Sandisk Technologies Inc.

Rangarao Samineni

Sridhar Yadala

Subodh Taigor

Kishan Santoki

A sense amplifier for a memory circuit is presented that can reduce sensing times by introduction of a local reference generator. The sense amplifier includes two capacitors that are pre-charged prior to a sensing operation. A first of the capacitors is connected so that it can discharge through a selected memory cell at a rate dependent on the conductivity of the selected memory cell. After a sensing interval in which the first capacitor can discharge through the selected memory cell, the voltage level on the first capacitor is compared with the voltage level on the second capacitor to determine the result of the sensing operation.

Sense amplifier architecture providing improved memory performance

Disclosed herein are techniques for generating a temperature independent reference current, which may be used during calibration. The temperature independent reference current may be generated based on a current through an on-chip calibration resistor. This alleviates the need for an off chip calibration resistor, which can be costly and cause slow calibration. A voltage at one terminal of the on chip calibration resistor may be modulated to substantially cancel a temperature coefficient of the on chip calibration resistor. This may result in the current passing through the on chip calibration resistor being temperature independent. The temperature independent reference current may be based on a reference voltage and a target calibration resistance.

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Bengaluru, India

Rangarao Samineni