# US 10,872,657 B2 · Integrated circuit and memory > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,872,657 B2 - Document ID: US10872657B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/713,336 - Filed: 2019-12-13 - Published: 2020-07-02 - Granted: 2020-12-22 - Earliest claimed: 2018-12-26 - Assignees: SK hynix Inc. - Applicants: SK hynix Inc. - Inventors: Jeong-Jik Na - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10872657B2 ## CPC - G11C 11/4091: Sense or sense/refresh amplifiers, or associated sense circuitry, e.g. for coupled bit-line precharging, equalising or isolating - G11C 7/065: {Differential amplifiers of latching type} - G11C 11/4074: Power supply or voltage generation circuits, e.g. bias voltage generators, substrate voltage generators, back-up power, power control circuits - G11C 11/4085: {Word line control circuits, e.g. word line drivers, - boosters, - pull-up, - pull-down, - precharge} - G11C 11/4094: Bit-line management or control circuits - G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B) ## Abstract An integrated circuit may include an amplifier circuit configured to receive a pull-up voltage in response to a pull-up enable signal, receive a pull-down voltage in response to a pull-down enable signal, and amplify a voltage difference between a first line and a second line through the pull-up and pull-down voltages; a first delay path configured to generate the pull-up enable signal by delaying an input signal; and a second delay path configured to generate the pull-down enable signal by delaying the input signal, wherein a change in a delay of the first delay path due to variation of a power supply voltage is smaller than a change in a delay of the second delay path due to the variation. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An integrated circuit comprising: an amplifier circuit configured to receive a pull-up voltage in response to a pull-up enable signal, receive a pull-down voltage in response to a pull-down enable signal, and amplify a voltage difference between a first line and a second line through the pull-up and pull-down voltages; a first delay path configured to generate the pull-up enable signal by delaying an input signal; and a second delay path configured to generate the pull-down enable signal by delaying the input signal, wherein a change in a delay of the first delay path due to variation of a power supply voltage is smaller than a change in a delay of the second delay path due to the variation. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the delay of the second delay path decreases as the power supply voltage increases. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The integrated circuit of claim 2, wherein the delay of the first delay path remains constant. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The integrated circuit of claim 2, wherein the delay of the first delay path decreases as the power supply voltage increases, the decrease of the delay of the first delay path being less than a decrease of the delay of the second delay path as the power supply voltage increases. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the first delay path includes a first delay circuit for delaying the input signal, wherein the first delay circuit operates using a constant voltage, wherein the second delay path includes a second delay circuit for delaying the input signal, and wherein the second delay circuit operates using the power supply voltage. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The integrated circuit of claim 5, wherein the input signal swings between a ground voltage and the constant voltage, wherein the first delay path further includes a first level shifter for changing an output signal of the first delay circuit to swing between the ground voltage and the power supply voltage, and wherein the second delay path further includes a second level shifter for changing the input signal to swing between the ground voltage and the power supply voltage and transferring the changed input signal to the second delay circuit. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The integrated circuit of claim 6, further comprising: an enable signal delay circuit configured to generate the input signal by delaying a sense amplifier enable signal based on the constant voltage. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the first line is a bit line, wherein the second line is a bit line bar, wherein the amplifier circuit is a bit line sense amplifier, and wherein the integrated circuit is a memory. ### Claim 9 A memory comprising: a bit line sense amplifier configured to receive a pull-up voltage in response to a pull-up enable signal, receive a pull-down voltage in response to a pull-down enable signal, and amplify a voltage difference between a bit line and a bit line bar through the pull-up and pull-down voltages; and an enable signal generation circuit configured to generate the pull-up enable signal and the pull-down enable signal, and to activate the pull-up enable signal earlier than the pull-down enable signal as a power supply voltage decreases. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The memory of claim 9, wherein the enable signal generation circuit activates the pull-down enable signal earlier than the pull-up enable signal as the power supply voltage increases. ### Claim 11 An integrated circuit comprising: an amplifier circuit configured to pull-up a voltage of a first line in response to a pull-up enable signal and pull-down a voltage of a second line in response to a pull-down enable signal; a delay control circuit configured to generate the pull-up and pull-down enable signals by delaying a reference signal by first and second delays, respectively, wherein the first delay is less than the second delay, and wherein a difference between the first and second delays varies inversely with respect to variation of a power supply voltage. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The integrated circuit of claim 11, wherein the first delay is fixed. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The integrated circuit of claim 12, wherein the delay control circuit generates the pull-up enable signal based on a constant voltage. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The integrated circuit of claim 11, wherein the second delay varies inversely with respect to the variation of the power supply voltage. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The integrated circuit of claim 14, wherein the delay control circuit generates the pull-down enable signal based on the power supply voltage.