# US 12,119,050 B2 · Variable delay word line enable

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- Number: US 12,119,050 B2
- Document ID: US12119050B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/670,704
- Filed: 2022-02-14
- Published: 2022-05-26
- Granted: 2024-10-15
- Earliest claimed: 2018-08-31
- Assignees: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
- Applicants: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
- Inventors: Hyunsung Hong
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12119050B2

## CPC

- G11C 11/418: Address circuits
- G11C 7/12: Bit line control circuits, e.g. drivers, boosters, pull-up circuits, pull-down circuits, precharging circuits, equalising circuits, for bit lines
- G11C 8/08: Word line control circuits, e.g. drivers, boosters, pull-up circuits, pull-down circuits, precharging circuits, for word lines
- G11C 8/10: Decoders
- G11C 8/18: Address timing or clocking circuits; Address control signal generation or management, e.g. for row address strobe [RAS] or column address strobe [CAS] signals
- G11C 11/412: using field-effect transistors only
- G11C 11/419: Read-write [R-W] circuits
- G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B)

## Abstract

A memory device includes a bit line precharge circuit configured to precharge bit lines of a memory array in response to a clock pulse. A controller is configured to output the clock pulse to the bit line precharge circuit, and to output a first word line enable signal to a word line driver. The first word line enable signal is delayed by a first delay time from the clock pulse, and a second word line enable signal is delayed by a second delay time from the clock pulse.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
receiving a clock pulse;
receiving a first word line address corresponding to a first selected word line of a plurality of word lines;
determining a first delay time corresponding to the first word line address, wherein determining the first delay time corresponding to the first address comprises:
determining a first segment corresponding to the first word line address, and
determining a delay time associated with the first segment as the first delay time, wherein a plurality of word line addresses associated with the plurality of word lines are divided into a plurality of segments based on a distance of each of the plurality of word lines from a controller, and wherein each of the plurality of segments are associated with a corresponding delay time; and
generating a first word line enable signal to enable the first selected word line, wherein the first word line enable signal is delayed by the first delay time from the clock pulse.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
dividing the plurality of word line addresses into a plurality of segments based on a distance of each of the plurality of word lines from the controller, and
associating each of the plurality of segments with the corresponding delay time.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising pre-charging a selected bit line of a plurality of bit lines of an array of memory cells in response to the clock pulse.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a second word line address corresponding to a second selected word line of the plurality of word lines;
determining a second delay time corresponding to the second word line address; and
generating a second word line enable signal to enable the first selected word line, wherein the first word line enable signal is delayed by the second delay time from the clock pulse.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the second delay time is different from the first delay time.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein determining the second delay time corresponding to the second address comprises:
determining a second segment corresponding to the second word line address, and
determining a delay time associated with the second segment as the second delay time.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the second delay time is shorter than the first delay time, and wherein the second word line address is higher than the first word line address.

### Claim 8

A method comprising:
receiving a first address corresponding to a first selected word line of a plurality of word lines of an array of memory cells;
generating a first word line enable signal to enable the first selected word line of the plurality of word lines, wherein the first word line enable signal is delayed by a first delay time from a clock pulse;
receiving a second address corresponding to a second selected word line of the plurality of word lines; and
generating a second word line enable signal to enable the second selected word line of the plurality of word lines, wherein the second word line enable signal is delayed by a second delay time from the clock pulse, the second delay time being different than the first delay time.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, further comprising:
dividing the plurality of word lines of the array of memory cells into a first segment and a second segment;
wherein the first segment includes the first selected word line;
wherein the second segment includes the second selected word line;
wherein the first delay time is determined based on the first segment; and
wherein the second delay time is determined based on the second segment.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the second delay time is shorter than the first delay time, and wherein the second selected word line is farther from a controller than the first selected word line.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the second address is higher than the first address.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the first delay time corresponds to a first range of word line addresses, and wherein the second delay time corresponds to a second range of word line addresses.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the second range of word line addresses is higher than the first range of word line addresses.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the first range of word line addresses includes a first half of the word line addresses of the array of memory cells, and wherein the second range of word line addresses includes a second half of the word line addresses of the array of memory cells.

### Claim 15 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the first word line address corresponds to the first selected word line that is closer to a controller than the selected second word line.

### Claim 16

A memory device, comprising:
an array of memory cells comprising a plurality of word lines, the plurality of word lines associated with a plurality of word line addresses; and
a variable delay circuit connected to the array of memory cells, wherein the variable delay circuit is configured to:
receive a clock pulse,
receive a first word line address corresponding to a first word line of the plurality of word lines,
determine that the first word line address belongs to a first range of addresses associated with the plurality of word lines, wherein the plurality of word line addresses are divided into a plurality of range of addresses based on a distance of each of the plurality of word lines from the variable delay circuit, and wherein each of the plurality of range of addresses are associated with a corresponding delay time,
determine a first delay time associated with the first range of addresses, and
generate a first word line enable signal to enable the first word line of the plurality of word lines, wherein the first word line enable signal is delayed by the first delay time from the clock pulse.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The memory device of claim 16, wherein the variable delay circuit comprises a first delay element configured to delay the received clock pulse by the first delay time.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The memory device of claim 17, wherein the first delay element comprises at least one invertor.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The memory device of claim 16, wherein:
the variable delay circuit includes a first delay element configured to delay the received clock pulse by the first delay time; and
a first switch receiving an output of the first delay element and configured to output the delayed clock pulse.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The memory device of claim 19, wherein the first switch comprises a first tri-state inverter.