US 6,807,124 B2Granted

Memory device for activating one cell by specifying block and memory cell in the block

AssigneeRenesas Technology Corp.

InventorsNobuhiro Tsuda, Koji Nii, Shoji Okuda

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Abstract

A memory device that consumes no wasteful power in selecting memory cells and achieves high operating speed and size and cost reductions, is provided. In reading of memory cell information, only a single memory cell in a single local block is activated through a read word line. Specifically, AND circuits are provided in correspondence with all memory cells. Each AND circuit receives as its inputs a block select signal for selecting one of the local blocks and an in-block memory cell select signal for selecting one of the memory cells in each local block in a common manner among the local blocks. The outputs from the AND circuits are applied to read word lines. Unselected memory cells are not activated and therefore no current flows from those memory cells to local read bit lines, thereby preventing wasteful power consumption.

Claims4

Dependent claims

A memory device comprising:

a plurality of memory cells for storing information, said plurality of memory cells divided into a plurality of local blocks, and said plurality of local blocks each including a same number of said memory cells;
and
a plurality of AND circuits provided in correspondence with said plurality of memory cells, wherein,
in writing of said information to one of said memory cells, or in reading of said information from one of said memory cells, one of said plurality of local blocks is specified, and one of the same number of memory cells is specified in each said local block in a common manner, and thereby only said one memory cell in said one local block is activated, and
one of said plurality of local blocks and one of said same number of said memory cells are specified by generating a block select signal for selecting one of said plurality of local blocks and an in-block memory cell select signal for selecting one of said same number of memory cells in a common manner among said plurality of local blocks, and logically operating said two select signals in each of said plurality of corresponding AND circuits.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.