Infineon Technologies Ag

Infineon Technologies Richmond, LP

Other

Qimonda Ag

Soitec

Infineon Technologies North America Corp.

Joerg Vollrath

Marcin Gnat

Ralf Schneider

Stephan Schröder

Aurel Von Campenhausen

Randall J Rooney

Philip R Moore

Manfred Pröll

Tobias Hartner

Richard Ferrant

Roland Thewes

Gerhard Enders

Wolfgang Hoenlein

Stephan Schroeder

Ulrich Zimmermann

Ullrich Menczigar

Robert Petter

Thomas Hladschik

Stephan Schr&ouml;der

Peter Oswald

Frank Schroeppel

Hofmann Franz

Ulf Lederer

Rausch Harold

Zschunke Andreas

Arthur F O'Donnell

Michael Fera

The invention relates to a sense amplifier for sensing and amplifying data stored in a memory cell, the sense amplifier being connected between a bit line (BL) and a reference bit line complementary (/BL) to the first bit line and comprising: a sense circuit (SC) capable of providing an output indicative of the data stored in the memory cell; and a precharge and decode circuit (PDC) comprising a pair of dual gate transistors (T, T) for precharging the first and second bit lines during a precharge operation and for transferring the output provided by the sense circuit to a data line (LIO,/LIO) during a read operation.

Sense amplifier with dual gate precharge and decode transistors

An integrated semiconductor memory has memory cells, with at least one pair of bit lines which comprises a first bit line and a second bit line, and with at least one sense amplifier which has the first bit line and the second bit line connected to it. The bit lines respectively have a first conductor track structure and a second conductor track structure, where the memory cells are respectively connected to the second conductor track structure, and where the first conductor track structure is respectively interposed between the sense amplifier and the second conductor track structure of the respective bit line and is arranged at a greater distance from the substrate area than the respective second conductor track structure.

Integrated semiconductor memory

A semiconductor device with a plurality of one time programmable elements and to a method for programming a semiconductor device, and to a method for operating a semiconductor device is disclosed. One embodiment provides a method for programming a semiconductor device comprising a plurality of one time programmable elements that form a group of one time programmable elements. The one time programmable elements of the group are left in a non-programmed state if a first information is to be stored by the group. A first one time programmable element of the group is programmed if a second information differing from the first information is to be stored by the group.

Semiconductor device with a plurality of one time programmable elements

A field effect semiconductor comprises a semiconductor layer having a surface, a first and a second semiconductor region in the semiconductor layer, which are arranged next to one another at the surface of the semiconductor layer, an insulating layer between the first semiconductor region and the second semiconductor region, a semiconductor strip on the surface of the semiconductor layer, which semiconductor strip overlaps the first semiconductor region and the second semiconductor region and adjoins these. A gate overlaps the semiconductor strip at least in the region of the insulating layer. A gate dielectric insulates the gate from the semiconductor strip the first semiconductor region and the second semiconductor region. The semiconductor strip and the gate being formed such that the semiconductor strip is electrically insulating at a first predetermined gate voltage and is electrically conductive at a second predetermined gate voltagero.

Field effect semiconductor switch and method for fabricating it

An integrated semiconductor memory includes a memory cell array in which first sense amplifiers are arranged on a right-hand side of the memory cell array and second sense amplifiers are arranged on a left-hand side of the memory cell array. Due to 'post-sense coupling' effects upon activation of the sense amplifiers in conjunction with capacitive coupling effects between bit lines, potential changes occur on adjacent bit lines. The integrated semiconductor memory makes it possible to simulate parasitic coupling effects between adjacent bit lines in a functional test in which the first and second sense amplifiers can be activated in temporarily delayed fashion. As a result, the test severity can be improved and test time can be saved.

Integrated semiconductor memory having sense amplifiers selectively activated at different timing

An integrated semiconductor circuit includes a transistor and a strip conductor (). The transistor includes a first () and a second source/drain region () and a gate electrode. The strip conductor () is electrically insulated from a semiconductor body at least by a gate dielectric and forms the gate electrode in the area of the transistor. The strip conductor () extends along a first direction (x) in the area of the transistor. The second source/drain region () is arranged offset with respect to the first source/drain region () in the first direction (x). The transistor thus formed has an inversion channel (K) that only extends between two corner areas () facing one another of the first and of the second source/drain region, i.e. is much narrower than in the case of a conventional transistor.

Integrated semiconductor circuit comprising a transistor and a strip conductor

An integrated circuit includes a current generator circuit with a first input terminal for applying a reference voltage and a second input terminal for applying an input voltage, which is generated internally from an externally applied supply voltage by a voltage generator circuit. The current generator circuit is connected to an output terminal via an interconnect. A first current flows on the interconnect in a test operating state of the integrated circuit. The current generator circuit generates a first partial current in a first test cycle of a test operating state and a second partial current in a subsequent second test cycle. The partial currents are each superposed on the first current on the interconnect. Consequently, three currents occur at the output terminal during the test operating state. The internally generated input voltage of the current generator circuit is determined from the three currents and the reference voltage.

