# US 10,373,664 B2 · Resistive memory device having reduced chip size and operation method thereof

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- Number: US 10,373,664 B2
- Document ID: US10373664B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/919,876
- Filed: 2018-03-13
- Published: 2019-03-07
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2017-09-06
- Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Suk-Soo Pyo; Hyun-Taek Jung; Tae-Joong Song
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10373664B2

## CPC

- G11C 11/1697: {Power supply circuits}
- G11C 8/08: Word line control circuits, e.g. drivers, boosters, pull-up circuits, pull-down circuits, precharging circuits, for word lines
- G11C 11/1657: {Word-line or row circuits}
- G11C 11/1659: {Cell access}
- G11C 11/1673: {Reading or sensing circuits or methods}
- G11C 11/1675: {Writing or programming circuits or methods}
- G11C 11/1693: {Timing circuits or methods}
- G11C 13/0028: {Word-line or row circuits}
- G11C 13/003: {Cell access}
- G11C 13/0061: {Timing circuits or methods}
- G11C 13/0069: {Writing or programming circuits or methods}
- G11C 11/5607: {using magnetic storage elements}
- G11C 13/0004: {comprising amorphous/crystalline phase transition cells}
- G11C 13/0007: {comprising metal oxide memory material, e.g. perovskites}
- G11C 13/004: {Reading or sensing circuits or methods}
- G11C 2013/0071: {Write using write potential applied to access device gate}
- G11C 2213/79: Array wherein the access device being a transistor
- G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B)

## Abstract

A resistive memory device includes: a voltage generator generating a write word line voltage according to activation of a write enable signal; a switch circuit outputting one of the write word line voltage and a read word line voltage in response to the write enable signal as an output voltage; a word line power path connected to the switch circuit to receive the output voltage; and a word line driver driving a word line according to a voltage applied to the word line power path, wherein a write command starts to be received after a certain delay following the activation of the write enable signal, and a write operation is performed within an activation period of the write enable signal in response to the received write command.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A resistive memory device comprising:
a voltage generator generating a write word line voltage according to activation of a write enable signal;
a switch circuit outputting one of the write word line voltage and a read word line voltage in response to the write enable signal as an output word line voltage;
a word line power path arranged in common with respect to the write word line voltage and the read word line voltage and connected to the switch circuit to receive the output word line voltage; and
a word line driver driving a word line of the resistive memory device by activating the word line by using the write word line voltage or the read line voltage according to a voltage applied to the word line power path,
wherein the resistive memory device starts to receive a write command after a certain delay following the activation of the write enable signal, and a write operation is performed on the resistive memory device within an activation period of the write enable signal in response to the received write command.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The resistive memory device according to claim 1, wherein the write enable signal is provided by a memory controller external to the resistive memory device.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The resistive memory device according to claim 1, wherein the switch circuit comprises:
a first switch configured to output the write word line voltage to the word line power path based on a state of the write enable signal; and
a second switch configured to output the read word line voltage to the word line power path based on a state of the write enable signal.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The resistive memory device according to claim 3, wherein the first switch is turned on to output the write line voltage while the write enable signal is activated, and the second switch is turned on to output the read line voltage while the write enable signal is deactivated.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The resistive memory device according to claim 1, wherein, in response to at least one read command further received during the activation period of the write enable signal, a read operation is further performed within the activation period.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The resistive memory device according to claim 5, wherein the at least one read command is received before the certain delay has elapsed and after the activation of the write enable signal.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The resistive memory device according to claim 1, wherein, when only a read command is received during a deactivation period of the write enable signal, only a read operation corresponding to the read command is performed on the resistive memory device.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The resistive memory device according to claim 1, further comprising:
control logic controlling the write operation and a read operation of the resistive memory device and generating the write enable signal in response to a control signal related to the activation period, wherein the control signal is provided from a memory controller external to the resistive memory device.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The resistive memory device according to claim 1, wherein the word line driver comprises a plurality of driver circuits arranged in correspondence with a plurality of word lines of the resistive memory device, and
each of the plurality of driver circuits provides one of the write word line voltage and the read word line voltage to a corresponding word line among the plurality of word lines, according to the voltage applied to the word line power path.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The resistive memory device according to claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of driver circuits is an inverter connected between the voltage applied to the word line power path and a ground voltage.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The resistive memory device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a memory cell array comprising a plurality, of magnetic random-access memory (MRAM) cells.

### Claim 12

A resistive memory device comprising:
a voltage generator generating a write word line voltage according to activation of a write enable signal;
a switch circuit outputting one of the write word line voltage and a read word line voltage in response to the write enable signal as an output word line voltage;
a word line power path connected to the switch circuit to receive the output word line voltage; and
a word line driver driving a word line of the resistive memory device according to a voltage applied to the word fine power path,
wherein the resistive memory device starts to receive a write command after a certain delay following the activation of the write enable signal, and a write operation is performed on the resistive memory device within an activation period of the write enable-signal in response to the received write command,
wherein the voltage generator is a charge pump generating the write word line voltage by performing a charge pumping operation in response to the activation of the write enable signal.

### Claim 13

A resistive memory device comprising:
a voltage generator generating a write word line voltage according to activation of a write enable signal;
a word line power path connected to a first node receiving the write word line voltage and a second node receiving read word line voltage in a switchable manner;
a word line driver driving a word line of the resistive memory device according to a voltage applied to the word line power path; and
control logic receiving a write command and a read command together during an activation period of the write enable signal, performing a write operation corresponding to the write command within the activation period, and performing a read operation corresponding to the read command within the same activation period.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The resistive memory device according to claim 13, wherein the write command starts to be received after a certain delay following the activation of the write enable signal.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The resistive memory device according to claim 14, wherein the read command is received before or after the reception of the write command, within the activation period of the write enable signal.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The resistive memory device according to claim 14, wherein the write command comprises N write commands consecutively received after the certain delay,
wherein the write enable signal is maintained in an activation state during write operations corresponding to the N write commands, and then is changed to be in a deactivation state, and
wherein N is a positive integer >=2.

### Claim 17 (depends on 14)

The resistive memory device according to claim 14, wherein N write commands and M read commands are received after the certain delay,
wherein the write enable signal is maintained in an activation state during write operations corresponding to the N write commands and read operations corresponding to the M read commands, and then is changed to be in a deactivation state, and
wherein N an M are positive integers >=2.

### Claim 18 (depends on 13)

The resistive memory device according to claim 13, wherein the word line driver provides the write word line voltage to the word line for the write operation and the read operation, during the activation period of the write enable signal.

### Claim 19 (depends on 13)

The resistive memory device according to claim 13, wherein the read command is received regardless of the activation period of the write enable signal.

### Claim 20 (depends on 13)

The resistive memory device according to claim 13, further comprising:
a first switch turned on during the activation of the write enable signal to apply the write word line voltage to the word line power path; and
a second switch turned on during deactivation of the write enable signal to apply the read word line voltage to the word line power path.