International Business Machines Corporation

Ronald W Knepper

Louis L Hsu

Chang-Ming Hsieh

Shaw-Ning Mei

Lawrence F Wagner, Jr

William Stanford Johnson

Peter J Ludlow

Robert H Dennard

Robert C Wong

Seshadri Subbanna

Manu J Tejwani

Chi Shih Chang

Paul Andrew Ronsheim

Shakir A Abbas

Friedrich C Wernicke

Richard Daniel Kimmel

Russell C Lange

Robert K Cook

Bob H Yun

Joseph Anthony Petrosky, Jr

Ralph D Lane

Leo B Freeman, Jr

Subodh K Kulkarni

William B Chin

Rudolph D Dussault

Barry L Moore

Richard Levi

Disclosed is a high speed sense amplifier circuit designed for sensing data in one-transistor DRAM memory cells on bit lines within DRAM macros. The circuit utilizes a charge transfer scheme to rapidly remove charge from a small sensing first capacitor C generating a voltage swing delta V via an FET operating in its subthreshold region by means of idling current, such transfer supplying an equal charge to the larger bit line capacitance Cb with small voltage swing delta Vb The sense amp is pre-charged to the &ldquo;1&rdquo; state, and senses a &ldquo;0&rdquo; via the charge transfer operation thusly described. A &ldquo;1&rdquo; is sensed when no charge transfer takes place.

High speed DRAM local bit line sense amplifier

A transistor with silicon on insulator (SOI) intrinsic base and a collector each formed by a low temperature epitaxial process and each orientated vertically with respect to the (SOI) substrate. The base width can be as narrow as in a conventional vertical transistor. Similarly, the collector width can be precisely controlled.

Vertical-gate CMOS compatible lateral bipolar transistor

Method of forming a novel vertical-gate CMOS compatible lateral bipolar

A lateral bipolar transistor has an extrinsic base layer on either side of a centrally disposed emitter layer and an intrinsic base and a collector oriented perpendicularly to the extrinsic base and collector layers.

Novel vertical-gate CMOS compatible lateral bipolar transistor

A method of controlling the interfacial oxygen concentration of a monocrystalline/polycrystalline emitter includes the steps of: passivating the monocrystalline silicon surface by immersing the wafer in a diluted HF acid solution; transferring the wafer into a high vacuum environment; heating the wafer to between 400.degree. and 700.degree. C.; exposing the monocrystalline silicon surface to a gas having a partial pressure of oxygen of between 10.sup.-5 to 1 Torr for between 1 and 100 minutes; and, depositing polysilicon onto the monocrystalline silicon surface.

Method for controlling interfacial oxide at a

A transistor memory cell is disclosed of the type wherein an unclamped conducting transistor in each of a plurality of memory cells connected to a given word line is driven into saturation when storing data. The cell is equipped with controlled active devices for discharging the saturation capacitance of the conducting transistors prior to writing new data into the cells. Each active device is characterized with a forward low-impedance current direction and reverse high impedance current direction therethrough for each saturation transistor. Each active device is connected to discharge an associated saturation transistor in its forward current direction. In one embodiment, each active device discharges to a word line when the line is brought to an appropriate control potential. In another embodiment, each active device discharges to a separate discharge line not connected to the work line when the former line is brought to an appropriate control potential. The active devices may be diodes. In yet a further embodiment, the active devices may comprise diodes with leaky reverse bias characteristics. These diodes, in their reverse bias current direction, may be used as the memory cell loads. Alternatively, a PNP transistor may be used as the memory cell load. Resistors may be included in the discharge line to prevent word line-bit line voltage clamping.

Memory cell with active device for saturation capacitance discharge

A read only memory utilizing a two-level cascoded current steering approach feeding a two-level common base isolation and sense amplifier network. The isolation network allows formation of a multi-way collector dot without deleterious effect upon the high speed current sensing operation. Single transistor cells with a common subcollector bed and common base rails as word lines make up the highly dense high speed array. The current source is provided by a current mirror circuit. The common-base, low impedance sense amplifier converts the sense current signal into a voltage swing which is then fed to the off-chip driver circuit via an emitter-follower pre-driver stage.

