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:
Sep. 25, 2001
Filed:
Sep. 27, 1996
Applicant:
Inventors:
Assignee:
Sony Electronics, Inc., Tokyo, JP;
Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
G11C 1/140 ;
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
G11C 1/140 ;
Abstract
A current sensing, cascadable differential amplifier has a special bias circuit that provides a low impedance input and a high impedance output, whereby plural stages may be connected in cascade. Optionally, active current sources are used as pull-ups for the data lines, to increase the output impedance and improve the data line common mode level. The amplifier performs as a current sensing sense amplifier in a large scale, fast access semiconductor means and in this application, the memory does not need equalizing clock signals, nor is the access time slowed materially in the plural cascade stages.