Integrated circuit, method of operating an integrated circuit, method of manufacturing an integrated circuit, memory module, stackable memory module

An integrated circuit having a current sense amplifier comprising:

• a voltage comparator combined with an actively balanced capacitive load, having an output and a first input and a second input, the first and second inputs comprising two voltage sensing transistors scaled to balance the capacitive loads of an input sensing current mirror, the input sensing current mirror having a first side and a second side, the two voltage sensing transistors each having a gate, a gate of the first voltage sensing transistor being coupled to a side of the input sensing current mirror, and a gate of the second voltage sensing transistor being coupled to another side of the input sensing current mirror;
• the voltage comparator further including two transistors configured as an output-driving current mirror coupled to the two voltage sensing transistors;
• a first clamping device coupled between the first input of the voltage comparator and a first input signal node, the first clamping device being coupled to a reference voltage;
• a second clamping device coupled between the second input of the voltage comparator and a second input signal node, the second clamping device being coupled to the reference voltage;
• the input sensing current mirror first side including a first input sensing current mirror transistor coupled between a voltage source and the first clamping device and the input sensing current mirror second side including a second input sensing current mirror transistor coupled between the voltage source and the second clamping device, the first and second input sensing current mirror transistors each having a source, a gate, and a drain, the gates being coupled together and the gate and drain of the first input sensing current mirror transistor being coupled together;
• and
• the two transistors configured as an output-driving current mirror scaled to provide an operating condition for the voltage sensing transistors that approximates an operating condition of the first or second input sensing current mirror transistors comprising the input sensing current mirror.

An integrated circuit having a memory device comprising:

• an array of memory cells, the memory cells having a first side and a second side, wherein at least two of the memory cells comprise reference cells;
• a plurality of parallel wordlines coupled proximate the first side of the memory cells, the wordlines running in a first direction;
• a plurality of parallel bitlines coupled proximate the second side of the memory cells;
• and
• a sensing circuit including at least one column selector and at least one current sense amplifier, the at least one column selector being coupled to the memory array and comprising at least one column select transistor coupled to each bitline in the array, the at least one current sense amplifier including a voltage comparator, a first clamping device, a second clamping device, and a current mirror having a first side and a second side, wherein the voltage comparator includes a first input, a second input and an output, wherein a first input signal node is coupled to the voltage comparator first input, wherein a second input signal node is coupled to the voltage comparator second input, the first and second input signal nodes conducting either current from a selected memory cell or current from at least one reference cell, wherein the voltage comparator outputs a logic state related to a logic state of the selected memory cell, wherein the current mirror includes a first transistor coupled between a voltage source and the first clamping device and the current mirror second side includes a second transistor coupled between the voltage source and the second clamping device, gates of the first and second transistor being coupled together, the gate and a drain of the first transistor being coupled together, wherein an active capacitance balancing circuit including a third transistor, a source and a gate of the third transistor coupled to a source and drain of the second transistor of the current mirror, and wherein the drain of the third transistor is coupled to a drain node to actively balance capacitive loads of the current mirror.

A method of operating an integrated circuit comprising sensing a current, wherein sensing the current comprises:

• providing a first input signal node having a first voltage and conducting a first current;
• clamping the first voltage and passing the first current to a first transistor, the first transistor having a drain terminal;
• providing a second input signal node having a second voltage and conducting a second current;
• clamping the second voltage and passing the second current to a second transistor, the second transistor having a drain terminal;
• configuring either the first transistor to mirror the first current to the second transistor, or the second transistor to mirror the second current to the first transistor;
• actively balancing the capacitive loads across the drains of the first transistor and the second transistor with a third transistor scaled to at least the first or second transistor, a drain terminal of the third transistor being coupled to a drain node, wherein by coupling an electrical potential to the drain node an operating condition is established for the third transistor such that the capacitive loads across the drains of the first transistor and the second transistor are actively balanced;
• and
• comparing the voltage across the first or second transistor to the voltage across the second or first transistor, wherein the mirrored current causes the voltage difference between the voltage across the first transistor and the voltage across the second transistor to be amplified.

A method of manufacturing an integrated circuit, comprising:

• providing a current sense amplifier comprising:
• a voltage comparator having a first input, a second input and an output;
• a first clamping device coupled between the first input of the voltage comparator and a first input signal node, the first clamping device being coupled to a reference voltage;
• a second clamping device coupled between the second input of the voltage comparator and a second input signal node, the second clamping device being coupled to the reference voltage;
• a current mirror having a first side and a second side, the current mirror first side including a first transistor coupled between a voltage source and the first clamping device and the current mirror second side including a second transistor coupled between the voltage source and the second clamping device, the first and second transistors including sources, gates and drains, wherein the gates of the first and second transistors are coupled together, and the gate and drain of the first transistor are coupled together;
• and
• a sensing scheme including an actively balanced capacitance coupled to the source and drain of the second transistor, wherein the actively balanced capacitance includes a third transistor with a source, gate and drain, the source and gate of the third transistor being coupled to the source and drain of the second transistor, and the drain of the third transistor being coupled to a drain node to actively balance capacitive loads of the current mirror.

A memory module comprising:

• a plurality of integrated circuits including at least one memory device comprising:
• a current sense amplifier, comprising:
• a voltage comparator having a first input, a second input and an output;
• a first clamping device coupled between the first input of the voltage comparator and a first input signal node, the first clamping device being coupled to a reference voltage;
• a second clamping device coupled between the second input of the voltage comparator and a second input signal node, the second clamping device being coupled to the reference voltage;
• a current mirror having a first side and a second side, the current mirror first side including a first transistor coupled between a voltage source and the first clamping device and the current mirror second side including a second transistor coupled between the voltage source and the second clamping device, the first and second transistors including sources, gates and drains, wherein the gates of the first and second transistors are coupled together, and the gate and drain of the first transistor are coupled together;
• and
• a sensing scheme including an actively balanced capacitance coupled to the source and drain of the second transistor, wherein the actively balanced capacitance includes a third transistor with a source, gate and drain, the source and gate of the third transistor being coupled to the source and drain of the second transistor, and the drain of the third transistor being coupled to a drain node to actively balance capacitive loads of the current mirror.

A stackable memory module comprising:

• a stackable substrate comprising an electrical connection and at least one memory device comprising:
• a current sense amplifier, comprising:
• a voltage comparator having a first input, a second input and an output;
• a first clamping device coupled between the first input of the voltage comparator and a first input signal node, the first clamping device being coupled to a reference voltage;
• a second clamping device coupled between the second input of the voltage comparator and a second input signal node, the second clamping device being coupled to the reference voltage;
• a current mirror having a first side and a second side, the current mirror first side including a first transistor coupled between a voltage source and the first clamping device and the current mirror second side including a second transistor coupled between the voltage source and the second clamping device, the first and second transistors including sources, gates and drains, wherein the gates of the first and second transistors are coupled together, and the gate and drain of the first transistor are coupled together;
• and
• a sensing scheme including an actively balanced capacitance coupled to the source and drain of the second transistor, wherein the actively balanced capacitance includes a third transistor with a source, gate and drain, the source and gate of the third transistor being coupled to the source and drain of the second transistor, and the drain of the third transistor being coupled to a drain node to actively balance capacitive loads of the current mirror.