The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 29, 1994
Filed:
Mar. 30, 1993
Cecil H Kaplinsky, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Other;
Abstract
A write assist circuit for CMOS inverter-type memory cells and latches having means for choking current flow from a voltage level source to power supply terminals of a group of such memory cells or latches during a data loading or write cycle. The write assist circuit has a pair of pass transistors that respectively connect to one or two voltage level sources. In one embodiment, both pass transistors connect in parallel to a single voltage level source, one transistor always active being of low conductance, the other transistor of normal conductance being turned off by a write enable signal. In another embodiment, both pass transistors are of normal conductance but are respectively enabled and disabled by a write enable signal and are connected to different voltage level sources so as to supply a lower power supply voltage to the CMOS inverter-type memory cells or latches during a write cycle.