IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,950,279
Granted Patent B2
US 10,950,279 · App. 16/545,805 · Granted Mar 16, 2021

Bit line sense amplifier circuit capable of reducing offset voltage

Inventors: Deog-Kyoon Jeong (Seoul, KR); Jung Min Yoon (Seoul, KR); Hyungrok Do (Seoul, KR); Dae-Hyun Koh (Incheon, KR)
Assignees: SK hynix Inc.; Seoul National University R&DB Foundation
G11C7/065G11C11/2273H03F1/0205H03F3/16
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,950,279
App. No.
16/545,805
Granted
Mar 16, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

A BLSA circuit includes a first inverter disposed between a first sensing node and a second inner bit line, a second inverter disposed between a second sensing node and a first inner bit line, a first capacitor disposed between a first bit line and the first sensing node, a second capacitor disposed between a second bit line and the second sensing node, a first offset canceling switch for electrically coupling the first inner bit line with the second sensing node during an offset canceling operation, a second offset canceling switch for electrically coupling the second inner bit line with the first sensing node during the offset canceling operation, a first isolation switch for electrically coupling the first bit line with the first inner bit line, and a second isolation switch for electrically coupling the second bit line with the second inner bit line.

Claims (56)

1. A bit line sense amplifier (BLSA) circuit comprising:

a first inverter having an input terminal coupled to a first sensing node and an output terminal coupled to a second inner bit line;

a second inverter having an input terminal coupled to a second sensing node and an output terminal coupled to a first inner bit line;

a first capacitor coupled to and disposed between a first bit line and the first sensing node;

a second capacitor coupled to and disposed between a second bit line and the second sensing node;

a first offset canceling switch suitable for electrically coupling the first inner bit line with the second sensing node during an offset canceling operation;

a second offset canceling switch suitable for electrically coupling the second inner bit line with the first sensing node during the offset canceling operation;

a first isolation switch suitable for electrically coupling the first bit line with the first inner bit line; and

a second isolation switch suitable for electrically coupling the second bit line with the second inner bit line,

wherein the BLSA circuit sequentially performs a precharge operation, the offset canceling operation, a charge sharing operation, and an amplification operation, and

wherein during the offset canceling operation, the first and second inverters are activated, the first and second offset canceling switches are turned on, and the first and second isolation switches are turned off.

2. The BLSA circuit of claim 1 , wherein during the precharge operation, the first inner bit line, the second inner bit line, the first bit line, the second bit line, the first sensing node, and the second sensing node are precharged with a same voltage level.

3. The BLSA circuit of claim 1 , wherein during the precharge operation, the first and second inverters are deactivated, and the first and second offset canceling switches and the first and second isolation switches are turned on.

4. The BLSA circuit of claim 3 , wherein during the precharge operation, a bit line precharge voltage is applied to pull-up voltage supply terminals and pull-down voltage supply terminals of the first and second inverters, and applied to the first and second inner bit lines.

5. The BLSA circuit of claim 1 , wherein the BLSA circuit is driven by a first power supply voltage during the offset canceling operation and a first time period of a pre-amplification operation, and driven by a second power supply voltage during a second time period of the amplification operation, the second time period following the first time period, the first power supply voltage having a higher voltage level than the second power supply voltage.

6. A bit line sense amplifier (BLSA) circuit comprising:

a first inverter having an input terminal coupled to a first sensing node and an output terminal coupled to a second inner bit line;

a second inverter having an input terminal coupled to a second sensing node and an output terminal coupled to a first inner bit line;

a first capacitor coupled to and disposed between a first bit line and the first sensing node;

a second capacitor coupled to and disposed between a second bit line and the second sensing node;

a first offset canceling switch suitable for electrically coupling the first inner bit line with the second sensing node during an offset canceling operation;

a second offset canceling switch suitable for electrically coupling the second inner bit line with the first sensing node during the offset canceling operation;

a first isolation switch suitable for electrically coupling the first bit line with the first inner bit line; and

a second isolation switch suitable for electrically coupling the second bit line with the second inner bit line,

wherein the BLSA circuit sequentially performs a precharge operation, the offset canceling operation, a charge sharing operation, and an amplification operation, and

wherein during the charge sharing operation, the first and second inverters are activated, and charge sharing is performed between a selected memory cell and one of the first and second bit lines to which the selected memory cell is coupled, when the first and second offset canceling switches and the first and second isolation switches are being turned off.

