Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Soo-Bong Chang

Jung-Hwa Lee

Doo-young Kim

Chi-Wook Kim

Jung-Im Huh

Jun-hyung Kim

Chi-wook Kim

Byong-mo Moon

In-Chul Jeong

Sang-Yun Kim

Jin-yong Choi

Young-Seok Park

Seung-Min Oh

A memory circuit and a memory device including the same are provided. The memory circuit may be connected to a bit line and a complementary bit line and configured to perform precharging on the bit line and the complementary bit line. The memory circuit may include: an equalizer configured to equalize voltage levels of the bit line and the complementary bit line by connecting the bit line with the complementary bit line in response to an equalizing signal; and a precharger configured to precharge the bit line and the complementary bit line to a precharge voltage in response to a precharge signal. The equalizing signal and the precharge signal may be received via separate lines.

Memory circuits precharging memory cell arrays and memory devices including the same

A circuit for driving a sense amplifier of a semiconductor memory device is provided. The circuit includes a first driving circuit configured to supply a current from a power node to a first driving node of the sense amplifier based on a first driving control signal, a source control circuit configured to generate a control signal based on a second driving control signal and a voltage of the drain node, and a second driving circuit configured to draw current from a second driving node of the sense amplifier to a ground node based on the control signal.

Circuit for driving sense amplifier of semiconductor memory device and operating method thereof

A semiconductor memory device and a method of generating an internal voltage in the semiconductor memory device are provided. The semiconductor memory device includes a controller configured to activate a sensing enable signal when an active command is applied from outside, inactivate the sensing enable signal when a precharge command is applied, and output the sensing enable signal, and an array internal voltage generator configured to output an active array power supply voltage as an array power supply voltage when the sensing enable signal is activated, output an external array power supply voltage and a standby array power supply voltage as the array power supply voltage when the sensing enable signal is inactivated, and output the standby array power supply voltage alone as the array power supply voltage when the sensing enable signal is inactivated for at least a specific period.

Device and method generating internal voltage in semiconductor memory device

A semiconductor memory device using a full-VDD bit line precharge scheme by using a bit line sense amplifier includes a precharge unit precharging a bit line and a complementary bit line from a power voltage to a voltage that is less than the power voltage by a predetermined voltage, and the bit line sense amplifier including first and second transistors serially connected between the bit line and the complementary bit line to be cross-coupled to each other, wherein a gate of the first transistor is connected to the complementary bit line and a gate of the second transistor is connected to the bit line. The precharge unit precharges, in response to a first precharge signal, the bit line and the complementary bit line to a voltage that is less than the power voltage by a threshold voltage of the first or second transistor, and precharges, in response to a second precharge signal, the bit line and the complementary bit line from the power voltage to a voltage that is less than the power voltage by half of a threshold voltage of the first or second transistor.

Semiconductor memory device implementing full-VDD bit line precharge scheme using bit line sense amplifier

Example embodiments may provide a layout structure and layout method for a memory device that may reduce the area of the memory device. Example embodiment layout structures may include a first region and/or a second region. First and second sensing MOS transistors of a sense amplifier that senses data of a bit line and a complementary bit line may be arranged in the first region. First, second and third equalization MOS transistors of an equalizer that equalizes the bit line and the complementary bit line may be arranged In the second region located apart from the first region, Sensing NMOS transistors and equalization NMOS transistors may share an N-type active region in the layout structure of a memory device, and the area of a sense amplifier may be reduced.

Layout structures and methods of fabricating layout structures

A bit-line equalizer, a semiconductor memory device including the bit-line equalizer, and a method for manufacturing the bit-line equalizer, in which the bit-line equalizer includes: first and second polysilicon gates formed in a first direction in proximity to each other, the first and second polysilicon gates having a predetermined distance between them; and a plurality of equalizing transistors formed in a second direction along the first and second polysilicon gates, the equalizing transistors equalizing bit-line pairs, with the equalizing transistors being alternately formed in proximity to the first and second polysilicon gates. The bit-line equalizer can vary the widths of the equalizing transistors irrespective of a memory cell pitch in order to improve an equalizing time.

Bit-line equalizer, semiconductor memory device including the same, and method for manufacturing bit-line equalizer

A layout structure for sub word line drivers and method thereof. The example layout structure may include at least one N-channel transistor arrangement having a cross sectional width and a cross sectional length, the N-channel transistor arrangement oriented such that the cross sectional length extends along a first direction, the first direction oriented along a sub word line driver from a first sub array block to a second sub array block. The example method may arrange the at least one N-channel transistor between the first and second sub array blocks.

Layout structure for sub word line drivers and method thereof

In a boosted voltage generating circuit of a semiconductor memory device, an active kicker drive signal generating circuit generates an active kicker drive signal having a first pulse duration in response to a row active command, and generates the active kicker drive signal having a second pulse duration in response to a refresh command. An active kicker circuit is responsive to the active kicker drive signal to generate the boosted voltage. The second pulse duration may be greater than the first pulse duration, which makes it possible to improve the pumping efficiency of the boosted voltage in a refresh operation.

Circuit and method for generating boosted voltage in semiconductor memory device

A memory device includes a memory cell array block including memory cells, a word line driver block adjacent the memory cell array block disposed in a direction in which word lines of the memory cells are arranged, a sense amplifier block adjacent the memory cell array block disposed in a direction in which bit lines of the memory cells are arranged, a conjunction block disposed at an intersection of the word line driver block and the sense amplifier block, an equalizer for equalizing a pair of local data lines, the equalizer disposed in the conjunction block, and a local data line sense amplifier configured to sense and amplify signals on a pair of local data lines, and having transistors of a first type disposed in the conjunction block and transistors of a second type disposed in the sense amplifier block.

Layout for equalizer and data line sense amplifier employed in a high speed memory device

Embodiments of the invention provide drivers from active internal voltage generating circuits on both sides of the internal voltage generating lines, therefore a voltage level of the internal voltage generating lines can quickly and uniformly reach a desired internal voltage level. Other embodiments of the invention are described in the claims.

Semiconductor memory device and layout method thereof

A semiconductor memory device includes a column decoder, a row decoder, a memory cell array block, and a sense amplifier block. The sense amplifier block is disposed adjacent to the memory cell array block. The column decoder is disposed at one side of the memory cell array block, and the row decoder is disposed at another side of the memory cell array block. First output lines of the row decoder pass over the sense amplifier block and are formed of first metal layers. Second output lines of the row decoder pass over the memory cell array block and are formed of second metal layers. Output lines of the column decoder pass over the sense amplifier block and the memory cell array block. Portions of the output lines of the column decoder passing over the sense amplifier block are formed of the second metal layers and portions of the output lines of the column decoder that pass over the memory cell array block are formed of the first metal layers.

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Seoul, South Korea

Soo-Bong Chang