Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Ememory Technology Inc.

Po-Hao Lee

Yi-Chun Shih

Chia-Fu Lee

Chung-Cheng Chou

Yu-Der Chih

Jonathan Tehan Chen

Ku-Feng Lin

Yen-An Chang

Hon-Jarn Lin

Wen-Ting Chu

Hidehiro Fujiwara

Yu-Lin Chen

Yen-Huei Chen

Kuo-Chi Tu

Jonathan Tsung-Yung Chang

Wei-Chang Zhao

Haruki Mori

Yu-Hsiung Tsai

A semiconductor device includes a plurality of memory cells, a first reference cell connected to a first subset of the plurality of memory storage cells via a first common source line, and a second reference cell connected to a second subset of the plurality of memory storage cells via a second common source line. The semiconductor device also includes a sense amplifier configured to, when reading from a first memory cell of the first subset, receive an output from the second reference cell and an output from the first memory cell.

Semiconductor device including reference cells and a method of operating thereof

In some aspects of the present disclosure, an adder tree circuit is disclosed. In some aspects, the adder tree circuit includes a plurality of full adders (FAs) including: a first subgroup of FAs, wherein each FA of the first subgroup includes a first number of transistors; and a second subgroup of FAs, wherein each FA of the second subgroup includes a second number of transistors, the first number being greater than the second number; wherein each FA of the first subgroup receives a first input from a first one of the second subgroup of FAs and a second input from a second one of the second subgroup of FAs, and each FA provides a first output to a third one of the second subgroup of FAs and a second output to a fourth one of the second subgroup of FAs.

Low power adder tree structure

A reference circuit for generating a reference current includes a plurality of resistive elements including at least one magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ). A control circuit is coupled to a first terminal of the at least one MTJ and is configured to selectively flow current through the at least one MTJ in the forward and inverse direction to generate a reference current.

MRAM reference current

A memory device includes a plurality of magnetoresistive random-access memory (MRAM) cells including a first one-time programmable (OTP) MRAM cell. A first OTP select transistor is connected to the first OTP MRAM cell. The first OTP select transistor configured to selectively apply a breakdown current to the first OTP MRAM cell to write the first OTP MRAM cell to a breakdown state.

One time programmable (OTP) magnetoresistive random-access memory (MRAM)

A circuit includes a first transistor and a second transistor cross-coupled with each other such that a source of the first transistor and a source of the second transistor are connected to a power supply, a gate of the first transistor is connected to a drain of the second transistor at a first node, a gate of the second transistor is connected to a drain of the first transistor at a second node. The circuit can provide a first level of a word line voltage to the memory cell by directly coupling the power supply configured at a first level to the memory cell through the second transistor and a third transistor, and provide a second level of the word line voltage by directly coupling the power supply configured at a second level to the memory cell through the second transistor and the third transistor.

Duo-level word line driver

A memory circuit includes a selection circuit, a column of memory cells, and an adder tree. The selection circuit is configured to receive input data elements, each input data element including a number of bits equal to H, and output a selected set of kth bits of the H bits of the input data elements. Each memory cell of the column of memory cells includes a first storage unit configured to store a first weight data element and a first multiplier configured to generate a first product data element based on the first weight data element and a first kth bit of the selected set of kth bits. The adder tree is configured to generate a summation data element based on each of the first product data elements.

In-memory computation circuit and method

A compute-in-memory (CIM) device has a memory array with a plurality of memory cells arranged in rows and columns. The plurality of memory cells includes a first memory cell in a first row and a first column of the memory array and a second memory cell in the first row and a second column of the memory array. The first and second memory cells are configured to store respective first and second weight signals. An input driver provides a plurality of input signals. A first logic circuit is coupled to the first memory cell to provide a first output signal based on a first input signal from the input driver and the first weight signal. A second logic circuit is coupled to the second memory cell to provide a second output signal based on a second input signal from the input driver and the second weight signal.

Compute in memory

The disclosed system and method reduce on-chip power IR drop caused by large write current, to increase the write IO number or improve write throughput and to suppress write voltage ripple at the start and end of a write operation. The disclosed systems and methods are described in relation to stabilizing the bit line voltage for MRAMs, however, the disclosed systems and methods can be used to stabilize the bit line voltage of any memory configuration that draws large currents during short write pulses or, more generally, to selectively assist a power supply generator in supplying adequate power to a load at times of large power consumption.

Power supply generator assist

Memory devices and methods of repairing a memory are provided. A first array includes normal memory cells, and a second array includes repair memory cells. The repair memory cells are configured to be used in place of the normal memory cells. A look-up table comprises memory bitcells configured to store a set of entries including addresses of defective memory cells of the normal memory cells. A match circuit is configured to evaluate whether an input memory address is stored as a defective address in the memory bitcells. The match circuit is also configured to generate a selection signal for selecting the normal memory cells or the repair memory cells based on the evaluation.

Memory repair scheme

A device includes several first switching units and several second switching units. Each of the first switching units transmits in response to a first select signal, an auxiliary signal. Each of the second switching units is coupled to a corresponding one of the first switching units and transmits in response to a second select signal, a write voltage to a corresponding one of multiple circuit cells. The second switching units are coupled with each other in a node which receives the write voltage.

Growing community of inventors

Hsinchu, Taiwan

Po-Hao Lee