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US 8,509,002 B2Granted
Semiconductor memory device and method of driving the same
AssigneeSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
InventorsJong Hyun Choi, Jin Seok Kwak, Seong Jin Jang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A semiconductor memory device is provided. The semiconductor memory device supplies to a sense amplifier a first voltage and a second voltage during data sensing, so that data sensing margin and a data sensing speed increase.
Claims17
A semiconductor memory device comprising:
- a sense amplifier comprising a pair of transistors cross-coupled between a bit line and a complementary bit line;
- and
- a voltage supply circuit comprising at least two transistors, and configured to supply at least one source voltage having a level different than a target source voltage to a common source of the pair of transistors and then to supply the target source voltage to the common source during data sensing of the sense amplifier,
- wherein that at least two transistors comprise a first transistor and a second transistor, and
- wherein a first end of the first transistor is connected to the common source and the at least one source voltage is supplied to a second end of the first transistor, and a first end of the second transistor is connected to the common source and the target source voltage is supplied to a second end of the second transistor.
2 more elements
A method of a semiconductor memory device, the method comprising:
- initiating supplying a first voltage to a sense amplifier at a first time;
- initiating supplying a second voltage, having a different voltage level from the first voltage, to the sense amplifier at a second time;
- discontinuing supplying the second voltage to the sense amplifier at a third time;
- initiating supplying a third voltage, having a different voltage level from the second voltage, to the sense amplifier after the second time;
- continuing supplying the third voltage to the sense amplifier after the third time;
- and
- performing a data sensing operation on data by the sense amplifier for a period including the second time and the third time, using both the second voltage and the third voltage.
4 more elements
A method of operating a semiconductor memory device, the method comprising:
- initiating supplying a first voltage to a sense amplifier at a first time;
- discontinuing supplying the first voltage to the sense amplifier at a second time;
- initiating supplying a second voltage, having a lower voltage level than the first voltage, to the sense amplifier after the first time;
- continuing supplying the second voltage to the sense amplifier after the second time;
- and
- performing a data sensing operation on data by the sense amplifier for a period including the first time and the second time, using both the first voltage and the second voltage,
- wherein performing sensing based on the first voltage and second voltage increases a data sensing speed by at least 25% compared to data sensing based only on the second voltage.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.