Technique to suppress leakage current
AssigneeInfineon Technologies AG
InventorJong-Hoon Oh
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Embodiments of the invention generally provide a method and wordline driver having a reduced leakage current. In one embodiment, a wordline is driven to a boosted high voltage with a driver transistor of the wordline driver if the wordline driver is in an operational mode and the wordline is driven to a downward-driven low voltage if the wordline driver is in a standby mode. The driver transistor is electrically isolated from the downward-driven low voltage of the wordline when the wordline driver is in the standby mode. A leakage current in the wordline driver is thereby reduced.
Claims25
A method for reducing gate induced drain leakage in a wordline driver, the method comprising:
- applying a boosted voltage to an N-well of the wordline driver if the wordline driver is in an operational mode, wherein a charge pump generates the boosted voltage from a power supply voltage;
- and
- applying the power supply voltage to the N-well of the wordline driver if the wordline driver is in a standby mode.
A method for reducing gate induced drain leakage in a wordline driver, the method comprising:
- applying a boosted voltage to an N-well of the wordline driver if the wordline driver is in an operational mode, wherein a charge pump generates the boosted voltage from a power supply voltage;
- and
- applying the power supply voltage to the N-well of the wordline driver if the wordline driver is in a standby mode, wherein the local wordline driver is in the standby mode when the segment is not selected by a main wordline and when the segment of the local wordline driver is selected and the local wordline is not selected.
A method for reducing gate induced drain leakage in a wordline driver, the method comprising:
- driving a wordline to a boosted voltage with a driver transistor of the wordline driver if the wordline driver is in an operational mode;
- driving the wordline to a downward-driven voltage if the wordline driver is in a standby mode;
- and
- electrically isolating the driver transistor from the downward-driven voltage of the wordline when the wordline driver is in the standby mode.
A wordline driver having a reduced gate induced leaked current during a standby mode comprising:
- driver circuitry to drive a wordline to a boosted voltage with an NMOS depletion mode driver transistor if the wordline driver is in an operational mode and to drive the wordline to a downward-driven voltage if the wordline driver is in the standby mode;
- and
- isolation circuitry to electrically isolate the driver transistor from the downward-driven voltage of the wordline when the wordline driver is in the standby mode.
A wordline driver having a reduced gate induced leaked current during a standby mode comprising:
- a charge pump configured to generate a boosted voltage from a power supply voltage;
- and
- voltage selection circuitry configured to apply the boosted voltage to an N-well of the wordline driver if the wordline driver is in an operational mode and apply the power supply voltage to the N-well of the wordline driver if the wordline driver is in the standby mode.
A wordline driver having a reduced gate induced leaked current during a standby mode comprising:
- a charge pump configured to generate a boosted voltage from a power supply voltage;
- and
- voltage selection circuitry configured to apply the boosted voltage to an N-well of the wordline driver if the wordline driver is in an operational mode and apply the power supply voltage to the N-well of the wordline driver if the wordline driver is in the standby mode, wherein the wordline driver is a local wordline driver in a segment of a segmented memory array and the local wordline driver is in the standby mode when the segment is not selected by a main wordline and when the segment of the local wordline driver is selected and the local wordline is not selected.
A wordline driver having a reduced gate induced leaked current during a standby mode, comprising:
- driver circuitry configured to:
- drive a wordline to a boosted voltage with a driver transistor of the wordline driver if the wordline driver is in an operational mode;
- and
- drive the wordline to a downward-driven voltage if the wordline driver is in the standby mode;
- and
- electrical isolation circuitry configured to electrically isolate the driver transistor from the downward-driven voltage of the wordline when the wordline driver is in the standby mode.
A wordline driver having a reduced gate induced leaked current during a standby mode, comprising:
- driver circuitry configured to:
- drive a wordline to a boosted voltage with a driver transistor of the wordline driver if the wordline driver is in an operational mode;
- and
- drive the wordline to a downward-driven voltage if the wordline driver is in the standby mode;
- and
- electrical isolation circuitry configured to electrically isolate the driver transistor from the downward-driven voltage of the wordline when the wordline driver is in the standby mode, wherein the wordline driver is a local wordline driver in a segment of a segmented memory array and the local wordline driver is in the standby mode when the segment is not selected by a main wordline and when the segment of the local wordline driver is selected and the local wordline is not selected.
A wordline driver having a reduced gate induced leaked current during a standby mode, comprising:
- driver circuitry configured to:
- drive a wordline to a boosted voltage with a driver transistor of the wordline driver if the wordline driver is in an operational mode;
- and
- drive the wordline to a downward-driven voltage if the wordline driver is in the standby mode;
- and
- electrical isolation circuitry configured to electrically isolate the driver transistor from the downward-driven voltage of the wordline when the wordline driver is in the standby mode, wherein the electrical isolation circuitry is configured to:
- float a drain connection of the driver transistor;
- and
- apply a power supply voltage to a source of the driver transistor, wherein the power supply voltage is used by a charge pump to generate the downward-driven voltage.
A wordline driver having a reduced gate induced leaked current during a standby mode comprising:
- means for driving a wordline configured to:
- drive the wordline to a boosted voltage with a driver transistor of the wordline driver if the wordline driver is in an operational mode;
- and
- drive the wordline to a downward-driven voltage if the wordline driver is in the standby mode;
- and
- means for electrically isolating configured to electrically isolate the driver transistor from the downward-driven voltage of the wordline when the wordline driver is in the standby mode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.