Switched source line for memory applications

文档序号:835457 发布日期:2021-03-30 浏览:41次 中文

阅读说明:本技术 用于存储器应用的开关源极线 (Switched source line for memory applications ) 是由 苏佩雷·杰洛卡 普若内·普拉巴特 詹姆斯·爱德华·迈尔斯 于 2019-08-13 设计创作,主要内容包括:本文描述的各种实施方式涉及具有存储器结构的集成电路,该存储器结构具有经由布置成行的字线和布置成列的位线可访问的位单元阵列。集成电路可以包括耦接到位单元的源极线。集成电路可以包括耦接在字线和源极线之间的源极线驱动器,并且源极线驱动器可以允许将源极线用作开关源极线。(Various embodiments described herein relate to an integrated circuit having a memory structure with an array of bit cells accessible via word lines arranged in rows and bit lines arranged in columns. An integrated circuit may include a source line coupled to a bit cell. The integrated circuit may include a source line driver coupled between the word line and the source line, and the source line driver may allow the source line to be used as a switched source line.)

1. An integrated circuit, comprising:

a memory structure having an array of bit cells accessible via word lines arranged in rows and bit lines arranged in columns;

a source line coupled to the bit cell; and

a source line driver coupled between the word line and the source line, wherein the source line driver allows the source line to be used as a switched source line.

2. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the memory structure comprises a Read Only Memory (ROM) structure or a Random Access Memory (RAM) structure, and wherein the array of bit cells comprises a ROM array or a RAM array.

3. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein each of the rows comprises a plurality of bit cells, a corresponding one of the source lines, and a corresponding one of the source line drivers.

4. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein each bit cell of the array of bit cells is coupled between a corresponding one of the source lines and a corresponding one of the bit lines.

5. The integrated circuit of claim 4, wherein each bit cell of the array of bit cells stores a logical data value of one (1), a short circuit between each bit cell and the corresponding bit line, and wherein each bit cell of the array of bit cells stores another logical data value of zero (0), an open circuit between each bit cell and the corresponding bit line.

6. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the source line driver is implemented by a logic device, and wherein each logic device of the logic device is implemented by an inverter or a single transistor.

7. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the word lines include active word lines and passive word lines, and wherein initial conditions of source lines of the passive word lines are similar to initial conditions of any of the bit lines.

8. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the source line driver is operative to reduce leakage of the bit cell so as to increase a read margin associated with a read operation of the bit cell, and wherein increasing the read margin is associated with at least one of an off current through the bit line and a precharge voltage of the bit line.

9. An integrated circuit, comprising:

a memory structure having an array of bit cells accessible via word lines arranged in rows and bit lines arranged in columns; and

a floating source line coupled to the bit cells, wherein each bit cell of the array of bit cells is coupled between a corresponding one of the floating source lines and a corresponding one of the bit lines.

10. The integrated circuit of claim 9, wherein the memory structure comprises a Read Only Memory (ROM) structure, and wherein the array of bit cells comprises a ROM array.

11. The integrated circuit of claim 9, wherein each bit cell in the array of bit cells stores a logical data value of one (1), a short between each bit cell and the corresponding bit line, and wherein each bit cell in the array of bit cells stores another logical data value of zero (0), a short between each bit cell and ground.

12. An integrated circuit, comprising:

a memory structure having an array of bit cells accessible via word lines arranged in rows and bit lines arranged in columns and a ground line, wherein one or more bit cells are coupled to the bit lines, and wherein one or more other bit cells are coupled to the ground line;

a source line coupled to the bit cell; and

a source line driver coupled between the word line and the source line, wherein the source line driver allows the source line to be used as a switched source line.

13. The integrated circuit of claim 12, wherein the memory structure comprises a Read Only Memory (ROM) structure, and wherein the array of bit cells comprises a ROM array.

14. The integrated circuit of claim 12, wherein the array of bitcells comprises one or more columns of flag bit cells, and wherein the bitlines comprise flag bitlines that are used to provide inverted flags for data encoding with a column of flag bit cells, and wherein the one or more columns of flag bit cells provide data encoding that is used to speed up discharge during the bitline fall transition.

15. The integrated circuit of claim 12, wherein the word line comprises an active word line and a passive word line, and wherein one or more other bit cells coupled to the ground line provide a zero connection for partially discharging a source line coupled to the active word line, and wherein the zero connection provides a partial discharge path of the source line to ground to accelerate a falling transition of the bit line.

16. The integrated circuit of claim 12, wherein each bit cell of the array of bit cells is coupled between a corresponding one of the source lines and a corresponding one of the bit lines or a corresponding one of the ground lines.

