Shanghai Huahong Grace Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation

Grace Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation

Guangjun Yang

Jian Hu

Jun Xiao

Hong Jiang

Weiran Kong

Binghan Li

Chuhua Feng

The present application discloses a serial flash memory, including a memory array, a row decoder, a column decoder, a control module, and an SPI interface, wherein the control module includes a row enable signal; and when the last bit of an SPI row address in an SPI address signal is to be read, the control module enables the row enable signal, and the row enable signal enables an internal row address of an internal address of the serial flash memory to be valid and enables the row decoder to perform decoding and select the internal row address. The present application further provides an address control method of a serial flash memory. In the present application, the timing requirement on the row address can be relaxed, the area of the row decoder can be reduced, and the area of the row drive circuit can be reduced.

Method of controlling internal address for a serial nor flash memory

A charge pump unit structure of a charge pump circuit includes a booster circuit unit, a positive pump transfer unit and a negative pump transfer unit. An output terminal of the booster circuit unit is connected to an input terminal of the positive pump transfer unit through a first switch circuit and to an input terminal of the negative pump transfer unit through a second switch circuit. An erase enable signal is connected to control terminals of the positive and negative pump transfer units. A first enable signal is connected to control terminals of the positive pump transfer unit and the first switch circuit. A second enable signal is connected to control terminals of the negative pump transfer unit and the second switch circuit.

Charge pump circuit

A memory is disclosed. A memory cell comprises three gate structures sequentially arrayed between a first source-drain region and a second source-drain region. A first gate structure and a third gate structure are formed by superposition of a first gate dielectric layer, a floating gate, a second gate dielectric layer and a polysilicon control gate, so that two memory bits and two control gates are formed. A second gate structure is located between the first gate structure and the third gate structure and serves as a select gate. Erasing and programming operations on the two memory bits formed by the floating gates are realized by FN tunneling. During erasing and programming, the first source-drain region and the second source-drain region are grounded, so that the memory bits can be selected and then erased or programmed only by controlling voltages of the first control gate, the select gate and the second control gate. An operation method of a memory is further disclosed. The two memory bits of the memory cell can be independently operated, so that operations on single memory bits are achieved, and accordingly, storage-computation integrated operations are realized.

Memory and operation method thereof

A reference-current generation method for flash includes first and second memory arrays separated by a word-line switching circuit. A reference-current generation circuit includes rows of reference cells, the first row parallel with the other rows of the first memory array and having the same number of columns as the other rows thereof, and the second row parallel with the other rows of the second memory array and having the same number of columns as the other rows thereof. The first reference word line of the first row is disconnected with the second reference word line of the second row. After programming, the first row enables the first memory array to create the first reference current used while performing read operation for the second memory array, and the second row enables the second memory array to create the second reference current used while performing read operation for the first memory array.

Circuits and methods of reference-current generation for flash

Method of operating flash memory unit is provided. Flash memory unit includes first and second split-gate flash memory units, source and drain of first split-gate flash memory unit are connected with first and third bit lines respectively, source and drain of second split-gate flash memory unit is connected with second and third bit line respectively, first control gates of two split-gate flash memory units are connected with first control gate line, second control gates of two split-gate flash memory units are connected with second control gate line, word line gates of two split-gate flash memory units are connected with word line, method includes configuring voltages to first and third bit lines, word line, first and second control gate lines to select first storage bit in first split-gate flash memory unit and make first storage bit in to-be-read or to-be-programmed state; suspending second bit line; reading or programming first storage bit.

Method of operating flash memory unit

A boost capacitor circuit is disclosed which includes a first nMOS transistor and a voltage doubler circuit including: a first pMOS transistor having a drain coupled to a working voltage, a source coupled to a first node and a gate coupled to a second node; a drive inverter having an input terminal for receiving a first signal; a second pMOS transistor having a gate coupled to an output terminal of the drive inverter, a source and a drain coupled to each other and further to the first node; a third pMOS transistor having a gate for receiving the first signal, a source coupled to the first node and a drain coupled to the second node; and a second nMOS transistor having a gate for receiving the first signal, a source coupled to a low voltage and a drain coupled to the second node.

Boost capacitor circuit and charge pump

A programming verification control circuit is disclosed, including: a first decoder circuit for decoding a word line of a memory bit; a first drive circuit for receiving a first voltage and providing the first voltage to the word line of the memory bit based on a decoding result of the first decoder circuit; a second decoder circuit for decoding a control gate of the memory bit; a second drive circuit for receiving a second voltage and providing the second voltage to the control gate of the first memory bit based on a decoding result of the second decoder circuit; and a voltage equalizer for receiving the first voltage, the second voltage and a first enable signal and, in event of the first enable signal being valid, controlling the first voltage and the second voltage to be conducted. A method for controlling the programming verification control circuit is also disclosed.

Programming verification control circuit and method for control thereof

A flash memory unit, a memory array and operation methods thereof are provided. The flash memory unit includes a semiconductor substrate, a first and a second bit line structures, a word line structure, a first and a second float gates, and a first and a second control gates. The semiconductor substrate has doping wells formed therein, constituting a source and a drain. The first and second bit line structures are respectively connected with the source and the drain. The word line structure is disposed between the first and second bit line structures. The first float gate is disposed between the first bit line structure and the word line, and the second float gate is disposed between the second bit line structure and the word line. The first control gate is disposed on the first float gate, and the second control gate is disposed on the second float gate.

