IP Library Granted Patent US 8,498,170
Granted Patent B2
US 8,498,170 · App. 13/596,784 · Granted Jul 30, 2013

Semiconductor memory with sense amplifier

Inventor: Hiroyuki Takahashi (Kanagawa, JP)
Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,498,170
App. No.
13/596,784
Granted
Jul 30, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

In an exemplary aspect, the present invention provides a semiconductor memory device including sense amplifiers that drive bit lines to which memory cells are connected, and driver transistors that supply a power supply to the sense amplifiers, wherein the sense amplifiers are arranged in rows and constitutes a first sense-amplifier row in which transistors of a first conductive type are arranged and a second sense-amplifier row in which transistors of a second conductive type are arranged, and the driver transistors constitutes at least one transistor row including a first driver transistor of the first conductive type corresponding to the first sense-amplifier row and a second driver transistor of the second conductive type corresponding to the second sense-amplifier row between the first sense-amplifier row and the second sense-amplifier row.

Claims (17)

1. A semiconductor memory device, comprising:

first and second memory cell array regions having a plurality of memory cells, respectively;

a plurality of sense amplifiers driving bit lines to which the memory cells are connected, the sense amplifiers having a plurality of first transistors and a plurality of second transistors which are arranged between the first and second memory cell array regions, each of the first transistors comprising a first diffusion region in a first well region, each of the second transistors comprising a second diffusion region in a second well region, the second well region being adjacent to the first well region and being different conductivity type from the first well region;

a plurality of sense amplifier drivers controlling the sense amplifiers, each of the sense amplifier drivers having a first driver transistor and a second driver transistor, the first and second driver transistors arranged in the first and second well regions, respectively, the first and second driver transistors facing first and second boundaries between the first and second well regions, respectively, the first boundary being farther from the first memory cell array region than the second boundary; and

wherein the first diffusion region has a first side facing the first memory cell array region, the second diffusion region has a second side facing the second memory cell array region, a distance from the first side to the second side is shorter than a sum of a first distance from the first side to the first boundary and a second distance from the second side to the second boundary.

2. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein

the first and second boundaries continuously extends between the first and second well regions.

3. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , further comprises

an isolation region extending between the first and second well regions as the first and second boundaries.

4. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein

the first and second well regions are supplied with different potentials.

5. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein

the sense amplifier drivers further comprises a third driver transistor in the first well region.

6. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 3 , wherein

the first driver transistor coupled between a first power-supply voltage line and the first transistors, and

the third driver transistor coupled between a second power-supply voltage line and the first transistors,

wherein the voltage level of the second power-supply voltage line is higher or lower than the voltage level of the first power-supply voltage line.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF ADDRESS Recorded Nov 29, 2017
From: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
To: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 044928/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 29, 2012
From: TAKAHASHI, HIROYUKI
To: NEC ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 028869/0208 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Aug 29, 2012
From: NEC ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
To: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 028869/0331 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2008-204060 · Aug 7, 2008 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation 12501705 · Jul 13, 2009
Related Publication 20120320696A1 · Dec 20, 2012