17. The integrated circuit of claim 16, wherein each bit cell in the array of bit cells stores a logical data value of one (1), a connection between each bit cell and the corresponding bit line, and wherein each bit cell in the array of bit cells stores another logical data value of zero (0), a connection between each bit cell and the corresponding ground line.

18. An integrated circuit, comprising:

a memory structure having bit cells accessible via word lines arranged in rows and complementary bit lines arranged in columns, wherein one or more bit cells are coupled to a first bit line BL of the complementary bit lines, and wherein one or more other bit cells are coupled to a second bit line NBL of the complementary bit lines;

a source line coupled to the word line and the bit cell; and

a source line driver coupled between the word line and the source line, wherein the source line driver allows the source line to be used as a switched source line.

19. The integrated circuit of claim 18, wherein each bit cell of the array of bit cells is coupled between a corresponding one of the source lines and a corresponding one of the complementary bit lines BL or a corresponding one of the complementary bit lines NBL.

20. The integrated circuit of claim 19, wherein each bit cell in the array of bit cells stores a logical data value of one (1), a connection between each bit cell and the corresponding first bit line BL, and wherein each bit cell in the array of bit cells stores another logical data value of zero (0), a connection between each bit cell and the corresponding second bit line NBL.

Background

This section is intended to provide information relevant to understanding the various techniques described herein. As the title of this section implies, this is a discussion of related art and should in no way imply that it is prior art. In general, related art may or may not be considered prior art. Thus, the correct understanding is: any statements in this section should be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.

In conventional memory applications, low power/energy systems typically use low operating voltages for the memory. However, at low operating voltages, conventional memory read margins may collapse because the worst (min) on current (Ion) with variation may be equal to or lower than the worst (max) off current (m × Ioff). In general, the on current (Ion) refers to the current (I) on the bit line of a selected bit cell, and the off current (Ioff) refers to the leakage current of unselected bit cells on the same bit line. For a memory array in which (m +1) bit cells share bit lines in a column, the worst-case off current is "m" multiplied by Ioff, which can make it difficult to distinguish between a read logic "0" and a read logic "1". Assuming that the bit cell size has been optimized for a given region of (Ion/Ioff) to achieve the lowest operation Vmin, then "m" needs to be significantly reduced, which may result in shorter columns, resulting in smaller banks, and thus lower memory density.

Drawings

Implementations of various technologies are described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the drawings illustrate only various embodiments described herein and are not meant to limit embodiments of various technologies described herein.

1A-1C illustrate diagrams of memory circuits having switched source lines according to various embodiments described herein.

2A-2B illustrate diagrams of memory circuits having switched source lines according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 3 shows a diagram of another memory circuit with a switched source line according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 4 shows a diagram of another memory circuit with a switched source line according to various embodiments described herein.

Detailed Description

Various implementations described herein are directed to a switched source line for various memory applications. For example, some embodiments described herein are directed to Switched Source Line (SSL), data encoding, low minimum voltage (Vmin) memory applications, such as Read Only Memory (ROM). Some embodiments described herein may provide embedded via programmable ROM circuits that can be encoded with data to achieve a low minimum operating voltage (Vmin), thereby helping to improve read speed.

Various implementations described herein use Switched Source Lines (SSL) to reduce Ioff from unselected rows. Ioff (leakage current) from unselected bit cells on the same shared bit line reduces the resolution between reading a logic "0" or a logic "1" so that Ioff can reduce the read margin and thus reduce the robustness of the memory read under different operating conditions and/or variations. This SSL technique involves driving Source Lines (SL) as an inverse of Word Lines (WL). This may ensure that the bit lines may be pulled down using an on current (Ion), or kept in a pre-charge state, depending on the state stored in the bit cells of the selected row (i.e., active word line (WL 1, SL 0)), while bit cells of other unselected rows (WL0, SL 1) sharing the same bit line do not leak because their source lines are pulled high. Thus, this SSL technique can increase the read margin from the conventional (Ion/(m Ioff)) to (Ion/Ioff), thereby having one or more or a few bits per Bit Line (BL) limited only by the read speed, and thus allowing higher density, low Vmin ROM.

Some embodiments described herein are directed to a differential read ROM having a single transistor bit cell. For example, some embodiments described herein may provide embedded via programmable ROM circuits that use a single transistor bit cell for differential reading to achieve low minimum operating voltage (Vmin) or high speed. As such, some embodiments described herein may use Switched Source Lines (SSL) to reduce Ioff from unselected rows, and in addition, some embodiments described herein may use differential reading to improve read margin.

