Sense amplifier of semiconductor integrated circuit
AssigneeSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
InventorsJae-yoon Sim, Hyun-soon Jang, Woo-seop Jeong, Kyung-ho Kim
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A semiconductor integrated circuit includes a sense amplifier for amplifying an input signal and a complement of the input signal. The sense amplifier includes cross-coupled transistors. Each unique cross-coupled transistor is coupled to a corresponding unique transistor formed as a diode. A resistor is coupled in series between one cross-coupled resistor and an input port receiving the input signal, and another resistor is coupled in series between the other cross-coupled transistor and another input port receiving the complement of the input signal. Resistances associated with the sources of each cross-coupled transistor provide the resistance of the resistors.
Claims20
A current sense amplifier comprising:
- a first input port for receiving a first current signal;
- a first complementary input port for receiving a second current signal;
- a first transistor and a second transistor cross coupled to each other, for receiving current signals output from the first input port and the first complementary input port and outputting a first output signal and a second output signal to a first output port and a first complementary output port;
- a third transistor and a fourth transistor for supplying current to the first output port and the first complementary output port;
- a first resistor serially connected between the first input port and the first transistor;
- a second resistor serially connected between the first complementary input port and the second transistor;
- and
- a full differential amplifier receiving the first and second output signals, the full differential amplifier comprising a second output port, a second complementary output port, and a voltage level control circuit limiting a mean value of a voltage level at the second output port and a voltage level at the second complementary output port to below a particular level.
A sense amplifier comprising:
- a first transistor comprising a first current handling terminal, a second current handling terminal, and an electrically conductive gate;
- a second transistor comprising a first current handling terminal, a second current handling terminal, and an electrically conductive gate;
- a third transistor comprising a first current handling terminal, a second current handling terminal, and an electrically conductive gate;
- a fourth transistor comprising a first current handling terminal, a second current handling terminal, and an electrically conductive gate;
- a first resistor coupled between the first current handling terminal of the first transistor and an input terminal coupled to receive a first input signal;
- a second resistor coupled between the first current handling terminal of the second transistor and a complementary input terminal coupled to receive a second input signal, the second input signal being a complement of the first input signal;
- and
- a full differential amplifier comprising a first input port coupled to the second current handling terminal of the first transistor, a second input port coupled to the second current handling terminal of the second transistor, an output port, a complementary output port, and a voltage level control circuit limiting a mean value of a voltage level at the second output port and a voltage level at the second complementary output port to below a particular level;
- wherein the gate of the first transistor is coupled to the second current handling terminal of the second transistor, and the gate of the second transistor is coupled to the second current handling terminal of the first transistor;
- wherein the gate and the first current handling terminal of the third transistor are coupled together and are coupled to the second current handling terminal of the first transistor;
- and
- wherein the gate and the first current handling terminal of the fourth transistor are coupled together and are coupled to the second current handling terminal of the second transistor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.