Method for configuring a voltage regulator
AssigneeSTMicroelectronics S.r.l.
InventorsDavide Cascone, Nicola Del Gatto, Emanuele Confalonieri, Massimiliano Mollichelli
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A voltage regulator connected to a memory cell is configured by identifying at least a first and a second operation regions of the cell and associating the first and second operation regions with respective first and second operation conditions of the memory cell. An operative condition of the memory cell involved in a programming operation is detected, and at least a configuration signal of the regulator according to said detected operative condition is generated, this configuration signal taking a first and a second value associated with the first and second operation conditions.
Claims19
A method for configuring a voltage regulator connected to a memory cell, the method comprising the steps of:
- identifying at least a first and a second operation region of said memory cell;
- associating said first and second operation regions with respective first and second operation conditions of said memory cell;
- detecting an operative condition of said memory cell involved in a programming operation;
- generating at least a configuration signal of said regulator according to said detected operative condition, this configuration signal taking a first and a second value associated with said first and second operation conditions.
A voltage regulator for a memory cell, comprising:
- at least one operational amplifier inserted between a first and a second voltage reference and having an input terminal connected to a further voltage reference as well as an output terminal suitable to supply a regulation signal;
- a variable regulation element inserted between said first and second voltage references and connected to said output terminal of said operational amplifier, said variable regulation element being driven by means of a configuration signal generated according to an operative condition of said memory cell.
A programming circuit of a memory cell connected to a supply voltage reference by means of a column decoding structure and of an enable transistor and comprising at least one voltage regulator connected to said column decoding structure, wherein said regulator is connected to said column decoding structure by means of a configuration transistor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.