Various implementations of Switched Source Line (SSL) circuits for memory applications will now be described in detail herein with reference to fig. 1A-4.

1A-1C illustrate diagrams of memory circuits 100A, 100B, 100C with Switched Source Lines (SSL) according to embodiments described herein. In particular, fig. 1A shows a memory circuit 100A with a Switched Source Line (SSL) and source line driver 108, fig. 1B shows a memory circuit 100B with a Switched Source Line (SSL) and other source line drivers 118, and fig. 1C shows a memory circuit 100C with a floating Switched Source Line (SSL).

As shown in FIG. 1A, memory circuit 100A may be implemented by a memory structure having an array of bit cells 104 that are accessible via (m +1) word lines (WL0 … WLm) and (n +1) bit lines (BL0 … BLn). The word lines (WL0 … WLm) may be arranged in (m +1) rows (row _0 … row _ m), and the bit lines (BL0 … BLn) may be arranged in a plurality of columns (col _0 … col _ n).

In some cases, the memory structure may be implemented as a Read Only Memory (ROM) structure, and the array of bit cells 104 may be implemented as a ROM array. For example, as shown in fig. 1A-1C, each bit cell 104 in the array of bit cells may be implemented by a single transistor coupled between a corresponding Bit Line (BL) of the bit lines (BL0 … BLn) and a corresponding Source Line (SL) of the source lines (SL0 … SLm). In some cases, as shown, a single transistor may be implemented by a single n-type metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) transistor. In other cases, a single transistor may be implemented by a single p-type mos (pmos) transistor.

In other cases, the memory structure may be implemented as a Random Access Memory (RAM) structure and the array of bitcells 104 may be implemented as a RAM array, e.g., static RAM (sram). For example, as shown in fig. 2A-2B, the memory structure may be implemented as an SRAM structure and the array of bitcells 104 may be implemented as an SRAM array.

Memory circuit 100A may include (m +1) source lines (SL0 … SLm) coupled to bit-cell 104. In addition, the memory circuit 100A may include (m +1) source line drivers 108 (i.e., 108_0 … 108_ m) coupled between the word line (WL0 … WLm) and the source line (SL0 … SLm). In some cases, the source line driver (108_0 … 108_ m) may allow the source line (SL0 … SLm) to be used as a Switched Source Line (SSL).

In some cases, as shown in FIG. 1A, the source line driver (108_0 … 108_ m) may be implemented by various types of logic devices. For example, as shown in FIG. 1A, the logic device may be implemented by an inverter 108. As shown in the memory circuit 100B of fig. 1B, the logic device may be implemented by a single transistor 118 (i.e., 118_0 … 118_ m) (e.g., a single PMOS transistor). Alternatively, if the Bit Line (BL) is pre-discharged, the single transistor 118 may be implemented by a single NMOS transistor.

In some cases, each of the rows (row _0 … row _ m) may include (n +1) bit cells 104 (i.e., 104_0 … 104_ n), a corresponding one of the source lines (SL0 … SLm), and a corresponding one of the Source Line Drivers (SLD) (108_0 … 108_ m). In other cases, each of the rows (row _0 … row _ m) may be implemented by a single one of the Source Line Drivers (SLD) coupled to a single one of the source lines (SL0 … SLm) between a single one of the word lines (WL0 … WLm) and the (n +1) bit cells 104 (i.e., 104_0 … 104 — n) (108_0 … 108_ m).

In some cases, each bit cell 104 in the array of bit cells is coupled between a corresponding one of the source lines (SL0 … SLm) and a corresponding one of the bit lines (BL0 … BLn). In addition, each bit cell 104 in the array of bit cells may store a logical data value of one (1), a short (X) between each bit cell 104 and a corresponding Bit Line (BL), and each bit cell 104 in the array of bit cells may store another logical data value of zero (0), an open circuit (i.e., a gap) between each bit cell 104 and the corresponding Bit Line (BL).

In some embodiments, the word lines (WL0 … WLm) include an active word line and an inactive word line, and the initial conditions of the Source Lines (SL) of the inactive word lines may be similar to the initial conditions of any one of the bit lines (BL0 … BLn). In other implementations, the Source Line Driver (SLD) may be operable to reduce leakage of the bit cell 104(104_0 … 104n) in order to increase a read margin associated with a read operation of the bit cell 104(104_0 … 104n), and the increase in the read margin may be associated with at least one of an off current through the bit line (BL0 … BLn) and/or a precharge voltage of the bit line (BL0 … BLn).

