US 2026/0229278 A1 · SUB-WORD LINE DRIVER CIRCUITRY INCLUDING CHAIN OF TRANSISTORS TO REMOVE FLOATING WORD LINE STATES

Abstract

A device comprises a number of sub-word line drivers, a chain of transistors, and a control signal line. Each sub-word line driver is coupled to a respective main word line of a number of main word lines and a respective word line of a number of word lines. Each sub-word line driver includes a transistor. Respective ones of the transistors of the chain are coupled between respective pairs of word lines of adjacent sub-word line drivers. The chain of transistors includes a terminating transistor coupled between a first word line and a voltage line supplied with an inactive voltage (e.g., a negative word line voltage). The control signal line is coupled to respective gates of respective transistors of the chain, to provide an enable signal to set or maintain the transistors in an on state to couple the word lines to the voltage line supplied with the inactive voltage.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A device comprising:

a number of sub-word line drivers, each sub-word line driver coupled to a respective main word line of a number of main word lines and a respective word line of a number of word lines, each sub-word line driver including a transistor;
a chain of transistors, respective ones of the transistors in the chain coupled between respective pairs of word lines of adjacent sub-word line drivers of the number of sub-word line drivers, the chain of transistors including a terminating transistor coupled between a first end word line of the number of word lines and a voltage line supplied with an inactive voltage;
and
a control signal line, the control signal line coupled to respective gates of respective transistors of the chain of transistors, the control signal line to provide an enable signal to set or maintain the transistors of the chain in an on state to couple the number of word lines to the voltage line supplied with the inactive voltage via the terminating transistor.

1 more element

A method comprising:

providing an enable signal on a control signal line of sub-word line driver circuitry to set transistors of a chain of transistors of the sub-word line driver circuitry in an on state, the on state of the transistors of the chain to couple a number of word lines to a voltage line supplied with an inactive voltage, each sub-word line driver transistor of the sub-word line driver circuitry coupled to a respective main word line of a number of main word lines and a respective word line of the number of word lines, respective ones of the transistors of the chain coupled between respective pairs of word lines of adjacent sub-word line driver transistors of a number of sub-word line driver transistors of the sub-word line driver circuitry, the control signal line coupled to respective gates of respective transistors of the chain of transistors;
and
providing a disable signal on the control signal line to set the transistors of the chain in an off state, the off state of the transistor of the chain to decouple the number of word lines from the voltage line supplied with the inactive voltage.

A device comprising:

a number of sub-word line drivers, each sub-word line driver coupled to a respective main word line of a number of main word lines and a respective word line of a number of word lines, each sub-word line driver including a transistor;
a chain of transistors including:
a first transistor coupled between a first word line of the number of word lines and a voltage line supplied with an inactive voltage;
a second transistor coupled between the first word line and a second word line of the number of word lines;
a third transistor coupled between the second word line and a third word line of the number of word lines;
and
a fourth transistor coupled between the third word line and a fourth word line of the number of word lines;
and
a control signal line coupled to respective gates of respective transistors of the chain of transistors, the control signal line to provide an enable signal to set or maintain the transistors of the chain in an on state to couple the number of word lines to the voltage line supplied with the inactive voltage via the first transistor.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Sub-word line driver circuitry including chain of transistors to remove floating word line states

Life of this patent

Sub-word line driver circuitry including chain of transistors to remove floating word line states

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20