Method of apparatus for enhanced sensing of low voltage memory
AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorHirokazu Ueda
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A differential sensing circuit and sensing method are provided for use in a low voltage memory device. The sensing circuit includes a cross-coupled sensing circuit for coupling with a memory element, a pull-up circuit and a multistage pull-down circuit. The multistage pull-down circuit accelerates the latching process of the cross-coupled sensing circuit by briefly pulling the cross-coupled sensing circuit to a potential below ground in order to increase the gate potential differential on at least a portion of the transistors within the cross-coupled sensing circuit. Once the latching transitions have commenced at an acceptable rate, the below-ground potential is removed and the traditional logic level pull-up and ground-potential pull-down circuits are activated.
Claims10
A differential sensing circuit, comprising:
- a sensing circuit operably configured to couple with a memory element;
- and
- a pull-down circuit electrically coupled to the sensing circuit and configured for transiently coupling the sensing circuit during a sensing process to a potential exceeding a voltage range of the sensing circuit.
A method for sensing the state of a memory element, comprising:
- coupling the memory element to a sensing circuit configured to sense the state of the memory element;
- and
- transiently pulling down the sensing circuit during a sensing process to a potential exceeding a voltage range of the sensing circuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.