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 1A, switching the source line ROM may increase Vmin and extend access time. Such SSL technology can improve Vmin of ROM, but may adversely affect read speed. Sometimes, the discharge of the BL capacitance affects the read access time, and the pull-down current of the BL discharge may be limited by the transistors in the SL driver 108 of the selected row. To alleviate this slow-down problem, a contactless bit representing "0" may be connected between SL and VSS, e.g., as shown in FIG. 3. In some cases, an inversion flag may also be stored in each physical row, as also shown in FIG. 3. As will be described below, the inversion flag may be set in the following cases: "1" bit number "in a physical row > and" 0 "bit number" in a physical row, the complement of the data being stored in the corresponding row. Additionally, a small 4 x 4 data encoding example (i.e., matrix 1) is shown herein below with reference to fig. 3.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1B, memory circuit 100B may be implemented by a memory structure having an array of bitcells 104 accessible via word lines (WL0 … WLm) arranged in rows (row _0 … row _ m) and bit lines (BL0 … BLn) arranged in columns (col _0 … col _ n). Memory circuit 100B may have a single transistor 118 coupled to bit cell 104. In this case, each bit cell 104 in the array of bit cells may be coupled between a corresponding Source Line (SL) and a corresponding Bit Line (BL).

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 1B, the NMOS transistor of SL driver 118 may be removed, and thus, as shown in fig. 1A, a0 bit store may provide a pull-down function without using a full inverter. As shown, the 0 memory bit may provide a pull down function, a short between each bit cell and ground (Vss). In addition, the pull-up may ensure that SL of the unselected rows is 1, and thus, the memory circuit 100B may have the same or substantially similar Vmin improvement.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1C, memory circuit 100C may be implemented by a memory structure having an array of bitcells 104 accessible via word lines (WL0 … WLm) arranged in rows (row _0 … row _ m) and bit lines (BL0 … BLn) arranged in columns (col _0 … col _ n). Memory circuit 100C may have a floating source line (F _ SL0 … F _ SLm) coupled to bit cell 104(1040.. 104 n). In this case, each bit cell 104 in the array of bit cells may be coupled between a corresponding one of the floating source lines (F _ SL0 … F _ SLm) and a corresponding one of the bit lines (BL0 … BLn).

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 1C, the Source Line (SL) driver may not be driven, i.e., the SL driver may be removed, and thus, the Source Line (SL) may float. In this case, for the selected row, the Word Line (WL) may be set, and the 0 memory bit may couple (or connect) SL to ground (VSS). Thus, as shown, a0 bit cell may provide a pull down function, a short between each bit cell and ground (Vss). In addition, for unselected rows, SL will be floating, which may result in a higher Ioff in the column during read, eroding some of the Vmin gain. The advantage of this topology is that standby leakage may be minimal if the SL is floating in standby mode (where one or more or all WLs are 0).

Thus, with reference to fig. 1A-1C, various embodiments described herein may provide memory circuits and structures (e.g., ROM) with Switched Source Lines (SSL) to reduce the minimum operating voltage (Vmin). In addition, embodiments described herein may provide a switched source line ROM with a bit storing a logic 0 that is used as a partial discharge path and data encoding to increase speed.

The memory circuits 100A, 100B, 100C may be implemented as Integrated Circuits (ICs) when using various types of memory, such as Read Only Memory (ROM) or any other type of non-volatile memory. The memory circuits 100A, 100B, 100C may be implemented as ICs having a single-rail or dual-rail memory architecture. The memory circuits 100A, 100B, 100C may be integrated with the computing circuitry and related components on a single chip. The memory circuits 100A, 100B, 100C may be implemented in embedded systems for various electronic and mobile applications, including low power consumption sensor nodes for IoT (internet of things) applications.

As shown in fig. 1A-1C, the memory circuits 100A, 100B, 100C include a memory, e.g., a core circuit having an array of bit cells. The bit cell array may include any number of bit cells arranged in various configurations, for example, a two-dimensional (2D) memory array having a plurality of bit cells in any number of columns (col _ n) and any number of rows (row _ m), which may be arranged in a 2D grid pattern with a 2D indexing function. As shown, each bitcell may be implemented by a Read Only Memory (ROM) circuit and/or some other type of non-volatile type of memory. In some cases, the memory circuits 100A, 100B, 100C may operate at a source voltage level VDD, with the voltage range varying with technology.

2A-2B illustrate diagrams of a memory circuit 200 having a switched source line according to various embodiments described herein. In particular, fig. 2A shows a first portion 200A (or left side portion) of the memory circuit 200, and fig. 2B shows a second portion 200B (or right side portion) of the memory circuit 200.