Flash memory unit and memory array, and programming, erasing and reading method thereof

Memory, and erasing, programming and reading method thereof are provided. In the memory, a first isolation cell, a second isolation cell and a memory cell have same structure. A first doped region of the memory cell and a second doped region of the first isolation cell are connected with a first bit line, a second doped region of the memory cell and a first doped region of the second isolation cell are connected with a second bit line. A first doped region of the first isolation cell serves as a connection terminal thereof, first and second control gate structures of the first isolation cell are connected together to serve as a control terminal thereof, a second doped region of the second isolation cell serves as a connection terminal thereof, first and second control gate structures of the second isolation cell are connected together to serve as a control terminal thereof.

Memory, and erasing method, programming method and reading method thereof

Charge pump system and memory are provided. The system includes: a first enabling control unit, adapted to delay at least one start-up signal of the system to obtain and output an oscillating enabling signal after receiving the at least one start-up signal and a voltage boosting enabling signal; a second enabling control unit, adapted to delay the oscillating enabling signal to obtain and output a charge pump enabling signal after receiving the oscillating enabling signal and the voltage boosting enabling signal; a clock oscillating unit, adapted to generate a clock signal after receiving the oscillating enabling signal; and at least one charge pump cell, adapted to output a boosting voltage after receiving the charge pump enabling signal and the clock signal, obtain the voltage boosting enabling signal based on the boosting voltage, and output the voltage boosting enabling signal. Power consumption of the system in a start-up process is reduced.

Charge pump system and memory

The present invention discloses a flash-memory low-speed read mode control circuit, which comprises a charge pump, a first voltage division circuit composed of two resistors and a first switch interconnected in series, and a second voltage division circuit composed of two capacitors interconnected in series. The first switch is used for switching between the data read mode of the low-speed read mode and the charge pump electric-leakage mode. In the data read mode, a first component voltage formed by the two resistors is fed back to the input terminal of the charge pump through a comparator, an NAND gate and a buffer, making a stable value of the output voltage of the charge pump proportional to the first component voltage. In the charge pump electric-leakage mode, the second voltage division circuit monitors the output voltage of the charge pump: when the output voltage is below a low threshold voltage, a feedback signal is formed and sent to the input terminal of the charge pump to make the charge pump turned on; when the output voltage is above a low threshold voltage, a feedback signal is formed and sent to the input terminal of the charge pump to make the charge pump stop working. The present invention can reduce the average current of the entire low-speed read mode significantly, and reduce the power consumption of the read process.

Flash-memory low-speed read mode control circuit

A memory array device is disclosed, which includes a plurality of memory array rows, each memory array row including a plurality of subsidiary memory arrays and a switch arranged between every adjacent two subsidiary memory arrays; wherein each subsidiary memory array includes: a memory unit for storing a data; a programming indication bit arranged prior to the memory unit for indicating whether the subsidiary memory array has been programmed; and an inversion indication bit arranged subsequent to the memory unit for indicating whether a data had been inverted before being written in the memory unit of the subsidiary memory array. A method for reducing a read current of a memory array device is also disclosed.

Memory array device and method for reducing read current of the same

A row decoding circuit and a memory are provided. The row decoding circuit is adapted for providing a word line operation voltage and a control-gate line operation voltage to a dual-bit split gate flash memory array, and includes a dummy row decoding unit, at least one row decoding unit and a driving voltage generating circuit. The dummy row decoding unit includes a first dummy control-gate line voltage output, a second dummy control-gate line voltage output and at least one dummy word line voltage output. The row decoding unit includes a first control-gate line voltage output, a second control-gate line voltage output and at least one word line voltage output. The driving voltage generating circuit is adapted for providing a third driving voltage to the first control-gate line voltage output and the second control-gate line voltage output.

Row decoding circuit and memory

Charge pump circuit and memory are provided. The charge pump circuit includes a clock driving unit, a voltage boosting unit, a boosting swing control unit, a first and second NMOS tubes, a first and second current mirror units. The clock driving unit is adapted to form and output clock driving signals to the voltage boosting unit. The voltage boosting unit is adapted to boost voltage and output it to the boosting swing control unit and the first current minor unit. The boosting swing control unit is adapted to output boosting swing control signals to the first NMOS tube. The first current minor unit is to output first mirror current and the second current minor unit is to minor the first mirror current and output second minor current. Frequency of the clock driving signal varies with leakage current load, and size of the charge pump circuit and power consumption are reduced.

Charge pump circuit and memory

A charge pump circuit includes a charge pump, a regulator circuit, and a load current, wherein the charge pump circuit further includes: a filter circuit connected to an output terminal of the charge pump for filtering an output voltage of the charge pump; and a ripple control circuit connected both to the output terminal of the charge pump and to the filter circuit for reducing the output voltage of the charge pump upon an increase thereof, thereby attenuating ripples contained in the output voltage of the charge pump. The charge pump circuit is capable of enabling a relatively stable output voltage for the charge pump, thus benefiting a downstream integrated circuit.

Growing community of inventors

Shanghai, China

Guangjun Yang