Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corp.

Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Jonathan J Stinehelfer

Godfrey P D'Souza

James F Testa

James W Rose

William H Herndon

A storage cell includes a first bit line, a storage circuit, and a pass transistor. The storage circuit has a first storage node for holding a logic state indicative of a logic value. The pass transistor is coupled to the first bit line and the first storage node for establishing a conduction path therebetween. The pass transistor receives a bias voltage to switch the pass transistor into a substantially nonconducting state when the storage cell is not being accessed. The reverse bias on the first transistor substantially reduces the leakage current through the pass transistor.

Storage cell using low powered/low threshold CMOS pass transistors

A current bypass for a microelectric memory, such as a static RAM, diverts word line discharge current such that the current does not flow through the memory cells of a selected word line or along an upper word line conductor. In a first embodiment, the bypass comprises a resistor R1 (R2) and a diode D10 (D20) in series and coupled between an upper word line conductor 50 and word line discharge current source V.sub.CC, and a lower word line conductor 51 and word line discharge current sink 42. In another embodiment of the invention, a transistor Q10 (Q20) is used in lieu of the diode. By bypassing current from the upper word line conductor and word line memory cells, metal migration is eliminated and narrower metal lines may be used to form the word lines. By eliminating a flow of steady state discharge current through the memory cells, memory cell current saturation is eliminated.

Bypass circuit for word line cell discharge current

An address gate for a random access memory includes a pair of emitter-coupled and collector-coupled transistors, and another transistor emitter-coupled to the pair of transistors. Complimentary outputs are read at the coupled emitters of the pair of transistors and the collector of the other transistor respectively, there being an input signal applied to the base of one of the pair of transistors, and a control signal applied to the base of the other of the pair of transistors, which overrides the operation of one of the pair of transistors when the control signal is in its high state.

Address gate for memories to protect stored data, and to simplify memory

An electronic memory comprises a plurality of memory cells arranged in an array of rows and column, row address circuitry, column address circuitry, circuitry for sensing the logic states of the cells, and circuitry for delaying addressing of a selected column until after an addressed row has achieved a voltage level suitable for the sensing circuitry to sense. By so delaying the addressing of the selected column, the time required to read information out is reduced substantially--typically by a factor of two for a 1K or 2K.times.8-bit static memory.

Memory array with sequential row and column addressing

Computer circuitry for rapidly discharging the deselected word lines in high-speed very low power random access memories that may be accidentally triggered by noise pulses if permitted to decay at the normal rate.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Jonathan J Stinehelfer