Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Industrial Technology Research Institute

Other

Nan Ya Technology Corporation

Winbond Electronics Corporation

Promos Technologies, Inc

Powerchip Semiconductor Corporation

Windbond Electronics Corp.

Wen-Han Wang

Yi-Chan Chen

Chien-Min Lee

Wei-Su Chen

Min-Hung Lee

Yen Chuo

Te-Sheng Chao

Hong-Hui Hsu

Kuo-Ji Chen

Kuei-Hung Shen

Sheng-Fang Cheng

Chen-Chih Wu

Shyh-Shyuan Sheu

Lieh-Chiu Lin

Pei-Chia Chiang

Chien-Ming Li

A voltage level shifting circuit includes two PMOS transistors and four NMOS transistors. Sources of the PMOS transistors receive a first supply voltage value, a first PMOS transistor gate coupled with drains of second PMOS and NMOS transistors is a first output, and a second PMOS transistor gate coupled with drains of first PMOS and NMOS transistors is a second output. The first NMOS transistor source is coupled with a third NMOS transistor drain, and the third NMOS transistor gate is a first input. The second NMOS transistor source is coupled with a fourth NMOS transistor drain, and the fourth NMOS transistor gate is a second input. A voltage generating circuit generates a voltage at first and second NMOS transistor gates based on the first supply voltage value and on a signal, the signal behaving based on the first supply voltage value and a different second supply voltage value.

Voltage level shifting circuits and methods

A circuit includes a power-on control circuit and a voltage generating circuit. The power-on control circuit is configured to cause a power-on control signal to follow a voltage level of a first supply voltage during a first time period that a voltage level of a second supply voltage is less than a threshold value, and to set the power-on control signal to have a voltage level of a reference voltage during a second time period that the voltage level of the second supply voltage is greater than the threshold value. The voltage generating circuit is configured to generate a voltage signal responsive to the power-on control signal.

Voltage generating circuits based on a power-on control signal

A voltage generating circuit includes a first supply voltage node, a first switching device, a sub voltage generating circuit, and a second switching device. The first supply voltage node is configured to have a first supply voltage value, and is coupled with the first switching device. The sub voltage generating circuit is coupled in between the first switching device and the second switching device. The first switching circuit and the second switching circuit are configured to receive a control signal behaving based on the first supply voltage value and a second supply voltage value different from the first supply voltage value.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a low-power, area efficient ESD protection device that provides ESD protection to an ESD susceptible circuit. The ESD protection device has a trigger circuit with a resistor. The resistor has a first terminal connected to the first external pin and a second terminal connected directly to a gate of a SiGe based PMOS shunt transistor. The trigger circuit generates a trigger signal that drives the gate of the PMOS device to shunt power away from the ESD susceptible circuit when an ESD event is present. The SiGe based PMOS shunt transistor has a lower gate leakage than a conventional NMOS shunt transistors, thereby providing for an ESD circuit with a low leakage current at small gate lengths.

SiGe based gate driven PMOS trigger circuit

A device includes a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) device, which includes a gate electrode and a source/drain region adjacent the gate electrode. A first and a second contact plug are formed directly over and electrically connected to two portions of a same MOS component, wherein the same MOS component is one of the gate electrode and the source/drain region. The same MOS component is configured to be used as a resistor that is connected between the first and the second contact plugs.

Resistors formed based on metal-oxide-semiconductor structures

A leakage current reduction circuit comprising a transmission gate, a feedback channel and a controller is placed between a first device supplied with a first voltage potential and a second device supplied with a second voltage potential. The voltage potential mismatch between the first device and the second device may cause a leakage current flowing through the input stage of the second device. By employing the low leakage power detection circuit, a logic high state generated from the first device can be converted into a logic high state having an amplitude approximately equal to the second voltage potential.

Low leakage power detection circuit

A phase-change memory comprises a bottom electrode formed on a substrate. A first isolation layer is formed on the bottom electrode. A top electrode is formed on the isolation layer. A first phase-change material is formed in the first isolation layer, wherein the top electrode and the bottom electrode are electrically connected via the first phase-change material. Since the phase-change material can have a diameter less than the resolution limit of the photolithography process, an operating current for a state conversion of the phase-change material pattern may be reduced so as to decrease a power dissipation of the phase-change memory device.

Method of fabricating a phase-change memory

A phase change memory device and fabricating method are provided. A disk-shaped phase change layer is buried within the insulating material. A center via and ring via are formed by a lithography. The center via is located in the center of the phase change layer and passes through the phase change layer, and the ring via takes the center via as a center. A heating electrode within the center via performs Joule heating of the phase change layer, and the contact area between the phase change layer and the heating electrode is reduced by controlling the thickness of the phase change layer. Furthermore, a second electrode within the ring via dissipates the heat transmitted to the contact interface between the phase change layers, so as to avoid transmitting the heat to the etching boundary at the periphery of the phase change layer.

Phase change memory device and fabricating method therefor

A phase change memory (PCM) cell fabricated by etching a tapered structure into a phase change layer, and planarizing a dielectric layer on the phase change layer until a tip of the tapered structure is exposed for contacting a heating electrode. Therefore, the area of the exposed tip of the phase change layer is controlled to be of an extremely small size, the contact area between the phase change layer and the heating electrode is reduced, thereby lowering the operation current.

Phase change memory cell and method of fabricating

An embodiment of a method for driving a phase change memory, comprising counting an access number of a phase change memory, wherein the access number is the number of times that the phase change memory has been accessed; refreshing the phase change memory when the number of times is large than a predetermined number.

Driving method and system for a phase change memory

A lateral phase change memory with spacer electrodes and method of manufacturing the same are provided. The memory is formed by connecting the conductive electrodes with lower resistivity and the spacer electrodes with higher resistivity, and filling the phase change material between the spacer electrodes. Therefore, the area that the phase change material contacts the spacer electrodes and the volume of the phase change material can be reduced; thereby the programming current and power consumption of the phase change memory are reduced.

Lateral phase change memory with spacer electrodes

Phase-change memory and fabrication method thereof

A multilevel phase change memory element and operating method and electrodes, which are configured in a parallel structure to form a memory cell. A voltage-drive mode is employed to control and drive the memory element such that multilevel memory states may be achieved by imposing different voltage levels. The provided multilevel phase-change memory element has more bits and higher capacity than that of a memory element with a single phase-change layer.

Growing community of inventors

Hsinchu, Taiwan

Wen-Han Wang