Stmicroelectronics S.r.l.

Loredana Chiaramonte

Antonino Conte

Maria Giaquinta

Antonio Conte

Anna Rita Maria Lipani

A sense structure includes: a sense amplifier core configured to compare a measurement current with a reference current; a cascode transistor coupled to the sense amplifier core and configured to be coupled to a load; a switch coupled between a bias voltage node and a control terminal of the cascode transistor; a local capacitor having a first terminal coupled to the control terminal of the cascode transistor; a first transistor coupled between a second terminal of the local capacitor and a reference terminal; and a control circuit coupled to a control terminal of the first transistor, the control circuit configured to disconnect the local capacitor from the reference terminal to produce a voltage overshoot in the control terminal of the cascode transistor, and after disconnecting the local capacitor from the reference terminal, limit or reduce the voltage overshoot by adjusting a voltage of the control terminal of the first transistor.

Floating boosted pre-charge scheme for sense amplifiers

A driving stage for a phase change non-volatile memory device may have an output driving unit which supplies an output driving current during an operation of programming of at least one memory cell. A driving-control unit receives an input current and generates at output a first control signal that controls supply of the output driving current by the output driving unit in such a way that a value of this current has a desired relation with the input current. A level-shifter element, set between the output of the driving-control unit and a control input of the output driving unit, determines a level shift of the voltage of the first control signal so as to supply to the control input of the output driving unit a second control signal, having a voltage value that is increased with respect to, and is a function of, the first control signal.

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Catania, Italy

Loredana Chiaramonte