IP Library Granted Patent US 8,860,470
Granted Patent B1
US 8,860,470 · App. 14/053,699 · Granted Oct 14, 2014

Input/output line driver circuit

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,860,470
App. No.
14/053,699
Granted
Oct 14, 2014
Kind
B1
Abstract

Input/output (I/O) line driving circuits are provided. The circuit includes a first I/O line driver and a second I/O line driver. The first I/O line driver receives a first input signal in response to an enable signal to generate a first control signal and drives a first I/O line in response to a second control signal. The second I/O line driver receives a second input signal in response to the enable signal to generate the second control signal and drives a second I/O line in response to the first control signal.

Claims (60)

1. An input/output line driver circuit comprising:

a first I/O line driver configured to generate a first control signal in response to a first input signal and an enable signal and configured to drive a first I/O line in response to a second control signal; and

a second I/O line driver configured to generate the second control signal in response to a second input signal and the enable signal and configured to drive a second I/O line in response to the first control signal.

2. The input/output line driver circuit of claim 1 :

wherein the first I/O line driver is configured to receive the first input signal in response to the enable signal;

wherein the second I/O line driver is configured to receive the second input signal in response to the enable signal;

wherein the first I/O line driver includes a first pull-up element and a second pull-up element that pull up a level of the first I/O line in response to a first pull-up signal; and

wherein the second control signal controls an operation that the second pull-up element pulls up the level of the first I/O line.

3. The input/output line driver circuit of claim 2 , wherein the second control signal prevents the second pull-up element from pulling up the level of the first I/O line when both the first and second input signals have a first logic level.

4. The input/output line driver circuit of claim 2 , wherein the first pull-up signal is generated by inverting the first input signal when the enable signal is enabled.

5. The input/output line driver circuit of claim 2 :

wherein the second I/O line driver includes a third pull-up element and a fourth pull-up element configured to pull up a level of the second I/O line in response to a second pull-up signal; and

wherein the first control signal controls an operation that the fourth pull-up element pulls up the level of the second I/O line.

6. The input/output line driver circuit of claim 5 , wherein the first control signal prevents the fourth pull-up element from pulling up the level of the second I/O line when both the first and second input signals have a first logic level.

7. The input/output line driver circuit of claim 5 , wherein the second pull-up signal is generated by inverting the second input signal when the enable signal is enabled.

8. The input/output line driver circuit of claim 1 :

wherein the first I/O line driver includes a first pull-down element and a second pull-down element configured to pull down a level of the first I/O line in response to a first pull-down signal; and

wherein the second control signal controls an operation that the second pull-down element pulls down the level of the first I/O line.

9. The input/output line driver circuit of claim 8 , wherein the second control signal prevents the second pull-down element from pulling down the level of the first I/O line when both the first and second input signals have a second logic level.

10. The input/output line driver circuit of claim 8 , wherein the first pull-down signal is generated by buffering a complementary signal of the first input signal when the enable signal is enabled.

11. The input/output line driver circuit of claim 8 :

wherein the second I/O line driver includes a third pull-down element and a fourth pull-down element configured to pull down a level of the second I/O line in response to a second pull-down signal; and

wherein the first control signal controls an operation that the fourth pull-down element pulls down the level of the second I/O line.

12. The input/output line driver circuit of claim 11 , wherein the first control signal prevents the fourth pull-down element from pulling down the level of the second I/O line when both the first and second input signals have a second logic level.

13. The input/output line driver circuit of claim 11 , wherein the second pull-down signal is generated by buffering a complementary signal of the second input signal when the enable signal is enabled.

14. The input/output line driver circuit of claim 1 , wherein the first I/O line driver includes:

a first pull-up element configured to pull up a level of the first I/O line in response to a first pull-up signal generated from the first input signal when the enable signal is enabled;

a second pull-up element configured to pull up the level of the first I/O line in response to the first pull-up signal; and

a first pull-up drive control element configured to have one electrode connected to the second pull-up element and another electrode connected to the first I/O line,

wherein the first pull-up drive control element is turned on in response to the second control signal.

15. The input/output line driver circuit of claim 14 , wherein the first I/O line driver further includes:

a first pull-down element configured to pull down a level of the first I/O line in response to a first pull-down signal generated from the first input signal when the enable signal is enabled;

a second pull-down element configured to pull down the level of the first I/O line in response to the first pull-down signal; and

a first pull-down drive control element configured to have one electrode connected to the second pull-down element and another electrode connected to the first I/O line,

wherein the first pull-down drive control element is turned on in response to the second control signal.

16. The input/output line driver circuit of claim 15 , wherein the second I/O line driver includes:

a third pull-up element configured to pull up a level of the second I/O line in response to a second pull-up signal generated from the first input signal when the enable signal is enabled;

a fourth pull-up element configured to pull up the level of the second I/O line in response to the second pull-up signal; and

a second pull-up drive control element configured to have one electrode connected to the fourth pull-up element and another electrode connected to the second I/O line,

wherein the second pull-up drive control element is turned on in response to the first control signal.

17. The input/output line driver circuit of claim 16 , wherein the second I/O line driver further includes:

a third pull-down element configured to pull down a level of the second I/O line in response to a second pull-down signal generated from the second input signal when the enable signal is enabled;

a fourth pull-down element configured to pull down the level of the second I/O line in response to the second pull-down signal; and

a second pull-down drive control element configured to have one electrode connected to the fourth pull-down element and another electrode connected to the second I/O line,

wherein the second pull-down drive control element is turned on in response to the first control signal.

18. An input/output line driver comprising:

a first I/O line driver configured to drive a first I/O line; and

a second I/O line driver configured to drive a second I/O line adjacent to the first I/O line,

wherein the first I/O line driver buffers a first input signal in response to an enable signal to generate a first pull-up signal, uses the first pull-up signal to generates a first control signal, and includes a first pull-up element and a second pull-up element configured to pull up a level of the first I/O line in response to the first pull-up signal; and

wherein an operation that the second pull-up element pulls up the level of the first I/O line is controlled by a second control signal generated from a second input signal which is applied to the second I/O line driver to drive the second I/O line.

19. The input/output line driver circuit of claim 18 , wherein the second control signal prevents the second pull-up element from pulling up the level of the first I/O line when both the first and second input signals have a first logic level.

20. The input/output line driver circuit of claim 18 :

wherein the second I/O line driver buffers the second input signal in response to the enable signal to generate a second pull-up signal, and includes a third pull-up element and a fourth pull-up element configured to pull up a level of the second I/O line in response to the second pull-up signal; and

wherein the first control signal prevents the fourth pull-up element from pulling up the level of the second I/O line when both the first and second input signals have a first logic level.

21. The input/output line driver circuit of claim 18 :

wherein the first I/O line driver buffers the first input signal in response to the enable signal to generate a first pull-down signal, and further includes a first pull-down element and a second pull-down element configured to pull down a level of the first I/O line in response to the first pull-down signal; and

wherein the second control signal prevents the second pull-down element from pulling down the level of the first I/O line when both the first and second input signals have a second logic level.

22. The input/output line driver circuit of claim 20 :

wherein the second I/O line driver further includes a third pull-down element and a fourth pull-down element that pull down a level of the second I/O line in response to a second pull-down signal; and

wherein the first control signal prevents the fourth pull-down element from pulling down the level of the second I/O line when both the first and second input signals have a second logic level.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 7, 2024
From: SK HYNIX INC.
To: MIMIRIP LLC
Reel/Frame 067335/0246 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 15, 2013
From: PARK, NAK KYU
To: SK HYNIX INC.
Reel/Frame 031403/0499 →