IP Library Granted Patent US 10,096,360
Granted Patent B2
US 10,096,360 · App. 15/256,465 · Granted Oct 9, 2018

Distributed cascode current source for RRAM set current limitation

Inventor: Bruce Lynn Bateman (Fremont, CA)
Assignee: Hefei Reliance Memory Limited
G11C13/0038G11C13/003G11C5/06
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,096,360
App. No.
15/256,465
Granted
Oct 9, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

In one example, a current limited device is coupled between a source line of a memory cell array and a supply voltage, and configured to operate in a constant current mode during an access operation of a memory cell.

Claims (30)

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory element of a memory cell of a memory cell array, wherein the memory element is coupled to a source line of the memory cell array through a word line select transistor, and wherein the word line select transistor is selectably coupled to a first transistor of a stack of transistors of an array control circuitry; and

a current limiting device coupled between the source line and a supply voltage, the current limiting device to operate in a constant current mode during an access operation of the memory cell, wherein the current limiting device is selectably coupled to a second transistor of the stack of transistors of the array control circuitry.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the array control circuitry is coupled to the memory cell array, the array control circuitry configured to control the constant current mode.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the source line of the memory cell array runs parallel to a bit line of the memory cell array.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the source line of the memory cell array runs parallel to a word line of the memory cell array.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the array control circuitry is configured to simultaneously select, for programming from a high resistance state to a low resistance state, another memory cell of the memory cell array.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the current limiting device comprises a pull-down transistor biased in saturation.

7. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory element of a memory cell of a memory cell array, wherein the memory element is coupled to a source line of the memory cell array through a word line select transistor;

a current limiting device coupled between the source line and a supply voltage, the current limiting device to operate in a constant current mode during an access operation of the memory cell, wherein the current limiting device comprises a pull-down transistor biased in saturation; and

an array control circuitry coupled to the memory cell array, wherein the array control circuitry comprises a diode configured stack of transistors, wherein a first transistor of the stack is selectably coupled to a gate of the word line select transistor and a second transistor of the stack is coupled to a gate of the pull-down transistor.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the diode configured stack of transistors comprises a diode configured stack of differently sized transistors.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein a first size of the word line select transistor is less than a second size of the pull-down transistor.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein a size of the first transistor of the stack corresponds to the first size, and wherein a size of the second transistor of the stack corresponds to the second size being different than the first size.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the memory element comprises a two terminal device.

12. A method, comprising:

selecting at least one memory cell of a memory array;

biasing a gate of a cell select transistor of the at least one memory cell into saturation via a word line corresponding to the at least one memory cell; and

biasing a gate of a pull-down transistor that is coupled between a supply voltage and a source or drain of the cell select transistor into saturation;

wherein biasing the gate of the cell select transistor comprises biasing the gate of the cell select transistor more than a threshold voltage above the gate of the pull-down transistor.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising activating a bit line corresponding to the at least one memory cell to switch a memory element of the at least one memory cell from a first resistance state to a second resistance state while the gates are biased into saturation.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

biasing at least one of a bit line or word line corresponding to an unselected memory cell of the memory cell differently than a respective one of the bit line or the word line of the at least one memory cell to cause a memory element of the unselected memory cell to conduct less current than a memory element of the at least one memory cell.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the memory element of the unselected memory cell conducts no current.

16. An apparatus for operating a memory array, the apparatus comprising:

means for biasing a gate of a cell select transistor of a selected memory cell into saturation via a word line corresponding to the selected memory cell; and

means for biasing a gate of a pull-down transistor that is coupled between a supply voltage and a source or drain of the cell select transistor into saturation.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising means for activating a bit line corresponding to the selected memory cell to switch a memory element of the selected memory cell.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the gate of the cell select transistor is biased more than a threshold voltage above the gate of the pull-down transistor.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 4, 2018
From: RAMBUS INC.
To: HEFEI RELIANCE MEMORY LIMITED
Reel/Frame 045984/0845 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 5, 2016
From: BATEMAN, BRUCE LYNN
To: RAMBUS INC.
Reel/Frame 040520/0287 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 14605866 · Jan 26, 2015
Provisional Application 61944694 · Feb 26, 2014
Related Publication 20170004882A1 · Jan 5, 2017