Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Elan Microelectronics Corporation

Chih-Yu Lin

Yen-Huei Chen

Hidehiro Fujiwara

Hung-Jen Liao

Hsien-Yu Pan

Wei-Chang Zhao

Wei-Cheng Wu

Yi-Hsin Nien

Kao-Cheng Lin

Li-Wen Wang

Wei-Min Chan

Jonathan Tsung-Yung Chang

Chien-Chen Lin

Sahil Preet Singh

Yasutoshi Okuno

Han-Wen Liao

Cherng-Chang Tsuei

Shih-Lien Linus Lu

Wei Min Chan

Hiroki Noguchi

Ru-Yu Wang

Yen-huei Chen

Chung-Hsi Wu

Cheng Hung Lee

Yu-Hao Hsu

Chen-Lin Yang

Chen-Hsiang Lu

Tetsu Ohtou

Haruki Mori

I-Hau Yeh

Ming-Chien Tsai

Wen-Sheng Wang

Wei-Tai Lin

Hsian-Hong Wei

Cheng Chun Dai

A memory circuit includes a first pull down transistor, a first pass gate transistor coupled to the first pull down transistor, a second pull down transistor, a second pass gate transistor and a first metal contact. The second pull down transistor has a first active region located on a first level. The second pass gate transistor has a second active region located on the first level, and being coupled to the second pull down transistor. The first metal contact extends from the first active region to the second active region, being located on a second level, and electrically coupling a drain of the second pull down transistor to a drain of the second pass gate transistor. The first pass gate transistor, the second pass gate transistor, the first pull down transistor and the second pull down transistor are part of a four transistor (4T) memory cell.

Memory array circuit and method of manufacturing same

Disclosed herein are related to a memory device. In one aspect, a memory device includes a set of memory cells. In one aspect, the memory device includes a first bit line extending along a direction. The first bit line may be coupled to a subset of the set of memory cells disposed along the direction. In one aspect, the memory device includes a second bit line extending along the direction. In one aspect, the memory device includes a switch coupled between the first bit line and the second bit line.

Memory device including separate negative bit line

A memory device includes a first bit cell, a second bit cell, a first word line and a second word line. A first boundary of the second bit cell is adjacent with a first boundary of the first bit cell. The first word line is coupled to the first bit cell. The second word line is coupled to the second bit cell. A first segment of the first word line is overlapped with the first boundary of the second bit cell in a plan view, and a first segment of the second word line is overlapped with a second boundary of the second bit cell in the plan view.

Memory device

A memory device and a method for operating the memory device are provided. The memory device includes a memory cell and a bit line connected to the memory cell. A negative voltage generator is connected to the bit line. The negative voltage generator, when enabled, is operative to provide a first write path for the bit line. A control circuit is connected to the negative voltage generator and the bit line. The control circuit is operative to provide a second write path for the bit line when the negative voltage generator is not enabled.

Memory device having a negative voltage circuit

A memory array is disclosed. The memory array includes a plurality of memory cells disposed over a substrate. Each of the memory cells is coupled to a corresponding one of a plurality of word lines and a corresponding one of a plurality of bit line pairs. First four of the memory cells that are coupled to four consecutive ones of the word lines and to a first one of the bit line pairs are abutted to one another on the substrate along a single lateral direction.

Memory devices with improved bit line loading

A device includes first and second gate electrodes, a word line and a first metal island. The first gate electrode corresponds to transistors of a memory cell. The second gate electrode is separated from the first gate electrode and corresponds to the transistors. The word line is coupled to the memory cell and located between the first and the second gate electrodes. The first metal island is configured to couple a first power supply to the memory cell. A first boundary of the first metal island is located between first and second boundaries of the first gate electrode and is located between first and second boundaries of the word line, and each of the first boundary of the first gate electrode and the first boundary of the word line is located between first and second boundaries of the first metal island.

SRAM cell word line structure with reduced RC effects

A memory device includes a first word line and a second word line. A first portion of the first word line is formed in a first metal layer, a second portion of the first word line is formed in a second metal layer above the first metal layer, and a third portion of the first word line is formed in a third metal layer below the second metal layer. A first portion of the second word line is formed in the first metal layer. A second portion of the second word line is formed in the second metal layer. The first portion, the second portion, and the third portion of the first word line have sizes that are different from each other, and the first portion and the second portion of the second word line have sizes that are different from each other.