2A-2B, memory circuits 200A, 200B are implemented by a memory architecture having an array of bitcells 204 accessible via (m +1) read wordlines (RWL0 … RWLm) and wordlines (WL0 … WLm) and (n +1) complementary bitlines (NBL0/BL0 … NBLn/BLn) and read bitlines (RBL0 … RBLN). The read word lines (RWL0 … RWLm) and word lines (WL0 … WLm) may be arranged in (m +1) rows (row _0 … row _ m), while the read bit lines (RBL0 … RBLN) and bit lines (BL0 … BLn) may be arranged in columns (col _0 … col _ n).

In some examples, the memory structure may be implemented as a Random Access Memory (RAM) structure, and the array of bit cells 204 may be implemented as a RAM array. For example, as shown in fig. 2A-2B, each bit cell 204 in the bit cell array may be implemented by a plurality of transistors (e.g., 8T) coupled between complementary bit lines (NBL, BL, RBL) of a plurality of read/write bit lines (NBL0/BL0/RBL0 … NBLn/BLn/RBLn) and a corresponding one of the source lines (SL0 … SLm). In some cases, as shown, the plurality of transistors may be implemented by SRAM CMOS transistors (e.g., both NMOS and PMOS transistors). In this case, as shown in fig. 2A-2B, the memory structure may be implemented as an SRAM structure and the array of bitcells 204 may be implemented as an SRAM array.

Memory circuits 200A, 200B may include (m +1) source lines (SL0 … SLm) coupled to bit-cell 204. In addition, the memory circuits 200A, 200B may include (m +1) source line drivers 208 (i.e., 208_0 … 208_ m) coupled between the read word line (RWL0 … RWLm) and the source line (SL0 … SLm). Additionally, some of the bit cell transistors of bit cell 204 are coupled between a read word line (RWL0 … RWLm) and a source line (SL0 … SLm). In some cases, the source line driver (208_0 … 208_ m) may allow the source line (SL0 … SLm) to be used as a Switched Source Line (SSL).

In some cases, as shown in fig. 2A-2B, the source line driver (208_0 … 208_ m) may be implemented by various types of logic devices. For example, as shown in FIG. 1A, the logic device may be implemented by an inverter 208.

In some cases, each of the rows (row _0 … row _ m) may include (n +1) bit cells 204 (i.e., 204_0 … 204_ n), a corresponding one of the source lines (SL0 … SLm), and a corresponding one of the Source Line Drivers (SLD) (208_0 … 208_ m). In other cases, each of the rows (row _0 … row _ m) may be implemented by a single one of the Source Line Drivers (SLD) coupled to a single one of the source lines (SL0 … SLm) between a single one of the word lines (WL0 … WLm) and the (n +1) bit cells 204 (i.e., 204_0 … 204 — n) (208_0 … 208_ m).

In some cases, each bit cell 204 in the array of bit cells is coupled between a corresponding one of the source lines (SL0 … SLm) and a corresponding one of the bit lines (NBL/BL0/RBL0 … NBLn/BLn/RBLn) (NBL/BL/RBL). Further, each bit cell 204 in the array of bit cells may store at least one data bit value (e.g., a data value associated with a logical "0" or "1").

In some embodiments, the word lines (RWL0/WL0 … RWLm/WLm) include active word lines and passive word lines, and the initial condition of the Source Line (SL) of the passive word lines may be similar to the initial condition of any one of the bit lines (NBL0/BL0/RBL0 … NBLn/BLn/RBLn). In other embodiments, the Source Line Driver (SLD) may be operable to reduce leakage of the bit cell 104(104_0 … 104n) in order to increase a read margin associated with a read operation of the bit cell 104(104_0 … 104n), and the increase in the read margin may be associated with at least one of an off current through the bit line (NBL0/BL0/RBL0 … NBLn/BLn/RBLn) and/or a precharge voltage of the bit line (NBL0/BL0/RBL0 … NBLn/BLn/RBLn).

The memory circuits 200A, 200B may be implemented as Integrated Circuits (ICs) when using various types of memory, such as Random Access Memory (RAM) or any other type of volatile memory. The memory circuits 200A, 200B may be implemented as ICs having a single rail or dual rail memory architecture. The memory circuits 200A, 200B may be integrated with the computational circuitry and related components on a single chip. The memory circuits 200A, 200B may be implemented in embedded systems for various electronic and mobile applications, including low power sensor nodes for IoT (internet of things) applications.

