Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Nxp B.v.

Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Atul Katoch

Cormac Michael O'Connell

Sanjeev Kumar Jain

Ali Taghvaei

Saman M I Adham

Adrian Earle

Jaspal Singh Shah

Mayank Tayal

Ching-Wei Wu

Kao-Cheng Lin

Ming-Hung Chang

Hao-I Yang

Donald George Mikan, Jr

Ming-Chien Tsai

Tsung-Yung Chang

Uppu Sharath Chandra

Arun Achyuthan

Chia-En Huang

Sahil Preet Singh

Ruchin Jain

Evert Seevinck

Sergiy Romanovskyy

Hendricus Joseph Maria Veendrick

Chia-en Huang

Rinze Ida Mechtildis Peter Meijer

Hyunsung Hong

Maarten Vertregt

Marcel J Pelgrom

Hyun-Sung Hong

Shiba Mohanty

Manish Garg

Hendricus J M Veendrick

Ishan Khera

Sanjeev Kimar Jain

Marcin Dziok

Tsung-Yen Tsai

An exemplary testing environment can operate in a testing mode of operation to test whether a memory device or other electronic devices communicatively coupled to the memory device operate as expected or unexpectedly as a result of one or more manufacturing faults. The testing mode of operation includes a shift mode of operation, a capture mode of operation, and/or a scan mode of operation. In the shift mode of operation and the scan mode of operation, the exemplary testing environment delivers a serial input sequence of data to the memory device. In the capture mode of operation, the exemplary testing environment delivers a parallel input sequence of data to the memory device. The memory device thereafter passes through the serial input sequence of data or the parallel input sequence of data to provide an output sequence of data in the shift mode of operation or the capture mode of operation or passes through the serial input sequence of data to provide a serial output sequence of scan data in the scan mode of operation.

Scan synchronous-write-through testing architectures for a memory device

Systems and methods are provided for a memory device including a first memory array, a local input/output (LIO) circuit, and a global input/output (GIO) circuit. The first memory array includes a memory cell and a local bit line. The LIO circuit is configured to receive a local bit line signal on the local bit line and to generate a global bit line signal on a global bit line based on the local bit line signal. The GIO circuit is coupled to the LIO circuit and is configured to receive the global bit line signal. The GIO circuit comprises a latch circuit including a global bit line signal latch that is configured to latch the global bit line signal, and a booster circuit that is configured to drive the global bit line signal in the GIO circuit based on a previous global bit line signal.

Global boosting circuit

A memory device includes an array of memory cells, a bit line connected to the memory cells, and a power supply voltage input terminal configured to receive a power supply voltage at a first voltage level to operate the memory cells at the first voltage level. A bit line precharge circuit has an input terminal configured to receive the power supply voltage at the first voltage level, and the bit line precharge circuit is configured to precharge the bit lines to a second voltage level lower than the first voltage level.

Variable voltage bit line precharge

Memory clock drivers, memories, and methods of operating memory clock drivers are provided. A memory device contains two memory clock drivers disposed opposite each other across an array of rows of memory cells. The memory clock drivers contain decoders, which decode an address corresponding to one or more rows of memory cells. The decoders are configured to decode the address to provide a plurality of word line signals to the corresponding rows of memory cells. The memory device also includes a row select circuit, which receives a row select address and activates a corresponding row of memory cells. The memory device includes control circuitry to control the arrays of memory cells at a local and a global level, as well as I/O modules to send signals to different parts of the memory device and integrate the memory device into external devices.

Far end driver for memory clock

Disclosed herein are related to reducing power consumption of a memory device when transitioning from a sleep state to an operational state. In one aspect, the memory device includes a memory cell to store data. In one aspect, the memory device includes an output driver configured to: generate an output signal indicating the stored data, in response to a sleep tracking signal indicating that the memory cell is in the operational state, and generate the output signal having a predetermined voltage irrespective of the stored data, in response to the sleep tracking signal indicating that the memory cell is in the sleep state. In one aspect, the sleep tracking signal is delayed from a sleep control signal causing the memory cell to operate in the sleep state or the operational state.

Low power wake up for memory

Systems and methods are provided for controlling a wake-up operation of a memory circuit. The memory circuit is configured to precharge the bit lines of a memory array sequentially during wakeup. A sleep signal is received by the first bit line of a memory cell and then a designed delay occurs prior to the precharge of a second complementary bit line. The sleep signal may then precharge the bit lines of a second memory cell with further delay between the precharge of each bit line. The memory circuit is configured to precharge both bit lines of a memory cell at the same time when an operation associated with that cell is designated.

Bit line pre-charge circuit for power management modes in multi bank SRAM

The present disclosure provides a memory device, which includes a memory array, a read-clock generation circuit, and a local input/output circuit. The read-clock generation circuit receives a sense amplifier enable signal, a first sense amplifier pre-charge signal, and a latched write enable signal to generate a first read enable signal. The local input/output circuit includes multiple pairs of column-address pass gates, and a pair of read pass gates. The plurality of pairs of column-address pass gates are configured to receive data from a bit-line pair of the memory cells in a row selected by an address signal. The pair of read pass gates connects a read bit-line pair to the bit-line pair in response to the first read enable signal being in a low-logic state. The first read enable signal is de-asserted after the read bit-line pair connected to the pair of read pass gates are pre-charged.

