Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Jih-Chen Wang

Cheng-Hsiung Kuo

Yu-Fan Lin

Caleb Yu-Sheng Cho

Wen-Ting Chu

Yong-Shiuan Tsair

Gu-Huan Li

Chung-Chieh Chen

Kuo-Wei Chu

A memory includes a first memory cell, a second memory cell, a latch unit, and a switch unit. The latch unit has a true node and a complement node. The switch unit is responsive to a first control signal and a second control signal, and is configured to connect the first memory cell to the true node and to disconnect the second memory cell from the complement node in response to the first control signal and to connect the second memory cell to the complement node and to disconnect the first memory cell from the true node in response to the second control signal. A semiconductor device that includes the memory is also disclosed. A method for testing the memory is also disclosed.

Memory, semiconductor device including the same, and method for testing the same

A sense amplifier includes four sub-circuits: pre-charge, sense enable, sense output, and buffer. The pre-charge sub-circuit provides a voltage between zero volts and the positive power supply (denoted V) to the sense enable sub-circuit. The sense enable sub-circuit is configured to adjust the received voltage based on the sensed value of bit lines and sends the adjusted voltage to the sense output sub-circuit. The sense output sub-circuit removes interference, inverts and amplifies the adjusted voltage, and sends an output voltage to the buffer sub-circuit. The buffer sub-circuit amplifies the output voltage of the sense output sub-circuit and provides it to an output bus.

Apparatus and method for sense amplifying

A charge pump circuit is provided which includes at least two charge pump stages connected in series with a front charge pump stage having a first transistor for receiving an input voltage and a last charge pump stage having a second transistor for providing an output voltage. The first transistor is configured to operate at a first threshold voltage and the second transistor is configured to operate at a second threshold voltage different than the first threshold voltage.

Apparatus and method for increasing charge pump efficiency

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Hsinchu, Taiwan

Jih-Chen Wang