a column select bus of the static random-access memory array and (3) a latch having an input coupled to the first and second field-effect transistors.

Growing community of inventors

Santa Clara, CA, United States of America

Andreas J Gotterba