As shown in fig. 2A-2B, the memory circuits 200A, 200B include a memory, e.g., a core circuit having an array of bit cells. The bit cell array may include any number of bit cells arranged in various configurations, for example, a two-dimensional (2D) memory array having a plurality of bit cells in any number of columns (col _ n) and any number of rows (row _ m), which may be arranged in a 2D grid pattern with a 2D indexing function. As illustrated, each bitcell may be implemented by Random Access Memory (RAM) circuitry and/or some other type of volatile memory. In some cases, the memory circuits 200A, 200B may operate at a source voltage level VDD, with the voltage range varying with technology.

FIG. 3 shows a diagram of another memory circuit 300 with a switched source line according to embodiments described herein. The various components described below in FIG. 3 are similar in scope, function, and operation to those described with reference to the memory circuit 100A shown in FIG. 1A.

As shown in FIG. 3, the memory circuit 300 may be implemented by a memory structure having an array of bit cells 104 that are accessible via (m +1) word lines (WL0 … WLm) and (n +1) bit lines (BL0 … BLn). The word lines (WL0 … WLm) may be arranged in (m +1) rows (row _0 … row _ m), and the bit lines (BL0 … BLn) may be arranged in (n +1) columns (col _0 … col _ n) and ground lines (Vss). As shown, one or more bit cells 104 are coupled to and shorted (X) to a bit line (BL0 … BLn), and one or more other bit cells 104 are coupled to and shorted (X) to ground (Vss).

In some cases, the memory structure may be implemented as a Read Only Memory (ROM) structure, and the array of bit cells 104 may be implemented as a ROM array. For example, as shown in fig. 3, each bit cell 104 in the array of bit cells may be implemented by a single transistor coupled between a corresponding Bit Line (BL) of the bit lines (BL0 … BLn) and a corresponding Source Line (SL) of the source lines (SL0 … SLm). In various cases, a single transistor may be implemented by a single NMOS transistor (as shown) or a single PMOS transistor.

Memory circuit 100A may include (m +1) source lines (SL0 … SLm) coupled to bit-cell 104. In addition, the memory circuit 100A may include (m +1) source line drivers 108 (i.e., 108_0 … 108_ m) coupled between the word line (WL0 … WLm) and the source line (SL0 … SLm). In some cases, the source line driver (108_0 … 108_ m) may allow the source line (SL0 … SLm) to be used as a Switched Source Line (SSL).

In some embodiments, the array of bitcells 104 may include a column (col _ f) of bitcells (304_0 … 304_ m), and the bitlines may include a flag Bitline (BLF) for providing an inverted flag for data encoding with the column (col _ f) of bitcells (304_0 … 304_ m). In addition, data encoding can speed up the source line (SL0 … SLm). In some cases, a single flag column (col _ f) may be used for data encoding, as shown in fig. 3. However, in other cases, multiple flag columns may be used for more elaborate data encoding. For example, a 128-bit physical row may have 4 logical words per 32 bits, and thus, 4 flag bits may be used instead of 1 flag bit.

In some implementations, each bit cell 104 in the array of bit cells can be coupled between a corresponding one of the source lines (SL0 … SLm) and a corresponding one of the bit lines (BL0 … BLn) or a corresponding one of the ground lines (Vss). As shown, each bit cell 104 in the bit cell array may store a logical data value of one (1), a connection or short (X) between each bit cell 104 and a corresponding Bit Line (BL), and each bit cell 104 in the bit cell array may store another logical data value of zero (0), a connection or short (X) between each bit cell 104 and a corresponding ground line (Vss). The word line (WL0 … WLm) may include an active word line and a passive word line, and thus, the bit cells 104 coupled to ground (Vss) may provide a zero connection to partially discharge the source line (SL0 … SLm) coupled to the active word line. In this way, the zero connections may provide a source line to ground (Vss) partial discharge path to speed up the falling transition of the bit lines. Additionally, the zero-bit connection may provide data encoding for expediting source line (SL0 … SLm) partial discharge during the falling transition of the word line (WL0 … WLm).

