Device and method for controlling self-refresh
AssigneeSK hynix Inc.
InventorsNam Kyu JANG, Young Geun CHOI
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device and method for controlling self-refresh is disclosed, which reduces current when a semiconductor device stays in a self-refresh operation. The device for controlling self-refresh includes: a bulk voltage controller configured to combine an idle signal indicating an active termination state of a bank and a self-refresh signal so as to generate a control signal for controlling a bulk voltage, a bulk voltage driver configured to vary a level of the bulk voltage in response to the control signal, and output the bulk voltage with a different level, and a refresh controller configured to output the self-refresh active signal upon receiving the bulk voltage as a bulk bias voltage.
Claims18
A device for controlling self-refresh comprising:
- a bulk voltage controller configured to combine an idle signal indicating an active termination state of a bank and a self-refresh signal so as to generate a control signal for controlling a bulk voltage;
- a bulk voltage driver configured to vary a level of the bulk voltage in response to the control signal, and output the bulk voltage with a different level;
- and
- a refresh controller configured to output a self-refresh active signal upon receiving the bulk voltage as a bulk bias voltage.
A method for controlling self-refresh, comprising the steps of:
- generating an idle signal by combining bank addresses;
- combining the idle signal indicating an active termination state of a bank and a self-refresh signal so as to generate a control signal for controlling a bulk voltage;
- varying a level of the bulk voltage in response to the control signal, and outputting the bulk voltage with a different level;
- and
- outputting a self-refresh active signal upon receiving the bulk voltage as a bulk bias voltage.
A semiconductor integrated circuit device comprising:
- a self refresh controller configured to include a plurality of transistors, receive a bulk voltage bigger than a source voltage of the transistors to suppress leakage current of the transistors when all bank are terminated in a self refresh mode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.