Integrated circuit for determining a voltage

An integrated semiconductor memory includes memory cells that store a first data record has at least one datum with a first or second data value and a second data record has at least one datum with the first or second data value. The integrated semiconductor memory has a combination circuit that generates the third data record on the output side from the data records fed to the combination circuit on the input side to ascertain based on the third data record whether the first and second data records have been fed to the combination circuit on the input side. The combination circuit generates the datum of the third data record with the first data value, if the first and second data records were fed to the combination circuit on the input side.

Integrated semiconductor circuits, in particular, dynamic random access memories include a multiplicity of generator circuits for generating internal voltage levels from an externally applied supply voltage. During testing, the internal voltage levels are altered by the output voltage generated at the output of the generator circuit being adapted to an externally applied test voltage. If the test voltage is outside a tolerance range, the semiconductor circuit maybe destroyed. A protection circuit connected in parallel with the generator circuit limits the output voltage.

Integrated semiconductor circuit and method for testing the same

An integrated semiconductor memory, which can be operated in a normal operating state and a test operating state, includes a current pulse circuit with an input terminal for applying an input signal. The current pulse circuit is connected to an output terminal via an interconnect for carrying a current. In the test operating state, the current pulse circuit generates at least one first current pulse with a first, predetermined time duration in a first test cycle and at least one second current pulse with a second, unknown time duration in a subsequent second test cycle. In addition to a first current flowing on the interconnect in the normal operating state, a second current flows on the interconnect during the first test cycle and a third current flows during the second test cycle in the test operating state.

Integrated circuit

An integrated circuit includes a circuit component, a first control circuit and a switchable resistance network. An input voltage is fed to the circuit component on the input side. A control signal generated by the first control circuit is fed to the control terminal of the circuit component. With the switchable resistance network, the first resistance or the second resistance is connected between an output terminal of the circuit component and the output terminal of the integrated circuit to generate a voltage drop between the input side and the output terminal of the circuit component. The integrated circuit makes it possible to generate a current at the output terminal of the circuit component in a manner dependent on the control signal and the voltage dropped between the input side and the output terminal of the circuit component. Families of characteristic curves of transistors of an integrated circuit are determined by the integrated circuit.

An integrated memory contains a memory cell array, which has word lines and bit lines, and a read/write amplifier, which is connected to the bit lines for the assessing and amplifying data signals. A voltage generator circuit generates a voltage supply for application to the read/write amplifier. A potential difference is applied to the read/write amplifier using different supply potentials. The voltage generator circuit increases the potential difference applied to the read/write amplifier for a limited period of time during an assessment and amplification operation of the read/write amplifier. Charge-dependent control is implemented in the voltage generator circuit. An assessment and amplification operation can be carried out at a comparatively high switching speed and a low power consumption is possible.

Integrated memory having a voltage generator circuit for generating a voltage supply for a read/write amplifier

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for determining a fail string for a device. The method includes determining a test pattern for a portion of an address space wherein the test pattern includes at least one address in the address space and the portion of the address space includes at least one x address and at least one y addresses. The method executes a test a plurality of times for each test pattern, wherein every combination of the test pattern is tested, wherein the combinations include each address held at a first potential for at least a first test and a second potential for at least a second test. The method includes determining a fail string for the device including pass/fail results for the test pattern, and combining the pass/fail results in the fail string.

Pseudo fail bit map generation for RAMS during component test and burn-in in a manufacturing environment

A differential amplifier circuit has two input transistors, a load element, and a current source. A terminal for an input voltage is connected to a control terminal of a first input transistor. A terminal for a reference voltage is connected to a control terminal of a second input transistor. The two input transistors are connected in parallel between the load element and a terminal of the current source. A terminal for an internal reference potential is connected to a further terminal of the current source. A regulating circuit, is connected to the terminal for the voltage and to the terminal for the reference potential, and regulates the potential of the circuit dependent on changes in the reference voltage. Fluctuations of the reference voltage are compensated by regulation of the internal reference potential. As a result, the operating point of the circuit is stabilized independently of fluctuations of the reference voltage.

Differential amplifier circuit

An integrated semiconductor circuit includes a cell array having memory cells which can be read by word lines and bit lines. Two bit lines in each case are connected to inputs of the same signal amplifier. In order to compensate for parasitic capacitances which arise at thin sidewall insulations between the patterned word lines and adjacent bit line contacts which connect the bit lines located at a higher level to the active regions located at a deeper level, two additional word lines and dummy contacts of the bit lines are dummy contacts lead past this additional word lines. The additional parasitic capacitances produced by the dummy contacts alter the electrical potential of the respective reference bit line at the signal amplifier in the same way as the parasitic capacitances of activated bit lines, as a result of which the measured differential potential is corrected with respect to the parasitic effects.

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Olching, Germany

Joerg Vollrath