Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

TSMC China Company Limited

Hau-Tai Shieh

Chien-Yuan Chen

Yi-Tzu Chen

Hung-Jen Liao

Cheng Hung Lee

Che-Ju Yeh

Hua-Hsin Yu

Chien-Yu Huang

Cheng-Hung Lee

Ching-Wei Wu

Tsai-Hsin Lai

Anjana Singh

Kao-Cheng Lin

Fu-An Wu

Wei-Min Chan

Tsung-yung Jonathan Chang

Bin-Hau Lo

Chiting Cheng

Yu-Hao Hsu

Jui-Che Tsai

He-Zhou Wan

Li-Wen Wang

Sahil Preet Singh

Chen-Hui Hsieh

XiuLi Yang

Pankaj Aggarwal

Manish Arora

Wei-jer Hsieh

Ling-Fang Hsu

C K Su

Hemant Patel

Yen-Huei Chen

Wei-Cheng Wu

Chia-En Huang

Chung-Cheng Chou

Wei Min Chan

Chien-Hua Huang

Hong-Chen Cheng

Tao-Ping Wang

Pey-Huey Chen

Che-An Lee

Hsiu Fen Peng

A memory device and a method of operating the memory device are disclosed. In one aspect, the memory device includes a bit line connected to a plurality of memory cells of a memory array, the bit line having a first length. The memory device includes a first programmable bit line having a second length determined based on a size of the memory array, and a charge sharing circuit connected to the bit line and the first programmable bit line. The charge sharing circuit is configured to transfer a charge from the bit line to the first programmable bit line. The memory device includes a discharge circuit connected to the first programmable bit line, the discharge circuit configured to discharge a stored charge in the first programmable bit line.

Memory device and method of operating the same

A bit line is pre-charged based on a clock signal internal to a bit line pre-charge circuit when a bit line pre-charge window is within a margin of a predetermined pre-charge window. A bit line is pre-charged based on a clock signal external to the bit line pre-charge circuit when the bit line pre-charge window is outside the margin of the predetermined pre-charge window.

Bit line pre-charge circuit and method

A device is provided and includes a sense amplifier and an output latch circuit. The sense amplifier adjusts voltage levels of first and second data lines according to a bypass data signal corresponding to a data signal in response to a first enable signal having a first logic state and a second enable signal having a second logic state different from the first logic state during a test mode. The output latch circuit generates a data output signal according to the voltage level of the first data line in response to the first enable signal having the second logic state and a third enable signal having the first logic state during the test mode.

Latch type sense amplifier for testing

The present disclosure provides a memory device, including a memory array, a tracking circuit, a memory controller, and a word line driver. A plurality of word lines are in communication with a plurality of memory cells of the memory array. The memory controller decodes a memory address of a memory access command to generate a decoded row address signal. The word line driver is configured to assert one of the plurality of word lines in response to the decoded row address signal. In response to detecting a switching event of a clock control signal derived from an input clock signal of the memory device, the memory controller asserts an tracking acceleration signal obtained from a tracking word line of the memory device to activate one or more first tracking arrays of the plurality of tracking arrays to pull down a voltage level of a tracking bit line.

Memory device and method for reducing active power consumption thereof using address control

A memory device includes a memory bank with a memory cell connected to a local bit line and a word line. A first local data latch is connected to the local bit line and has an enable terminal configured to receive a first local clock signal. A word line latch is configured to latch a word line select signal, and has an enable terminal configured to receive a second local clock signal. A first global data latch is connected to the first local data latch by a global bit line, and the first global data latch has an enable terminal configured to receive a global clock signal. A global address latch is connected to the word line latch and has an enable terminal configured to receive the global clock signal. A bank select latch is configured to latch a bank select signal, and has an enable terminal configured to receive the second local clock signal.

Memory device sense amplifier control

A memory device and a method of operating the same are disclosed. In one aspect, the memory device includes a plurality of memory arrays and a controller including a plurality of buffers including a first buffer connected to a first memory array and a second buffer connected to a second memory array. The first and second memory arrays are disposed on opposing sides of the controller. The memory device can include a first wire extending in a first direction and connected to the first buffer, a second wire extending in the first direction and connected to the second buffer, and a third wire connected to the first and second wires and extending in a second direction that is substantially perpendicular to the first direction. The third wire can be electrically connected to the controller, and respective lengths of the first wire and the second wire are substantially the same.

