DRAM sense amplifier having pre-charged transistor body nodes

A sense amplifier for a random access memory device comprising:

• a pair of transistors having a respective pair of body nodes and having a respective pair of gates cross-coupled to a respective pair of bit-lines;
• and
• an electrical switching device adapted to switchingly electrically couple a source of a reference potential to said respective pair of body nodes of said transistors, said electrical switching device adapted to receive a first control signal from a control device and respond by allowing said pair of body nodes to charge to said reference voltage, said electrical switching device adapted to receive a second control signal from said control device and respond by allowing said pair of body nodes to discharge from said reference voltage.

A sense amplifier for access memory device comprising:

• first and second field effect transistors, said transistors each having a respective gate and a respective body node;
• a voltage source switchingly coupled to said each respective body node and adapted to charge said each respective body node to a particular voltage such that when said sense amplifier is inactive said each body node is connected to said voltage source and when said sense amplifier is active said each body node is disconnected from said voltage source.

A switching device adapted to control a charge level of a transistor body comprising:

• a first transistor having a gate, a drain and a source, said drain coupled to a source of substantially constant potential, said source coupled to a body node of a second transistor, said second transistor disposed within a sense amplifier circuit, said gate coupled to a source of a control signal, said control signal having a first state adapted to render said first transistor substantially conductive during a first time interval when said sense amplifier is inactive, said control signal having a second state adapted to render said first transistor substantially non-conductive during a second time interval when said sense amplifier is active.

A sense amplifier comprising:

• a first amplifier circuit adapted to be connected between a pair of digit lines of a memory device, said first amplifier circuit having a first transistor and a second transistor, each of said first transistor and said second transistors having a respective body node;
• and
• a third transistor having a first terminal connected to said respective body node of said first transistor and said respective body node of said second transistor, a second terminal connected to a voltage source, and a gate terminal connected to receive a control signal, said control signal adapted to control said third transistor such that before an activation of said sense amplifier, said control signal turns on said third transistor to connect said voltage source to said respective body nodes of said first and second transistors to thereby charge said respective body nodes of said first and second transistors to a potential of said voltage source, and after said activation of said sense amplifier said first control signal turns off said third transistor to disconnect said voltage sourced from said respective body nodes of said first and second transistors.

A sense amplifier comprising:

• a first amplifier circuit adapted to be connected between a pair of digit lines of a memory device, said first amplifier circuit having a first transistor and a second transistor, each of said first transistor and said second transistor having a respective body node;
• a third transistor having a first terminal connected to said respective body node of said first transistor and said respective body node of said second transistor, a second terminal connected to a voltage source, and a gate terminal connected to receive a control signal,
• wherein at a first time before said sense amplifier is activated, said control signal turns on said third transistor to connect said voltage source to said respective body nodes of said first and second transistors to thereby charge said respective body nodes of said first and second transistors to a potential of said voltage source, and at a second time after said first time and before said sense amplifier is activated said control signal turns off said third transistor to disconnect said voltage source from said respective body nodes of said first and second transistors.

A sense amplifier comprising:

• a first amplifier circuit adapted to be connected between a pair of digit lines of a memory device, said first amplifier circuit having a first transistor and a second transistor, each of said first transistor and said second transistor having a respective body node;
• a third transistor having a first terminal connected to said respective body node of said first transistor and said respective body node of said second transistor, a second terminal connected to a voltage source, and a gate terminal connected to receive a control signal,
• wherein at a first time before said sense amplifier is activated, said control signal turns on said third transistor to connect said voltage source to said respective body nodes of said first and second transistors to thereby charge said respective body nodes of said first and second transistors to a potential of said voltage source, and at a second time after an activation of said sense amplifier and coincident with a subsequent deactivation of said sense amplifier said control signal turns off said third transistor to disconnect said voltage source from said body node of said first transistor and to disconnect said voltage source from said body node of said second transistor.

A sense amplifier comprising:

• a first amplifier circuit adapted to be connected between a pair of digit lines of a memory device, said first amplifier circuit having a first transistor and a second transistor, each of said first transistor and said second transistor having a body node;
• a third transistor having a first terminal connected to said body node of said first and second transistor, a second terminal connected to a voltage potential, and a gate terminal connected to receive a control signal,
• wherein at a first time before said sense amplifier is activated, said control signal turns on said third transistor to connect said voltage potential to said body node of said first and second transistor to thereby charge said body node of said first and second transistor to said voltage potential, and at a second time after said sense amplifier is activated and subsequently deactivated said control signal turns off said third transistor to disconnect said voltage potential from said body node of said first and second transistor.

A sense amplifier comprising:

• a first amplifier circuit adapted to be connected between a pair of digit lines of a memory device, said first amplifier circuit having a first transistor and a second transistor, each of said first transistor and said second transistor having a body node;
• a third transistor having a first terminal connected to said body node of said first and second transistor, a second terminal connected to a voltage potential, and a gate terminal connected to receive a control signal,
• wherein at a first time before said sense amplifier is activated, said control signal turns on said third transistor to connect said voltage potential to said body node of said first and second transistor to thereby charge said body node of said first and second transistor to said voltage potential, and at a second time after said sense amplifier is activated and before a third time when said sense amplifier is deactivated said control signal turns off said third transistor to disconnect said voltage potential from said body node of said first and second transistor.