Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Chi-Kai Hsieh

Cheng Hung Lee

Hong-Chen Cheng

Fu-An Wu

Hao-I Yang

Tsung-Hsien Huang

Hektor Huang

Shi-Wei Chang

A semiconductor device comprising a first supply voltage, a second supply voltage, different from the first supply voltage; and a switching circuit. The switching circuit comprises an input configured to receive an input signal corresponding to the first supply voltage and an output configured to output an output signal corresponding to the second supply voltage. The switching circuit is a combined latch with a built-in level shifter that provides latching functionality and level shifting functionality and a leakage path is cut-off when the switching circuit is providing latching functionality.

Latch with built-in level shifter

Systems and methods are provided for a sense amplifier/write driver circuit. A system includes a set of transistors responsive to a memory cell, the set of transistors configured to operate as a sense amplifier in a first mode and to operate as a write driver in a second mode. One or more switches are configured to switch the set of transistors from the first mode to the second mode based on a control signal. Particular transistors of the set of transistors are configured by the one or more switches to amplify and retain data at a pair of input/output nodes for a period of time in the first mode. The particular transistors are further configured by the one or more switches to drive data to the pair of input/output nodes in the second mode.

Shared sense amplifier and write driver

A sense amplifier includes a cross latch, a first pass gate, a second pass gate, a first data line, a second data line, a first circuit, and a second circuit. The cross latch has a first input/output (I/O) node and a second I/O node. The first pass gate is coupled between the first data line and the first I/O node. The second pass gate is coupled between the second data line and the second I/O node. The first circuit is coupled with the first I/O node and the second data line. The second circuit is coupled with the second I/O node and the first data line. The first circuit is configured to be turned off when the second data line has a first logical value and to be at least lightly turned on when the second data line has a voltage level between the first logical value and a second logical value different from the first logical value. The second circuit is configured to be turned off when the first data line has the first logical value and to be at least lightly turned on when the first data line has a voltage level between the first logical value and the second logical value.

Sense amplifier with current regulating circuit

The present disclosure relates to a differential sense amplifier comprising first and second cross-coupled inverters with first and second complimentary storage nodes. A first current control element changes a current through the first cross-coupled inverter based upon an output of a second cross-coupled inverter, and a second current control element changes a current through the second cross-coupled inverter based upon an output of the first cross-coupled inverter. Other devices and methods are also disclosed.

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Yangmei, Taiwan

Chi-Kai Hsieh