7. A bit line sense amplifier (BLSA) circuit comprising:

a first inverter having an input terminal coupled to a first sensing node and an output terminal coupled to a second inner bit line;

a second inverter having an input terminal coupled to a second sensing node and an output terminal coupled to a first inner bit line;

a first capacitor coupled to and disposed between a first bit line and the first sensing node;

a second capacitor coupled to and disposed between a second bit line and the second sensing node;

a first offset canceling switch suitable for electrically coupling the first inner bit line with the second sensing node during an offset canceling operation;

a second offset canceling switch suitable for electrically coupling the second inner bit line with the first sensing node during the offset canceling operation;

a first isolation switch suitable for electrically coupling the first bit line with the first inner bit line; and

a second isolation switch suitable for electrically coupling the second bit line with the second inner bit line,

wherein the BLSA circuit sequentially performs a precharge operation, the offset canceling operation, a charge sharing operation, and an amplification operation, and

wherein during the amplification operation, the first and second inverters are activated, the first and second isolation switches are turned on, and the first and second offset canceling switches are turned off.

8. A bit line sense amplifier (BLSA) circuit comprising:

a first inverter having an input terminal coupled to a first sensing node and an output terminal coupled to a second inner bit line;

a second inverter having an input terminal coupled to a second sensing node and an output terminal coupled to a first inner bit line;

a first capacitor coupled to and disposed between a first bit line and the first sensing node;

a second capacitor coupled to and disposed between a second bit line and the second sensing node;

a first offset canceling switch suitable for electrically coupling the first inner bit line with the second sensing node during an offset canceling operation;

a second offset canceling switch suitable for electrically coupling the second inner bit line with the first sensing node during the offset canceling operation;

a first isolation switch suitable for electrically coupling the first bit line with the first inner bit line; and

a second isolation switch suitable for electrically coupling the second bit line with the second inner bit line,

wherein the BLSA circuit sequentially performs a precharge operation, the offset canceling operation, a charge sharing operation, a pre-amplification operation, and an amplification operation.

9. The BLSA circuit of claim 8 , wherein during the precharge operation, the first inner bit line, the second inner bit line, the first bit line, the second bit line, the first sensing node, and the second sensing node are precharged with a same voltage level.

10. The BLSA circuit of claim 8 , wherein during the precharge operation, the first and second inverters are deactivated, and the first and second offset canceling switches and the first and second isolation switches are turned on.

11. The BLSA circuit of claim 10 , wherein during the precharge operation, a bit line precharge voltage is applied to pull-up voltage supply terminals and pull-down voltage supply terminals of the first and second inverters, and applied to the first and second inner bit lines.

12. The BLSA circuit of claim 8 , wherein during the offset canceling operation, the first and second inverters are activated, the first and second offset canceling switches are turned on, and the first and second isolation switches are turned off.

13. The BLSA circuit of claim 8 , wherein during the charge sharing operation, the first and second inverters are deactivated, and charge sharing is performed between a selected memory cell and one of the first and second bit lines to which the selected memory cell is coupled, when the first and second offset canceling switches and the first and second isolation switches are being turned off, and

wherein, during a predetermined period of the charge sharing operation, a bit line precharge voltage is applied to the first and second inner bit lines.

14. The BLSA circuit of claim 8 , wherein during the pre-amplification operation, the first and second inverters are activated, and the first and second offset canceling switches and the first and second isolation switches are turned off.

15. The BLSA circuit of claim 8 , wherein during the amplification operation, the first and second inverters are activated, the first and second offset canceling switches are turned off, and the first and second isolation switches are turned on.

16. The BLSA circuit of claim 8 , wherein the BLSA circuit is driven by a first power supply voltage during the offset canceling operation and the pre-amplification operation, and driven by a second power supply voltage during the amplification operation, the first power supply voltage having a higher voltage level than the second power supply voltage.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 21, 2019
From: JEONG, DEOG-KYOON; YOON, JUNG MIN; DO, HYUNGROK; KOH, DAE-HYUN
To: SK HYNIX INC.; SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY R&DB FOUNDATION
Reel/Frame 050117/0959 →
Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2018-0101386 · Aug 28, 2018 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20200075065A1 · Mar 5, 2020
Cited By (5)
US 12,354,648 US 12,505,873 US 12,537,050 US 12,586,631 US 12,731,632