Reprogrammable non-volatile ferroelectric latch for use with a memory controller
AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorsScott James Derner, Christopher John Kawamura, Charles L. Ingalls
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Abstract
Methods, systems, and apparatuses related to a reprogrammable non-volatile latch are described. A latch may include ferroelectric cells, ferroelectric capacitors, a sense component, and other circuitry and components related to ferroelectric memory technology. The ferroelectric latch may be independent from (or exclusive of) a main ferroelectric memory array. The ferroelectric latch may be positioned anywhere in the memory device. In some instances, a ferroelectric latch may be positioned and configured to be dedicated to single piece of circuitry in the memory device.
Claims20
An electronic memory apparatus, comprising;
- an array of memory cells;
- a controller coupled to the array of memory cells;
- and
- a ferroelectric latch coupled to the controller, the ferroelectric latch being exclusive of the array of memory cells, the ferroelectric latch including:
- a first ferroelectric cell coupled to a sense component via a first conductive line;
- a second ferroelectric cell coupled to the sense component via a second conductive line, wherein the second ferroelectric cell comprises a same ferroelectric material as the first ferroelectric cell;
- a first ferroelectric capacitor coupled between a voltage source and the first conductive line;
- a second ferroelectric capacitor coupled between the voltage source and the second conductive line, wherein the first ferroelectric capacitor and the second ferroelectric capacitor each comprise the same ferroelectric material as the first ferroelectric cell and the second ferroelectric cell;
- and
- a switching component configured to selectively couple the first conductive line with the voltage source, or a ground node, or a virtual ground node.
A method, comprising:
- receiving a first value from an array of ferroelectric memory cells;
- receiving a second value from the array of ferroelectric memory cells, wherein the second value is a complement of the first value;
- writing the first value to a first ferroelectric cell that is coupled to a first node of a sense component;
- writing the second value to a second ferroelectric cell that is coupled to a second node of the sense component, wherein the first ferroelectric cell and the second ferroelectric cell each comprise a same ferroelectric memory material as ferroelectric memory cells of the array of ferroelectric memory cells;
- and
- coupling a conductive line that connects the first ferroelectric cell and a first ferroelectric capacitor with the first node of the sense component to a voltage source, or a ground node, or a virtual ground node based at least in part on a logic state of the first value being written to the first ferroelectric cell.
An electronic memory apparatus, comprising:
- a first ferroelectric cell coupled to a first ferroelectric capacitor;
- a second ferroelectric cell coupled to a second ferroelectric capacitor;
- a sense component coupled to the first ferroelectric cell and the second ferroelectric cell;
- and
- a controller in electronic communication with a plurality of transistors, wherein the controller is operable to:
- sense a first value from the first ferroelectric cell;
- sense a second value from the second ferroelectric cell, wherein the second value is a complement of the first value;
- output a stored value determined by the sense component to an array of ferroelectric memory cells that is exclusive of the first ferroelectric cell and the second ferroelectric cell, wherein the first ferroelectric cell and the second ferroelectric cell each comprise a same ferroelectric memory material as ferroelectric memory cells of the array of ferroelectric memory cells;
- and
- couple a conductive line that connects the first ferroelectric cell and the first ferroelectric capacitor with the first node of the sense component to a voltage source, or a ground node, or a virtual ground node based at least in part on a logic state of the first value being written to the first ferroelectric cell.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.