In some embodiments, the memory circuit 300 may include (n +1) sense amplifiers (SA0 … SAn) and a flag Sense Amplifier (SAF) for the flag column (col _ f). The sense amplifier (SA0 … SAn) may be arranged to receive a bit line signal and a voltage reference signal (Vref) from a bit line (BL0 … BLn) and provide an output signal (Q0/QN0 … QN/QNn). The flag Sense Amplifier (SAF) may be arranged to receive a flag bit line signal from a flag Bit Line (BLF) and a voltage reference signal (Vref), and to provide an output signal (Qinv) which may be used as a control select signal. Also as shown, the memory circuit 300 may include (n +1) multiplexers (mux _0 … mux _ n) arranged to receive the output signals (Q0/QN0 … Qn/QNn and Qinv) and the voltage reference signal (Vref) from the sense amplifiers (SA0 … SAn and SAF) and to provide as an output a read-out signal (read-out [0] … read-out [ n ]) based on the output signal (Qinv) from the flag Sense Amplifier (SAF) that may be used as a control select signal.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 3, a switched source line ROM with low Vmin using a "0" bit as a partial discharge path may be implemented to shorten access time. In addition, data encoding (e.g., as shown below with reference to matrix 1) may be used to ensure that the number of partial discharge paths in a physical row is greater than half. For example, the data encoding may ensure that the partial discharge path created by a "0" bit is at least greater than or equal to a "1" bit in any physical row. In other cases, although a threshold may be used as half of the enabled data encoding in example matrix 1, the threshold may be selected to be a smaller/larger value, and in addition, the threshold limits or "1" bit ratio: the "0" bit may be used to trade off access speed against memory leakage power. Thus, the SL driver 108 may be widened by a plurality of bit cells of value "0" that may serve as partial discharge paths to ground (Vss). Thus, in some cases, the access time of the memory circuit 300 in FIG. 3 may approach conventional ROM speeds.

Furthermore, with reference to matrix 1 provided below, performance can be improved using data encoding by making the worst case approach the average case. In this case, data encoding can be used to ensure that enough pull-down transistors are used in each physical row, and improving the worst case (from all 1's to at most half 1's) is a favorable result of using SSL techniques for this data encoding.

Matrix 1

FIG. 4 shows a diagram of another memory circuit 400 having a switched source line according to an embodiment described herein. The various components described below in FIG. 4 are similar in scope, function, and operation to those described with reference to the memory circuit 100A shown in FIG. 1A.

As shown in FIG. 4, memory circuit 400 may be implemented by a memory structure having an array of bit cells 104 that are accessible via (m +1) word lines (WL0 … WLm) and (n +1) complementary bit lines (NBL0/BL0 … NBL/BLn). The word lines (WL0 … WLm) may be arranged in (m +1) rows (row _0 … row _ m), while the complementary bit lines (NBL0/BL0 … NBL/BLn) may be arranged in (n +1) columns (col _0 … col _ n). As shown, one or more bitcells 104 are coupled to a first bitline (BL0 … BLn) of bitlines (NBL0/BL0 … NBL/BLn) and are shorted (X) to the first bitline (BL0 … BLn), and one or more other bitcells 104 are coupled to a second bitline (NBL0 … NBLn) of bitlines (NBL0/BL0 … NBL/BLn) and are shorted (X) to the second bitline (NBL0 … NBLn).

In some cases, the memory structure may be implemented as a Read Only Memory (ROM) structure, and the array of bit cells 104 may be implemented as a ROM array. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, each bit cell 104 in the bit cell array may be implemented by a single transistor coupled between a corresponding bit line (BL or NBL) of the bit lines (NBL0/BL0 … NBL/BLn) and a corresponding Source Line (SL) of the source lines (SL0 … SLm). In various cases, a single transistor may be implemented by a single NMOS transistor (as shown) or a single PMOS transistor.

Memory circuit 400 may include (m +1) source lines (SL0 … SLm) coupled to bit-cell 104. Additionally, the memory circuit 400 may include (m +1) source line drivers 108 (i.e., 108_0 … 108_ m) coupled between the word line (WL0 … WLm) and the source line (SL0 … SLm). In some cases, the source line driver (108_0 … 108_ m) may allow the source line (SL0 … SLm) to be used as a Switched Source Line (SSL).

In some embodiments, each bit cell 104 in the array of bit cells may be coupled between a corresponding one of the source lines (SL0 … SLm) and a corresponding one of the bit lines (NBL0/BL0 … NBLn/BLn) and a corresponding one of the bit lines (NBL0 … BLn) or a corresponding one of the bit lines (NBL0/BL0 … NBLn/BLn) (NBL0 … NBLn). As shown, each bit cell 104 in the bit cell array may store a logical data value of one (1), a connection or short (X) between each bit cell 104 and a corresponding first bit line (BL0 … BLn), and further, each bit cell 104 in the bit cell array may store another logical data value of zero (0), a connection or short (X) between each bit cell 104 and a corresponding second bit line (NBL0 … NBLn).

