Altera Corporation

Winbond Electronics Corporation

Cypress Semiconductor Corporation

Lin-Shih Liu

Mark Chan

Irfan Rahim

Hagop A Nazarian

Jeffrey T Watt

Yanzhong Xu

Toan D Do

Jeffery Scott Hunt

Dzung Huu Nguyen

Stephen M Douglass

George M Ansel

Syed B Raza

Andy Louie Lee

S Babar Raza

Srinivas Perisetty

Ping-Chen Liu

Mark T Chan

Integrated circuits with memory elements are provided. An integrated circuit may include logic circuitry formed in a first portion having complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) devices and may include at least a portion of the memory elements and associated memory circuitry formed in a second portion having nano-electromechanical (NEM) relay devices. The NEM and CMOS devices may be interconnected through vias in a dielectric stack. Devices in the first and second portions may receive respective power supply voltages. In one suitable arrangement, the memory elements may include two relay switches that provide nonvolatile storage characteristics and soft error upset (SEU) immunity. In another suitable arrangement, the memory elements may include first and second cross-coupled inverting circuits. The first inverting circuit may include relay switches, whereas the second inverting circuit includes only CMOS transistors. Memory elements configured in this way may be used to provide volatile storage characteristics and SEU immunity.

Memory elements with relay devices

Integrated circuits are provided that have volatile memory elements. The memory elements produce output signals. The integrated circuits may be programmable logic device integrated circuits containing programmable core logic including transistors with gates. The core logic is powered using a core logic power supply level defined by a core logic positive power supply voltage and a core logic ground voltage. When loaded with configuration data, the memory elements produce output signals that are applied to the gates of the transistors in the core logic to customize the programmable logic device. The memory elements are powered with a memory element power supply level defined by a memory element positive power supply voltage and a memory element ground power supply voltage. The memory element power supply level is elevated with respect to the core logic power supply level.

Memory elements with elevated control signal levels for integrated circuits

One embodiment relates to a buffered transistor device. The device includes a buffered vertical fin-shaped structure formed in a semiconductor substrate. The vertical fin-shaped structure includes at least an upper semiconductor layer, a buffer region, and at least part of a well region. The buffer region has a first doping polarity, and the well region has a second doping polarity which is opposite to the first doping polarity. At least one p-n junction that at least partially covers a horizontal cross section of the vertical fin-shaped structure is formed between the buffer and well regions. Other embodiments, aspects, and features are also disclosed.

Buffered finFET device

Memory elements may be provided that include bi-stable data storage elements based on cross-coupled inverters. A pair of address transistors may be used to implement a differential data writing scheme for the memory elements. One of the address transistors may be coupled between a first data line and a first data storage node in each memory element and another of the address transistors may be coupled between a second data line and a second data storage node. A read circuit may be coupled to the second data storage node. Clear transistors may be interspersed through the array. The clear transistors may help pull the data lines to desired voltages during clear operations. An adjustable power supply may supply a weakened power supply voltage to a pull-up clear transistor and to the first and second inverters during clear operations.

Memory array with distributed clear transistors and variable memory element power supply

Integrated circuits may include memory elements that are provided with voltage overstress protection. One suitable arrangement of a memory cell may include a latch with two cross-coupled inverters. Each of the two cross-coupled inverters may be coupled between first and second power supply lines and may include a transistor with a gate that is connected to a separate power supply line. Another suitable memory cell arrangement may include three cross-coupled circuits. Two of the three circuits may be powered by a first positive power supply line, while the remaining circuit may be powered by a second positive power supply line. These memory cells may be used to provide an elevated positive static control signal and a lowered ground static control signal to a corresponding pass gate. These memory cells may include access transistors and read buffer circuits that are used during read/write operations.

Memory elements with voltage overstress protection

Volatile memory elements with elevated power supply levels for programmable logic device integrated circuits

Integrated circuits are provided that have memory elements. The memory elements may be organized in an array. Data such as programmable logic device configuration data may be loaded into the array using read and write control circuitry. Each memory element may store data using a pair of cross-coupled inverters. Power supply circuitry may be used to power the cross-coupled inverters. A positive power supply signal and a ground power supply signal may be provided to the inverters by the power supply circuitry. Each memory element may have an associated clear transistor. A clear control signal may be asserted to turn on the clear transistor when clearing the memory elements. A given one of the inverters in each memory element may be momentarily weakened with respect to the clear transistor in that memory element by using the power supply circuitry to temporarily elevate the ground power supply signal.

Integrated circuits with clearable memory elements

Memory elements for integrated circuit are provided that have efficient transistor layouts. The integrated circuits may be programmable logic device integrated circuits on which memory elements are formed into arrays. Each memory element may have a pair of cross-coupled inverters, an address transistor, and a clear transistor. The transistors in each memory element may be formed from n-type and p-type semiconductor regions that are crossed by only three gate conductor fingers. Programmable transistors on the integrated circuit may be controlled by static output signals from the memory elements. The programmable transistors may be used to form multiplexers. The multiplexers may be formed from n-type regions that are crossed by only three gate fingers each. The gate fingers of the multiplexers may be aligned with the gate fingers of the transistor structures of the memory elements.

Integrated circuit memory elements

A method for reducing power consumption for a programmable logic device (PLD) is provided. In the method, configuration cells associated with used logic portions of the PLD are powered. A programmable power signal preventing source to drain leakage is provided to an inverter of a configuration random access memory (CRAM) cell associated with an unused logic portion of the PLD. The programmable power signal deactivates at least a portion of a configuration cell associated with the unused logic portion. That is, the programmable power signal eliminates the source to drain leakage as the power provided to the configuration cell is at ground. In one embodiment, the programmable power signal is provided to both inverters of a cross coupled pair of inverters rather than a single one of the cross-coupled pair of inverters. A programmable logic device capable of minimizing standby power consumption is also included.

Method and apparatus to power down unused configuration random access memory cells

Integrated circuits are provided that have memory elements. The memory elements produce output signals. The integrated circuits may be programmable logic device integrated circuits containing programmable logic including transistors with gates. When loaded with configuration data, the memory elements produce output signals that are applied to the gates of the transistors in the programmable logic device to customize the programmable logic. To ensure that the transistors in the programmable logic are turned on properly, the memory elements are powered with an elevated power supply level during normal device operation. During data loading operations, the power supply level for the memory elements is reduced. Reducing the memory element power supply level during loading increases the write margin for the memory elements.

Volatile memory elements with boosted output voltages for programmable logic device integrated circuits

A low-power low-voltage buffer with a half-latch is provided. The half-latch buffer design may provide increased speed without dramatically increasing power consumption.

Low-power low-voltage buffer with half-latch

Integrated circuits such as programmable logic device integrated circuits have arrays of memory elements into which configuration data is loaded. The memory elements are formed form a pair of independently-powered cross-coupled inverters. Control circuitry generates a first inverter power supply signal and a second inverter power supply signal. The first and second inverter power supply signals are distributed to the inverters in the memory elements using pairs of inverter power distribution paths. When it is desired to reset the memory elements, the control circuitry takes the second power supply signal high before the first power supply signal. When it is desired to preset the memory elements, the control circuitry takes the second power supply high after the first power supply signal.

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

Lin-Shih Liu