IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,406,721
Granted Patent B2
US 12,406,721 · App. 17/983,331 · Granted Sep 2, 2025

Memory cell

Inventors: Chih-Sheng Lin (Tainan, TW); Tuo-Hung Hou (Hsinchu, TW); Fu-Cheng Tsai (Tainan, TW); Jian-Wei Su (Hsinchu, TW); Kuo-Hua Tseng (Yilan County, TW)
Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
G11C11/412G11C11/418
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,406,721
App. No.
17/983,331
Granted
Sep 2, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Disclosed is a memory cell including a first transistor having a first terminal coupled to a bit line; a second transistor having a first terminal coupled to a bit line bar; a weight storage circuit coupled between a gate terminal of the first transistor and a gate terminal of the second transistor, storing a weight value, and determining to turn on the first transistor or the second transistor according to the weight value; and a driving circuit coupled to a second terminal of the first transistor, a second terminal of the second transistor, and at least one word line, receiving at least one threshold voltage and at least one input data from the word line, and determining whether to generate an operation current on a path of the turned-on first transistor or the turned-on second transistor according to the threshold voltage and the input data.

Claims (53)

1. A memory cell, comprising:

a first transistor, having a first terminal coupled to a bit line;

a second transistor, having a first terminal coupled to a bit line bar;

a weight storage circuit, coupled between a gate terminal of the first transistor and a gate terminal of the second transistor, and configured to store a weight value; and

a driving circuit, coupled to a second terminal of the first transistor, a second terminal of the second transistor, and at least one word line, and configured to receive at least one threshold voltage and receive at least one input data from the word line,

wherein the weight storage circuit determines to turn on the first transistor or the second transistor according to output values of a storage node and a storage node bar of the weight storage circuit, the driving circuit determines whether to generate an operation current on a path of the turned-on first transistor or the turned-on second transistor according to the threshold voltage and the input data.

2. The memory cell according to claim 1 , wherein the weight storage circuit comprises:

a static random access memory cell, having a storage node coupled to the gate terminal of the first transistor, and a storage node bar coupled to the gate terminal of the second transistor.

3. The memory cell according to claim 2 , wherein the driving circuit comprises:

a third transistor, having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the first transistor and the second terminal of the second transistor, and a gate terminal coupled to the threshold voltage; and

a fourth transistor, having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the third transistor, a second terminal coupled to a ground voltage, and a gate terminal coupled to the word line to receive the input data.

4. The memory cell according to claim 2 , wherein the driving circuit comprises:

a threshold driver, coupled to the word line, configured to receive the threshold voltage and the input data, and generating a driving signal; and

a third transistor, having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the first transistor and the second terminal of the second transistor, a second terminal coupled to a ground voltage, and a gate terminal coupled to the threshold driver to receive the driving signal.

5. The memory cell according to claim 4 , wherein the threshold driver comprises:

a transmission gate, having an input terminal coupled to the threshold voltage, wherein the transmission gate is turned on or off according to the input data; and

a fourth transistor, having a first terminal coupled to an output terminal of the transmission gate, a second terminal coupled to the ground voltage, and a gate terminal coupled to a word line bar to receive an inverted input data.

6. The memory cell according to claim 2 , wherein the driving circuit comprises:

a threshold driver, coupled to the word line, configured to receive the threshold voltage and the input data, and generating a driving signal;

a third transistor, having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the first transistor, a second terminal coupled to a ground voltage, and a gate terminal coupled to the threshold driver to receive the driving signal; and

a fourth transistor, having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the second transistor, a second terminal coupled to the ground voltage, and a gate terminal coupled to the threshold driver to receive the driving signal.

7. The memory cell according to claim 2 , wherein the driving circuit comprises:

a plurality of third transistors, each having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the first transistor and the second terminal of the second transistor, and a gate terminal coupled to the corresponding threshold voltage; and

a plurality of fourth transistors, each having a first terminal coupled to a second terminal of the corresponding third transistor, a second terminal coupled to a ground voltage, and a gate terminal coupled to the corresponding word line to receive the corresponding input data.

8. The memory cell according to claim 2 , wherein the driving circuit comprises:

a threshold driver, coupled to the word line, configured to receive the threshold voltage and the input data, and generating at least one driving signal; and

a plurality of third transistors, each having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the first transistor and the second terminal of the second transistor, a second terminal coupled to a ground voltage, and a gate terminal coupled to the threshold driver to receive the corresponding driving signal.

9. The memory cell according to claim 2 , wherein the driving circuit comprises:

a threshold driver, coupled to the word line, configured to receive the threshold voltage and the input data, and generating at least one driving signal;

a plurality of third transistors, each having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the first transistor, a second terminal coupled to a ground voltage, and a gate terminal coupled to the threshold driver to receive the corresponding driving signal; and

a plurality of fourth transistors, each having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the second transistor, a second terminal coupled to the ground voltage, and a gate terminal coupled to the threshold driver to receive the corresponding driving signal.

10. The memory cell according to claim 2 , wherein the static random access memory cell is a 6T static random access memory cell.

11. The memory cell according to claim 1 , wherein the weight storage circuit comprises:

a first static random access memory cell, having a storage node coupled to the gate terminal of the first transistor; and

a second static random access memory cell, having a storage node coupled to the gate terminal of the second transistor.

12. The memory cell according to claim 11 , wherein the driving circuit comprises:

a third transistor, having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the first transistor and the second terminal of the second transistor, and a gate terminal coupled to the threshold voltage; and

a fourth transistor, having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the third transistor, a second terminal coupled to a ground voltage, and a gate terminal coupled to the word line to receive the input data.

13. The memory cell according to claim 11 , wherein the driving circuit comprises:

a threshold driver, coupled to the word line, configured to receive the threshold voltage and the input data, and generating a driving signal; and

a third transistor, having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the first transistor and the second terminal of the second transistor, a second terminal coupled to a ground voltage, and a gate terminal coupled to the threshold driver to receive the driving signal.

14. The memory cell according to claim 13 , wherein the threshold driver comprises:

a transmission gate, having an input terminal coupled to the threshold voltage, wherein the transmission gate is turned on or off according to the input data; and

a fourth transistor, having a first terminal coupled to an output terminal of the transmission gate, a second terminal coupled to the ground voltage, and a gate terminal coupled to a word line bar to receive an inverted input data.

15. The memory cell according to claim 11 , wherein the driving circuit comprises:

a threshold driver, coupled to the word line, configured to receive the threshold voltage and the input data, and generating a driving signal;

a third transistor, having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the first transistor, a second terminal coupled to a ground voltage, and a gate terminal coupled to the threshold driver to receive the driving signal; and

a fourth transistor, having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the second transistor, a second terminal coupled to the ground voltage, and a gate terminal coupled to the threshold driver to receive the driving signal.

16. The memory cell according to claim 11 , wherein the first static random access memory cell and the second static random access memory cell are each a 6T static random access memory cell.

17. The memory cell according to claim 1 , wherein the first transistor and the second transistor are each an N-type metal oxide semiconductor transistor.

18. The memory cell according to claim 1 , wherein the weight value is a single complementary weight.

19. The memory cell according to claim 1 , wherein the weight value is a ternary weight.

20. The memory cell according to claim 1 , wherein the memory cell is comprised in a memory system.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 18, 2022
From: LIN, CHIH-SHENG; HOU, TUO-HUNG; TSAI, FU-CHENG; SU, JIAN-WEI; TSENG, KUO-HUA
To: INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Reel/Frame 061818/0263 →
Priority Claims (1)
TW 111133890 · Sep 7, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240079051A1 · Mar 7, 2024
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