Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University

Geng-Cing Lin

Hao-I Yang

Yi-Tzu Chen

Yu-Hao Hu

Cheng-Jen Chang

Chia-En Huang

Jung-Ping Yang

Yen-Huei Chen

Cheng Hung Lee

Meng-Sheng Chang

Ze-Sian Lu

Chia-Hao Hsu

Ching-Te Chuang

Nan-Chun Lien

Shyh-Jye Jou

Wei-Chiang Shih

Ming-Chien Tsai

Yi-Wei Lin

Kuen-Di Lee

Shao-Cheng Wang

Jyun-Kai Chu

A method of making a ROM structure includes the operations of forming an active area having a channel, a source region, and a drain region; depositing a gate electrode over the channel; depositing a conductive line over at least one of the source region and the drain region; adding dopants to the source region and the drain region of the active area; forming contacts to the gate electrode, the source region, and the drain; depositing a power rail, a bit line, and at least one word line of the integrated circuit against the contacts; and dividing the active area with a trench isolation structure to electrically isolate the gate electrode from the source region and the drain region.

Integrated circuit read only memory (ROM) structure

An integrated circuit read only memory (ROM) structure includes a first ROM transistor with a first gate electrode, a first source, and a first drain, and a second ROM transistor with a second gate electrode, a second source, and a second drain. A drain conductive line is over the first drain and the second drain, and is between the first drain and the second drain. The first drain, the drain conductive line and the second drain are between the first gate electrode and the second gate electrode, and a first trench isolation structure electrically isolates the first drain from the first source is below the first gate electrode.

A memory array includes a first column of memory cells, a second column of memory cells, a first pre-charge circuit, a second pre-charge circuit and a set of input output circuits. The first column of memory cells includes a first bit line, a first word line and a first bit line bar. The second column of memory cells includes the first bit line bar, a second word line and a second bit line. The first pre-charge circuit is coupled to the first bit line. The second pre-charge circuit is coupled to the first bit line bar. The first column of memory cells and the second column of memory cells are configured to share the first bit line bar. The first bit line and the first bit line bar are in a first plane. At least a portion of the first word line and at least a portion of the second word line are in a second plane intersecting the first plane.

Memory array and method of forming the same

A memory array includes a first column of memory cells, a second column of memory cells and a set of switching elements. The first column of memory cells includes a first bit line, a first word line and a second bit line. The second column of memory cells includes the second bit line, a second word line and a third bit line. The first and second column of memory cells are configured to share the second bit line. The first and second bit lines are in a first plane. At least a portion of the first word line and at least a portion of the second word line are in a second plane intersecting the first plane. An amount of bit line switching elements in the set of bit line switching elements is equal to N*2, where N is an amount of columns of memory cells in the memory array.

A circuit includes: a first data line; a second data line; a write driver including first and second transistors; a first switch connected in series with the first transistor to form a first series-connected pair; a second switch in series with the second transistor to form a second series-connected pair; and a level shifter which includes the first and second transistors. The first series-connected pair is coupled between a first voltage node and the first data line. The second series-connected pair is coupled between the first voltage node and the second data line. Gate terminals of the first and second transistors are correspondingly cross-coupled with the second and first data lines.

Write driver and level shifter having shared transistors

A semiconductor memory includes a first layer including at least a first memory cell, a second layer including at least a second memory cell, and a wordline shared by the first memory cell and the second memory cell. The first and second memory cells can be above or below the wordline and be coupled to different bit lines.

Three-dimensional wordline sharing memory

A memory array includes a first memory column having a first bit line, a first word line and a second bit line. The memory array also includes a second memory column having the second bit line, a second word line and a third bit line. The first memory column and the second memory column are configured to share the second bit line. The sharing of the second bit line facilitates sharing one or more memory array components between the first memory column and the second memory column.

Apparatus and method for integrated circuit bit line sharing

A circuit includes a first data line, a second data line, a first pulling device, a second pulling device, a third pulling device, and a fourth pulling device. The first pulling device is configured to be activated or deactivated responsive to a first control signal; and is configured to pull a first signal at the first data line toward a voltage level of a first voltage based on a second signal at the second data line when the first pulling device is activated. The second pulling device is configured to be activated or deactivated responsive to a second control signal; and is configured to pull the second signal at the second data line toward the voltage level of the first voltage based on the first signal at the first data line when the second pulling device is activated.

Pulling devices for driving data lines

A three dimensional (3D) circuit includes a first layer including at least a first memory cell, a second layer including at least a second memory cell, and a wordline shared by the first memory cell and the second memory cell. The first and second memory cells can be adjacent memory cells or bit cells coupled to different bit lines.

An apparatus and method for executing a write operation in a static random access memory (SRAM) array including memory cells that are coupled to a plurality of word lines and to a plurality of bit lines are provided. A clock signal is generated to start a write operation. A pulse is generated on the plurality of word lines in response to the clock signal. An operation voltage of the SRAM array is lowered for a period of time during the write operation. The period of time is controlled and the pulse is ended using a tracking circuit. The tracking circuit includes a plurality of tracking memory cells. The plurality of tracking memory cells have a timing characteristic that emulates a timing characteristic of the SRAM array during the write operation. The tracking circuit controls the period of time and ends the pulse based on the emulated timing characteristic.

Static random access memory timing tracking circuit

A threshold voltage measurement device is disclosed. The device is coupled to a 6T SRAM. The SRAM comprises two inverters each coupled to a FET. Power terminals of one inverter are in a floating state; the drain and source of the FET coupled to the inverter are short-circuited. Two voltage selectors, a resistor, an amplifier and the SRAM are connected in a negative feedback way. Different bias voltages are applied to the SRAM for measuring threshold voltages of two FETs of the other inverter and the FET coupled to the other inverter. The present invention uses a single circuit to measure the threshold voltages of the three FETs without changing the physical structure of the SRAM. Thereby is accelerated the measurement and decreased the cost of the fabrication process and measurement instruments.

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Taipei, Taiwan

Geng-Cing Lin