IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,608,135
Granted Patent B2
US 12,608,135 · App. 17/976,481 · Granted Apr 21, 2026

Recovery operation applying a recovery voltage via wake-up pulse for increasing a residual polarization of memory cells

Inventors: Gyeongcheol Park (Gyeonggi-do, KR); Minchul Sung (Gyeonggi-do, KR); Seiyon Kim (Gyeonggi-do, KR)
Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
G06F3/0619G06F3/0629G06F3/0673G11C5/148
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,608,135
App. No.
17/976,481
Granted
Apr 21, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A memory device includes a memory cell array including a plurality of memory cells; a peripheral circuit configured to perform a recovery operation of applying a recovery voltage to the memory cells for increasing a residual polarization of the memory cells and configured to perform a normal operation of applying a driving voltage to the memory cells for reading data from the memory cells or writing data into the memory cells; and a control logic configured to control, when powered up, the peripheral circuit to perform the recovery operation and then perform the normal operation.

Claims (29)

1 . A memory device comprising:

a memory cell array including a plurality of memory cells;

a peripheral circuit configured to perform a recovery operation of applying a recovery voltage to the memory cells for increasing a residual polarization of the memory cells and configured to perform a normal operation of applying a driving voltage to the memory cells for reading data from the memory cells or writing data into the memory cells; and

a control logic configured to control, when powered up, the peripheral circuit to perform the recovery operation and then perform the normal operation,

wherein the peripheral circuit includes:

a recovery bias circuit configured to apply the recovery voltage, having a level greater than or less than a bit line precharge voltage, to one of a bit line and a complementary bit line, according to a wake-up signal provided from the control logic,

wherein the recovery bias circuit includes a transistor coupled between one of the bit line and the complementary bit line and a recovery voltage terminal and receiving the wake-up signal at a gate thereof, and

wherein the residual polarization of the memory cells is increased by application of the recovery voltage comprising a unipolar pulse applied with a non-zero voltage to the memory cells during the recovery operation in which the unipolar pulse is longer in duration than the driving voltage for the reading or the writing of the data and has a magnitude equal to or smaller than that of the driving voltage, and the unipolar pulse is applied in advance of the reading or the writing of the data during the normal operation such that the increased residual polarization in advance of the normal operation compensates for a reduction of the residual polarization during the normal operation.

2 . The memory device of claim 1 , wherein the recovery voltage has a voltage level substantially equal to or lower than that of the driving voltage.

3 . The memory device of claim 1 , wherein the recovery voltage includes a unipolar wake-up pulse.

4 . The memory device of claim 1 ,

wherein the recovery voltage includes a one-time unipolar wake-up pulse that is pulsing once with a constant voltage during a recovery operation period, and

wherein the wake-up pulse has a pulse width wider than that of the driving voltage.

5 . The memory device of claim 1 , wherein the peripheral circuit further includes:

a sense amplifier configured to sense and amplify a voltage difference between the bit line and the complementary bit line.

6 . The memory device of claim 1 , wherein each of the memory cells includes:

a ferroelectric capacitor including a first electrode coupled to a common plate; and

an access transistor coupled between a second electrode of the ferroelectric capacitor and a bit line and including a gate coupled to a word line.

7 . A memory device comprising:

a memory cell array including a plurality of memory cells;

a peripheral circuit configured to perform a recovery operation of applying a recovery voltage to the memory cells for increasing a residual polarization of the memory cells and configured to perform a normal operation of applying a driving voltage to the memory cells for reading data from the memory cells or writing data into the memory cells; and

a control logic configured to control, when powered up, the peripheral circuit to perform the recovery operation and then perform the normal operation,

wherein the peripheral circuit includes:

a recovery bias circuit including a first transistor coupled between a complementary bit line and a first recovery voltage terminal and receiving the wake-up signal at a gate thereof, and a second transistor coupled between a bit line and a second recovery voltage terminal and receiving the wake-up signal at a gate thereof,

wherein a first recovery voltage has a voltage level corresponding to a power supply voltage or the ground voltage, and wherein a second recovery voltage has a voltage level corresponding to a ground voltage, and

wherein the residual polarization of the memory cells is increased by application of the first and second recovery voltages comprising unipolar pulses applied with non-zero voltages to the memory cells during the recovery operation in which the unipolar pulses are each longer in duration than the driving voltage for the reading or the writing of the data and each have a magnitude equal to or smaller than that of the driving voltage, and the unipolar pulses are applied in advance of the reading or the writing of the data during the normal operation such that the increased residual polarization in advance of the normal operation compensates for a reduction of the residual polarization during the normal operation.

8 . The memory device of claim 7 , wherein each of the memory cells includes:

a ferroelectric capacitor including a first electrode coupled to a plate line; and

an access transistor coupled between a second electrode of the ferroelectric capacitor and a bit line and including a gate coupled to a word line.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 28, 2022
From: PARK, GYEONGCHEOL; SUNG, MINCHUL; KIM, SEIYON
To: SK HYNIX INC.
Reel/Frame 061584/0941 →
Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2022-0066087 · May 30, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230384941A1 · Nov 30, 2023
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