Thin film magnetic memory device reducing a charging time of a data line in a data read operation
AssigneesRenesas Technology Corp., Mitsubishi Electric Engineering Company Limited
InventorsHiroaki Tanizaki, Hideto Hidaka, Tsukasa Ooishi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
During data reading, a sense enable signal is activated to start charging of a data line prior to formation of a current path including the data line and a selected memory cell in accordance with row and column selecting operations. Charging of the data line is completed early so that it is possible to reduce a time required from start of the data reading to such a state that a passing current difference between the data lines reaches a level corresponding to storage data of the selected memory cell, and the data reading can be performed fast.
Claims8
A thin film magnetic memory device comprising:
- a plurality of memory cells each having an electric resistance corresponding to magnetically written storage data;
- a word line to be activated when the data is to read from the selected memory cell among said plurality of memory cells;
- a first data line being electrically coupled to a first voltage via said selected memory cell during said data reading;
- a second data line being electrically coupled to said first voltage via a reference cell provided as a comparison target of said selected memory cell during said data reading;
- and
- a differential amplifier portion being activated prior to said word line during said data reading to couple electrically each of said first and second data lines to a second voltage, to start supply of a current to said first and second data lines and to perform data in accordance with a difference between currents passing through said first and second data lines, respectively.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.