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:
Dec. 17, 2002
Filed:
Feb. 19, 2002
Masaru Koyanagi, Yokohama, JP;
Kaoru Nakagawa, Kawasaki, JP;
Takahiko Hara, Yokohama, JP;
Satoru Takase, Yokohama, JP;
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Kawasaki, JP;
Abstract
A DRAM, including a plurality of banks each having a plurality of sub-arrays, and sense amplifier circuits commonly shared by sub-arrays in different banks, has a row access mode for activating a sub-array selected from each bank for reading or writing data, and a refresh mode for activating a plurality of sub-arrays in each bank and refreshing memory cell data therein at substantially the same timing. Sub-arrays in each bank activated at substantially the same timing in the refresh mode are more than sub-arrays in each bank activated in the row access model. Thereby, occurrence of operation constrains is minimized to ensure high-speed operation and improve the system performance of DRAMs employing the non-independent bank system.