Read only memory including an isolation network connected between the

A word redundancy scheme for a high speed RAM where the bit output stage uses on-chip logic. An extra emitter on each of the decoders is utilized including redundant word group decoders. A compare circuit has an output to each of the extra emitters and when the address of a bad bit arrives at the compare circuit it de-selects each of the non-redundant decoders at that address and selects the redundant decoders via the extra emitters. Hence, the redundant decoders replace the decoders of the bad bit position.

Word group redundancy scheme

Disclosed is a memory array in which each cell consists of a pair of cross coupled bipolar transistors with antisaturation clamps, a load resistor connected to the collector of each of the cross coupled transistors forming storage nodes, and Schottky barrier diode input/output devices connecting each node to a respective bit line. The emitters of the cross coupled transistors are connected to a lower word line while the load resistors are connected to an upper word line. Both the upper and lower word lines are switchable providing high speed as well as highly stable operation with very low power supply voltage requirements.

Memory array with switchable upper and lower word lines

A method for fabricating an N-channel silicon MOS field effect transistor on a P-type substrate. The structure retains the natural isolation between devices and the consequent higher device density in an integrated circuit structure than conventional double diffused MOS field effect transistor devices. The device is fabricated by using ion implantation to create an N-type surface layer in the channel and then overcompensating this layer to create a P-type region near the source by ion implanting P-type ions into the source junction region. The source to substrate capacitance is considerably less than that of conventional double diffused MOS devices which provides an improved circuit performance.

Narrow channel length MOS field effect transistor with field protection

Disclosed is a field effect transistor (FET) circuit utilizing three sources of potential, the third source of potential being derived from the substrate. An input stage, connected between first and second sources of potential, is adapted to receive a logic input signal approximating said first and second sources of potential. An output stage connected between the first source of potential and a third source of potential, is adapted to provide a logical output signal approximating said first and third sources of potential. The third source of potential, which is derived from the substrate, provides a potential level suitable for turning off depletion mode FET devices.

Field effect transistor (FET) circuit utilizing substrate potential for

Method for forming a narrow channel length MOS field effect transistor

Disclosed is a field effect transistor (FET) driver circuit capable of full supply voltage signal swings and high switching speeds while dissipating relatively little power. The output is obtained from a node between two series connected enhancement mode devices. The first of these series connected enhancement mode devices receives an input signal at its gating electrode, while the second of this pair of series connected devices has its gating electrode capacitively coupled to the output node through a first gatable depletion mode device. The first depletion mode device is in a series electrical path with a second depletion mode device and an enhancement mode device. The second depletion mode device and the enhancement mode device in series therewith receive the same phase of the input signal as the gate of said one series connected output transistor while the first gated depletion mode device is either self-biased or gets a gating input that is out of phase therewith. A depletion mode device in parallel with one of the series connected enhancement mode output devices maintains the output node at a full supply voltage level.

Enhancement/depletion mode field effect transistor driver

A semiconductor device has a heavily doped semiconductor substrate with a lightly doped epitaxial layer overlying a surface of the substrate and of the same conductivity type as the substrate. Electrically insulating barriers extend from at least the surface of the epitaxial layer into the substrate so as to electrically isolate non-common areas of each surface leakage sensitive device within the epitaxial layer from the non-common areas of adjacent surface leakage sensitive devices.

Semiconductor device having electrically insulating barriers for surface

An over current protect circuit for a common bus driver having a complementary pair FET output includes a pair of AND circuits responsive to the gate-source and drain-source voltages for charging separate time integrating capacitors. If a threshold charge is reached a latch is triggered, which in turn disables the driver via a NAND gate and Inverter, and discharges the active capacitor. The latch is reset by dropping the driver enable line. As an alternative, high driver current may be sensed by placing a resistor in series with each output FET and charging the associated capacitor in response to a high current through the resistor.

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Lagrangeville, NY, United States of America

Ronald W Knepper