Memory device including a word line with portions with different sizes in different metal layers

A static random access memory includes a first and second memory cell array, a first word line, a bit line, a bit line bar, a primary driver circuit, and a first and second supplementary driver circuit. The first supplementary driver circuit is configured to pull a voltage of a first signal of the bit line or a second signal of the bit line bar to a first voltage level during a write operation in response to a supplementary driver circuit enable signal. The second supplementary driver circuit is configured to sense the voltage of the first or second signal. The second supplementary driver circuit includes a first pass-gate transistor. A first terminal of the first pass-gate transistor is coupled to a reference voltage supply. A second terminal of the first pass-gate transistor is electrically floating. A third terminal of the first pass-gate transistor is coupled to a first node.

Static random access memory with a supplementary driver circuit and method of controlling the same

A memory device includes active regions and gate structures, each of the gate structures is electrically coupled to a first portion of a corresponding active region of the active regions. The memory device includes contact-to-transistor-component structures (MD structures), each of the MD structures is over a second portion of a corresponding active region, and a first MD structure is between adjacent gate structures. The memory device includes via-to-gate/MD (VGD) structures, each of the VGD structures is over to a corresponding gate electrode and MD structure. The memory device includes conductive segments, each of the conductive segments is over and electrically coupled to a corresponding VGD structure. The memory device includes buried contact-to-transistor-component structures (BVD) structures, each of the BVD structures is under a third portion of a corresponding active region. The memory device includes buried conductive segments, each of the buried conductive segments is under a corresponding BVD structure.

Four CPP wide memory cell with buried power grid, and method of fabricating same

A memory device includes a conductive segment, first and second rows of memory cells. The conductive segment receives a first reference voltage signal. The first row of memory cells is coupled to a first word line. The second row of memory cells is coupled to a second word line. The first row of memory cells includes first and second memory cells. The first memory cell is coupled to the conductive segment to receive the first reference voltage signal. The second row of memory cells includes third and fourth memory cells. The third memory cell is coupled to the conductive segment to receive the first reference voltage signal. The first and third memory cells share the conductive segment, and the third memory cell is arranged between the first and second memory cells. The second memory cell is arranged between the third and fourth memory cells.

Memory device and method of manufacturing the same

A memory cell includes a write port and a read port. The write port includes two cross-coupled inverters that form a storage unit. The cross-coupled inverters are connected between a first power source signal line and a second power source signal line. The write port also includes a first local interconnect line in an interconnect layer that is connected to the second power source signal line. The read port includes a transistor that is connected to the storage unit in the write port and to the second power source signal line, and a second local interconnect line in the interconnect layer that is connected to the second power source signal line. The second local interconnect line in the read port is separate from the first local interconnect line in the write port.

Method and system to balance ground bounce

A memory array includes a first memory cell configured to store data, a second memory cell configured to store data and a bit line extending along the first direction, and being over the first memory cell and the second memory cell. The first memory cell and the second memory cell are arranged along a first direction in a first column of memory cells. The bit line includes a first conductor extending in the first direction and being in a first conductive layer, and a second conductor extending in the first direction and being in a second conductive layer different from the first conductive layer.

A method of forming a memory circuit includes generating a layout design of the memory circuit, and manufacturing the memory circuit based on the layout design. The generating of the layout design includes generating a first active region layout pattern corresponding to fabricating a first active region of a first pull down transistor, generating a second active region layout pattern corresponding to fabricating a second active region of a first pass gate transistor, and generating a first metal contact layout pattern corresponding to fabricating a first metal contact. The first metal contact layout pattern overlaps the cell boundary of the memory circuit and the first active region layout pattern. The first metal contact electrically coupled to a source of the first pull down transistor. The memory circuit being a four transistor (4T) memory cell including a first and second pass gate transistor, and a first and second pull down transistor.

A write assist circuit can include a control circuit and a voltage generator. The control circuit can be configured to receive memory address information associated with a memory write operation for memory cells. The voltage generator can be configured to provide a reference voltage to one or more bitlines coupled to the memory cells. The voltage generator can include two capacitive elements, where during the memory write operation, (i) one of the capacitive elements can be configured to couple the reference voltage to a first negative voltage, and (ii) based on the memory address information, both capacitive elements can be configured to cumulatively couple the reference voltage to a second negative voltage that is lower than the first negative voltage.

Growing community of inventors

Taichung, Taiwan

Chih-Yu Lin