Memory device, read clock generation circuit, and method for controlling read operation in memory device

Systems, methods, and devices are described herein for a word line interlock circuit. A device includes a first logic gate, an interlock circuit, and a delay circuit. The first logic gate is configured to receive a reset signal. The interlock circuit is coupled to an output of the first logic gate and is configured to generate a first signal and selectively operate the first logic gate. The delay circuit is coupled to an output of the interlock circuit and is configured to receive the first signal from the interlock circuit and delay the first signal to generate a clock pulse width signal that is fed back to the interlock circuit. In response to the reset signal changing logic states, the selective operation of the first logic gate prevents changing edges of the reset signal from being transmitted to the delay circuit.

Word line delay interlock circuit for write operation

Disclosed herein are related to a memory device. In one aspect, the memory device includes a memory cell, a precharge circuit, a reset voltage control circuit, and a logic control circuit. In one aspect, the precharge circuit is configured to set a voltage of the bit line to a first voltage level. In one aspect, the reset voltage control circuit includes a transistor coupled to the bit line to set the voltage of the bit line to a second voltage level. The transistor can be arranged or operate as a diode. In one aspect, the logic control circuit is configured to cause the reset voltage control circuit to set the voltage of the bit line to the second voltage level during a reset phase and cause the precharge circuit to set the voltage of the bit line to the first voltage level during a precharge phase after the reset phase.

Memory device with reset voltage control

A semiconductor device includes a memory bank and first and second clock generators. The first clock generator includes a first transistor configured to receive an external clock signal. The first clock generator is configured to generate a global clock signal that is based on the external clock signal and that controls writing to and reading from the memory bank. The second clock generator includes a first transistor configured to receive the external clock signal. The second clock generator is configured to generate a pipeline clock signal that is based on the external clock signal and that controls a pipeline operation of reading from the memory bank. Methods of operating the first and second clock generators are also disclosed.

Semiconductor device including first and second clock generators

In some aspects of the present disclosure, a memory device is disclosed. In some aspects, the memory device includes a plurality of memory cells arranged in an array, an input/output (I/O) interface connected to the plurality of memory cells to output data signal from each memory cell, and a control circuit. In some embodiments, the control circuit includes a first clock generator to generate a first clock signal and a second clock signal according to an input clock signal and a chip enable (CE) signal and provide the first clock signal to the plurality of memory cells. In some embodiments, the control circuit includes a second clock generator to generate a third clock signal according to the input clock signal and a DFT (design for testability) enable signal. In some embodiments, the control circuit generates an output clock signal according to the second clock signal or the third clock signal.

Method, device, and circuit for high-speed memories

Signal edge sharpener circuitry is operably connected to the word lines in a memory array to pull up a rising edge of a signal on the word line and/or to pull down a falling edge of the signal on the word line. Pulling the signal up and/or down reduces the amount of time the word line is asserted and reduces the amount of time between precharge operations.

Memory device with signal edge sharpener circuitry

Systems and methods are provided for controlling a wake-up operation of a memory circuit. The memory circuit may include a memory array with a plurality of memory cells, first logic circuitry, first switching circuitry, first latch circuitry, and second switching circuitry. The first logic circuitry may be configured to generate a first bit line pre-charge signal for a first memory cell of the plurality of memory cells, where the first bit line pre-charge signal is generated in response to a sleep signal. The first switching circuitry may be configured to provide power to one or more bit line of the first memory cell in response to the first bit line pre-charge signal. The first latch circuit may receive the sleep signal and the first bit line pre-charge signal and generate a delayed sleep signal. The second logic circuitry may be configured to generate a second bit line pre-charge signal for a second memory cell of the plurality of memory cells, where the second bit line pre-charge signal is generated in response to the delayed sleep signal. The second switching circuitry may be configured to provide power to one or more bit line of the second memory cell in response to the second bit line pre-charge signal.

Systems and methods for controlling power management operations in a memory device

A memory device includes a memory array that includes one or more rows of memory cells and one or more columns of memory cells. The comparator circuitry is operably connected to at least one column of memory cells in the one or more columns of memory cells. The comparator circuitry includes a precompute circuit and a select circuit operably connected to the outputs of the precompute circuit. The precompute circuit is operable to precompute a comparison operation to produce a first precompute signal and a second precompute signal. The select circuit is operable to receive a first cell data signal from a memory cell in the column of memory cells. Based at least on the first cell data signal, the select circuit selects either the first precompute signal or the second precompute signal to output from the comparator circuitry as a signal read from the memory cell.

Memory device having a comparator circuit

Systems and methods are provided for limiting a negative bit line voltage in a SRAM cell. A voltage limiter circuit may be implemented in a write driver to control the magnitude of negative voltage imposed on a bit line. The voltage limiter circuit can produce the required magnitude of negative bit line voltage at lower operating voltage levels. The voltage limiter circuit can also limit the magnitude of negative bit line voltage to not exceed a predetermined value. The reduction of the magnitude of the negative bit line voltage can reduce the active power of a SRAM cell.

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Kanata, Canada

Atul Katoch