# US 12,217,825 B2 · Drive circuit and memory device

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- Number: US 12,217,825 B2
- Document ID: US12217825B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/180,038
- Filed: 2023-03-07
- Published: 2024-03-07
- Granted: 2025-02-04
- Earliest claimed: 2022-09-05
- Assignees: Changxin Memory Technologies, Inc.
- Applicants: ChangXin Memory Technologies, Inc.
- Inventors: Zhonglai Liu; Xianjun Wu; Anping Qiu
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12217825B2

## CPC

- G11C 8/08: Word line control circuits, e.g. drivers, boosters, pull-up circuits, pull-down circuits, precharging circuits, for word lines
- H03K 19/018521: {of complementary type, e.g. CMOS}
- H03K 3/037: Bistable circuits
- H03K 19/09441: {of the same canal type}
- G11C 5/025: {Geometric lay-out considerations of storage- and peripheral-blocks in a semiconductor storage device (geometrical lay-out of the components in integrated circuits, geometrical lay-out of the components in integrated circuits H10D89/10)}
- G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B)
- H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M)

## Abstract

The disclosed driver and memory include: a phase driver that receives a first voltage signal, configured to output a second phase signal according to the first phase signal and the first voltage signal; a complementary phase driver includes: a first inverter for generating a complementary inverted phase signal based on a first complementary phase signal, the first phase signal and the first complementary phase signal are mutually inverted; a second inverter for receiving an output signal of the first inverter and a second voltage signal, the voltage value of the second voltage signal is smaller than that of the first voltage signal, and the second inverter is configured to be based on the first complementary inverted phase signal, and the second voltage signal outputs a second complementary phase signal. The driver of the embodiment provides the second phase signal and the second complementary phase signal.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A driver, characterized in that, comprising:
a phase driver, wherein the phase driver receives a first voltage signal, and is configured to output a second phase signal based on the first phase signal and a first voltage signal; and
a complementary phase driver, wherein the complementary phase driver comprises:
a first inverter, wherein the first inverter generates a complementary inverted phase signal based on a first complementary phase signal, where the first phase signal and the first complementary phase signal are mutually inverted signals; and
a second inverter, wherein the second inverter receives an output signal of the first inverter and a second voltage signal, wherein a voltage value of the second voltage signal is smaller than a voltage value of the first voltage signal, and wherein the second inverter outputs a second complementary phase signal based on a first complementary inversion phase signal and the second voltage signal.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The driver of claim 1, wherein the first inverter comprises:
a first transistor of a first type, comprising a first terminal and a substrate, wherein both the first terminal and the substrate of the first transistor receive the second voltage signal; and
a second transistor of a second type connecting to the first transistor.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The driver according to claim 2, wherein the first transistor is a PMOS transistor, wherein the first transistor further comprises a control terminal and a second terminal, wherein the control terminal of the first transistor receives the first complementary phase signal; and
wherein the second transistor is an NMOS transistor, wherein the second transistor comprises a control terminal, a first terminal and a second terminal, wherein the control terminal of the second transistor is connected to the control terminal of the first transistor, and the first terminal of the second transistor is connected to the second terminal of the first transistor, wherein the second terminal of the first transistor outputs the first complementary inversion phase signal, wherein the second terminal of the second transistor is connected to a low potential, and wherein a complementary inversion phase signal comprises the first complementary inversion phase signal.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The driver according to claim 1, wherein the second inverter comprises:
a third transistor of a first type, comprising a first terminal and a substrate, and wherein both the first terminal and the substrate of the third transistor receive the second voltage signal; and
a fourth transistor of the second type, connecting to the third transistor.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The driver according to claim 4, wherein the third transistor is a PMOS transistor, wherein the third transistor further comprises a control terminal and a second terminal, wherein the control terminal of the third transistor receives the complementary inversion phase signal; and
wherein the fourth transistor is an NMOS transistor, wherein the fourth transistor comprises a control terminal, a first terminal and a second terminal, wherein the control terminal of the fourth transistor is connected to the control terminal of the third transistor, wherein the first terminal of the fourth transistor is connected to the second terminal of the third transistor and outputs the second complementary phase signal, and wherein the second terminal of the fourth transistor is connected to a low potential.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The driver according to claim 1, wherein the first inverter comprises:
a first transistor of a first type, wherein the first transistor comprises a first terminal and a substrate, wherein both the first terminal and the substrate of the first transistor receive the first voltage signal; and
a second transistor of a second type, wherein the second transistor is connected to the first transistor.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The driver according to claim 6, wherein the first transistor is a PMOS transistor, wherein the first transistor further comprises a control terminal and a second terminal, and wherein the control terminal of the first transistor receives the first complementary phase signal;
wherein the second transistor is an NMOS transistor, wherein the second transistor comprises a control terminal, a first terminal and a second terminal, wherein the control terminal of the second transistor is connected to the control terminal of the first transistor, and wherein the first terminal of the second transistor is connected to the control terminal of the second transistor, wherein the second terminal of the first transistor outputs a second complementary inversion phase signal, wherein a complementary inversion phase signal comprises the second complementary inversion phase signal, and wherein the second terminal of the second transistor is connected to a low potential.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The driver according to claim 6, wherein the phase driver comprises:
a fifth transistor of a first type, wherein the fifth transistor comprises a first terminal and a substrate, and wherein both the first terminal and the substrate of the fifth transistor receive the first voltage signal;
a sixth transistor of a first type, wherein the sixth transistor comprises a first terminal and a substrate, wherein both the first terminal and the substrate of the sixth transistor receive the first voltage signal; and
wherein, the first transistor, the fifth transistor and the sixth transistor share an N-well.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The driver according to claim 1, wherein the second inverter comprises:
a third transistor of a second type, wherein the third transistor comprises a first terminal, wherein the first terminal of the third transistor receives the second voltage signal; and
a fourth transistor of the second type connecting to the third transistor.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The driver according to claim 9, wherein the third transistor is an NMOS transistor, wherein the third transistor further comprises a control terminal and a second terminal, wherein the control terminal of the third transistor receives the first complementary phase signal; and
wherein the fourth transistor is an NMOS transistor, wherein the fourth transistor comprises a control terminal, a first terminal and a second terminal, wherein the control terminal of the fourth transistor receives the complementary inversion phase signal, wherein the first terminal of the fourth transistor is connected to the second terminal of the third transistor and outputs the second complementary phase signal, and wherein the second terminal of the fourth transistor is connected to a low potential.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The drive according to claim 1, further comprising:
a local word line driver, wherein the local word line driver is connected to the complementary phase driver and the phase driver respectively, and wherein the local word line driver is configured to generate a local word line signal according to the second phase signal and the second complementary phase signal.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The driver according to claim 1, wherein the voltage value of the first voltage signal is in a range of 2.5 to 3.5V, and wherein the voltage value of the second voltage signal is in a range of 1 to 2V.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

A memory, comprising:
the driver of claim 1; and
an array of memory cells.