Word line driver circuit for a semiconductor memory device

Abstract

A word line driver circuit for use in a semiconductor memory device for driving a word line of the memory device to a word line driving voltage having a voltage level greater than that of a power supply voltage includes a control circuit and a word line driving circuit. The word line driving circuit includes a pull-up transistor which is connected in series between the word line driving voltage and the word line, a transfer transistor connected in series between a row decoding signal and the gate electrode of the pull-up transistor. The control circuit generates a transfer output signal which is applied to the gate electrode of the transfer transistor. In a first operating mode, the transfer output signal has a voltage level greater than the power supply voltage by an amount equal to the threshold voltage of the transfer transistor, and, in a second operating mode, the transfer output signal has a voltage level equal to the power supply voltage. In the first operating mode, the gate of the pull-up transistor is precharged to the power supply voltage, prior to the execution of a memory read/write operation. In the second operating mode, the word line is driven to the voltage level of the word line driving signal, via the channel of the pull-up transistor.