Arrangements of memory devices and methods of operating the memory devices

A latch formed from a memory cell includes a clock input terminal configured to receive a clock signal, complementary first and second data terminals, and a latch circuit. The latch circuit has first and second inverters. The first inverter has an input terminal coupled to the first data terminal, and the second inverter has an input terminal coupled to the second data terminal. A first pass gate transistor is coupled between an output terminal of the second inverter and the first data terminal. A second pass gate transistor is coupled between an output terminal of the first inverter and the second data terminal. The first and second pass gate transistors each have a gate terminal coupled to the clock input terminal. The input terminal of the first inverter is not directly connected to the output terminal of the second inverter, and the input terminal of the second inverter is not directly connected to the output terminal of the first inverter.

Latch circuit formed by modified memory cells

Circuit devices, such as integrated circuit devices, are constructed with combination circuits that include two or more cascading transistors, and one or more metal layers disposed over the cascading transistors. The cascading transistors include multiple internal nodes (e.g., common source/drain regions). The multiple internal nodes are not connected to a common metal stripe (the same metal stripe) in the one or more metal layers. The absence of the connections between the internal nodes and a common metal stripe reduce or eliminate the load on the internal nodes. The transistors in the cascading transistors are independent of each other.

Reducing internal node loading in combination circuits

Disclosed herein are related to a memory system including unit storage circuits. In one aspect, each of the unit storage circuits abuts an adjacent one of the unit storage circuits. In one aspect, each of the unit storage circuits includes a first group of memory cells, a second group of memory cells, a first sub-word line driver to apply a first control signal to the first group of memory cells through a first sub-word line extending along a direction, and a second sub-word line driver to apply a second control signal to the second group of memory cells through a second sub-word line extending along the direction. In one aspect, the memory system includes a common word line driver abutting one of the unit storage circuits and configured to apply a common control signal to the unit storage circuits through a word line extending along the direction.

Sub-word line driver placement for memory device

A device is disclosed and includes an input stage circuit, a switching circuit, and a first latch circuit. The input stage circuit generates a first input signal having a first voltage and a second input signal based on a third input signal. The switching circuit operates in response to a first control signal, and adjusts a voltage level of a first data line according to the first input signal and a voltage level of a second data line according to the second input signal. The first latch circuit is coupled to the switching circuit by the first data line and the second data line. The first latch circuit latches a data in response to the first control signal and a second control signal, and adjusts the voltage level of the first data line based on a second voltage different from the first voltage.

Latch type sense amplifier

An integrated circuit (IC) structure includes a first transistor and a second transistor. The first transistor includes a first active region and a first gate disposed on the first active region, in which the first gate has a first effective gate length along a first direction parallel to a lengthwise direction of the first active region. The second transistor includes a second active region and a second gate disposed on the second active region, and includes a plurality of gate structures arranged along the first direction and separated from each other, in which the second gate has a second effective gate length along the first direction, the second effective gate length is n times the first effective gate length, and n is a positive integer greater than 1.

Integrated circuit layout and method thereof

A memory circuit includes a first and a second bit line coupled to a set of memory cells, a local input output circuit including a first and a second data line, a first control circuit configured to generate a first sense amplifier signal and a second sense amplifier signal, a second control circuit configured to generate a first control signal in response to at least a second control signal or a third control signal, a switching circuit configured to transfer a first and second input signal to the corresponding first and second data line during a write operation, and to electrically isolate the first and second data line from the first and second input signal during a read operation, and a first latch configured as a sense amplifier, during the read operation, and configured as a write-in latch, during the write operation.

Memory circuit and method of operating same

A memory circuit includes a NAND logic gate configured to receive a first bit line signal and a second bit line signal, and to generate a first signal. The memory circuit further includes a first P-type transistor coupled to the NAND logic gate, and configured to receive a first clock signal. The memory circuit further includes a first N-type transistor coupled to the NAND logic gate, and configured to receive a first pre-charge signal. The memory circuit further includes a first latch coupled to the NAND logic gate, and configured to latch the first signal in response to at least the first clock signal or the first pre-charge signal.

Memory circuit and method of operating the same

A memory device includes an array of memory cells and a plurality of peripheral circuits operably coupled to the memory array. A power control circuit may be configured to individually control an application of power to each of the plurality of peripheral circuits and the array of memory cells. Inserting a switch device across the different power domains to achieve the same sequential wake-up path for the peripheral circuits connected to different power domains reduces peak current.

Power mode wake-up for memory on different power domains

A method of designing a circuit is provided. The method includes: providing a circuit; selecting a first NMOS fin field-effect transistor (FinFET) in the circuit; and replacing the first NMOS FinFET having a first fin number with a second NMOS FinFET having a second fin number and a third NMOS FinFET having a third fin number, wherein the sum of the second fin number and the third fin number is equal to the first fin number.

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Hsinchu, Taiwan

Hau-Tai Shieh