In some embodiments, the memory circuit 300 may include (n +1) sense amplifiers (SA0 … SAn) arranged to receive a bitline signal from a bitline (NBL0/BL0 … NBLn/BLn) and provide a read-out signal (read-out [0] … read-out [ n ]) as an output.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 4, a Switched Source Line (SSL) is used to reduce Ioff from unselected rows, and the memory circuit 400 may also use differential reading to improve read margin. For example, a bit cell storing a logic 1 may be coupled (or connected) to a first Bit Line (BL), while a bit cell storing a logic 0 may be coupled (or connected) to a second bit line (NBL). The sense amplifier (SA0 … San) may sense a potential difference between the first Bit Line (BL) and the second bit line (NBL).

In addition, the SSL technique shown in fig. 4 may involve driving the Source Lines (SL) as an inverse of the Word Lines (WL). This SSL technique can ensure that only selected row (WL 1, SL 0) bit cells pull down Ion, while unselected row (WL0, SL 1) bit cells do not leak. Thus, this SSL technique can increase the read margin from Ion/m < Ioff to Ion/Ioff and eliminate "m" from the equation, which can allow several bits per BL or per NBL. The number of bits on the bit lines can be limited only by the read speed, and thus a high density, low Vmin ROM design can be achieved. Thus, in some cases, a switched source line ROM with differential read may be used to obtain a low Vmin by connecting a logic "1" bit to BL and a logic "0" bit to NBL. In this case, differential reading can improve both robustness and sensing speed.

In some embodiments, the differential ROM may be more biased towards speed if SL is grounded (Vss). The benefits of Vmin may be taken away due to the use of Switched Source Lines (SSL), but 1T differential read ROMs may still provide speed improvements, robustness and some Vmin improvement over single-ended conventional ROMs without the large area impact of a true 2T differential bit cell.

Thus, referring to fig. 4, various embodiments described herein may provide memory circuits and structures (e.g., ROM) with Switched Source Lines (SSL) to provide differential read ROM using a single transistor bit cell to improve speed and robustness. In addition, embodiments described herein may provide a switched source line ROM to reduce a minimum operating voltage (Vmin).

Various embodiments of an integrated circuit are described herein. An integrated circuit may include a memory structure having an array of bit cells accessible via word lines arranged in rows and bit lines arranged in columns. An integrated circuit may include a source line coupled to a bit cell. An integrated circuit may include a source line driver coupled between a word line and a source line. The source line driver may allow the source line to be used as a switched source line.

Various embodiments of an integrated circuit are described herein. An integrated circuit may include a memory structure having an array of bit cells accessible via word lines arranged in rows and bit lines arranged in columns. The integrated circuit may include a floating source line coupled to the bit cells, and each bit cell in the array of bit cells may be coupled between a corresponding one of the floating source lines and a corresponding one of the bit lines.

Various embodiments of an integrated circuit are described herein. An integrated circuit may include a memory structure having an array of bit cells accessible via word lines arranged in rows and bit lines arranged in columns and ground. One or more bit cells may be coupled to a bit line and one or more other bit cells may be coupled to ground. An integrated circuit may include a source line coupled to a bit cell. An integrated circuit may include a source line driver coupled between a word line and a source line. The source line driver may allow the source line to be used as a switched source line.

It is intended that the claimed subject matter not be limited to the embodiments and illustrations provided herein, but include modified forms of those embodiments including portions of the embodiments and combinations of elements of different embodiments as come within the scope of the claims. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.

Reference has been made in detail to the various embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and figures. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosure provided herein. However, the disclosure provided herein may be practiced without these specific details. In some other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, circuits, and networks have not been described in detail as not to unnecessarily obscure details of the embodiments.

It will also be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element. The first element and the second element are both elements, respectively, but they are not considered to be the same element.

The terminology used in the description of the disclosure provided herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure provided herein. As used in the description of the disclosure provided herein and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, the term "and/or" refers to and includes any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. The terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes" and/or "including," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

As used herein, the term "if" may be interpreted to mean "when … …" or "at … …" or "in response to a determination" or "in response to a detection", depending on the context. Similarly, the phrase "if it is determined" or "if [ stated condition or event ] is detected" may be interpreted to mean "upon determining" or "in response to determining" or "upon detecting [ stated condition or event ] or" in response to detecting [ stated condition or event ] ", depending on the context. The terms "upper" and "lower"; "higher" and "lower"; "upward" and "downward"; "lower" and "upper"; and other similar terms indicating relative positions above or below a given point or element may be used in connection with some embodiments of the various techniques described herein.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the various techniques described herein, other and further embodiments may be devised in light of the disclosure herein, which may be determined by the claims that follow.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

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