Macronix International Co., Ltd.

Tien-Shin Ho

I-Long Lee

Chun-Hsiung Hung

Kuen-Long Chang

Ray-Lin Wan

Ken-Hui Chen

Chun Hsiung Hung

Ray L Wan

Tzeng-Hei Shiau

An output driver for an integrated circuit performs a precharge function before internal data is available, minimizing the access time for such data. Also, the pull up and pull down circuitry used in the precharge function is separate from the output driver, and independent of the level of the data signal to be driven. A sense circuit senses an initial state of the output pad, before the output signal is supplied to the output pad, which indicates whether a voltage level on the output pad is above a threshold or below the threshold. A precharge circuit includes a pull up circuit and a pull down circuit. The pull up circuit is responsive to the initial state indicating that the voltage level on the output is below the threshold, and the pull down circuit is responsive to the initial state indicating that the voltage level on the output is above the threshold. A detector is coupled to the output, and produces a control signal indicating when output is near the threshold. Logic is responsive to the control signal from the detector to turn off the precharge circuit when the threshold is reached.

Output pad precharge circuit for semiconductor devices

An on chip voltage generation circuit is provided suitable for use on integrated circuits such as flash memory devices with a low power supply voltage (e.g., 2.7 to 3.6 volts). A voltage boost circuit is coupled to the supply voltage input and to a boost signal, which boosts the on-chip voltage at a node on the integrated circuit in response to a transition of the boost signal. The voltage boost circuit has a first mode which in response to the transition boosts the on-chip voltage at a first rate of boosting until a first threshold, and a second mode which in response to the transition boosts the on-chip voltage at a second rate of boosting until a second threshold. The second rate of boosting in the preferred system is slower than the first rate of boosting. A detection circuit is coupled to the node on the integrated circuit which receives the on-chip voltage, and to the voltage boost circuit. The detection circuit signals the voltage boost circuit when the node reaches the first threshold, and signals the voltage boost circuit when the node reaches the second threshold. According to one aspect of the invention, the first threshold is reached within less than 5 nanoseconds, and more preferably about 2 nanoseconds, or less, of the transition in the boost signal.

Rapid on chip voltage generation for low power integrated circuits

Enhanced word line driver to reduce gate capacitance for low voltage

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Hsin-Tien, Taiwan

Tien-Shin Ho