The present application claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 201410005972.X, filed on Jan. 7, 2014, and entitled “MEMORY AND READING METHOD THEREOF, AND CIRCUIT FOR READING MEMORY”, and the entire disclosures of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure generally relates to semiconductor technology field, and more particularly, to a memory and a reading method thereof, and a circuit for reading a memory.
Memory is a fundamental part of a digital integrated circuit and also an indispensible part of an application system which is constructed based on a microprocessor. Recently, various memories are embedded into processors to improve an integration level and operation efficiency of the processors. Therefore, performance of a memory array and its peripheral circuit mainly determines operation efficiency of a whole system.
A reading circuit is an essential part of a peripheral circuit of a memory, which is generally used to sample and amplify micro signals on a bit line of a memory cell in the memory when the memory cell is read, to determine information stored in the memory cell.
The reading circuit is configured to compare a current or a voltage of the bit line of the memory cell in the memory with a base current or voltage to read data stored in the memory cell. Specifically, main functions of the reading circuit in the memory are described as follows.
First, the reading circuit has an amplifying function. The reading circuit amplifies a micro signal difference between the current or voltage of the bit line and the base current or voltage to standard logic electric levels 0 and 1 and output the logic electric levels.
Besides, the reading circuit can accelerate state conversion of the bit line to compensate fan-out driving ability of the memory cell, thereby improving performance and rate of the memory cell.
Besides, the reading circuit can effectively decrease a voltage amplitude of the bit line to reduce power consumption in charging and discharging of the bit line.
A working process of the reading circuit includes a pre-charging stage and a comparison stage. In the pre-charging stage, a bit line of a selected memory cell is pre-charged. Electric potential of the bit line is promoted to a value that can generate a bit line current high enough in the selected memory cell. In the comparison stage, a current or voltage of the bit line is compared with a base current or voltage to output a standard logic electric level, thus, a bit line signal is amplified and data is prone to be read.
The memory cells 100 to 103 are arranged in one row, the memory cells 104 to 107 are arranged in one row, the memory cells 108 to 111 are arranged in one row, and the memory cells 112 to 115 are arranged in one row. The memory cells 100, 104, 108 and 112 are arranged in one column, the memory cells 101, 105, 109 and 113 are arranged in one column, the memory cells 102, 106, 110 and 114 are arranged in one column, and the memory cells 103, 107, 111 and 115 are arranged in one column. The memory cells in one row share one word line, and the memory cells in one column share one bit line. The memory cells 100 to 115 share the source line SL0.
A process for reading the memory which includes the memory array in
For example, the memory cell 100 in
After the pre-charging stage ends, a comparison stage is started. The first control transistor M1 and the second control transistor M2 are conductive, so that the bit line voltage Mat is accessed to the negative terminal 202 of the comparison unit 200. The bit line voltage Mat is compared with a base voltage Ref that is accessed to the positive terminal 201 of the comparison unit 200, and a comparison result Sout, which reflects data stored in the memory, is output from an output terminal of the comparison unit 200.
However, the above memory may have following disadvantages. First, a power supply may have a relatively high voltage. As shown in
In embodiments of the present disclosure, a memory is driven under a relatively low voltage to realize a reading process.
In an embodiment, a memory is provided, including: a memory array; a row decoding circuit configured to apply a word line voltage to a selected word line during a reading operation; a column decoding circuit configured to select a source line connected with a target memory cell based on data of the reading operation, where the target memory cell is connected with the selected word line; and a reading circuit which includes a first input terminal, a second input terminal and a comparison node, where the first input terminal is connected with source lines of the memory cells in the memory array through the column decoding circuit, and is configured to let in a reading current of the target memory cell, the second input terminal is configured to let in a base current, and the comparison node is configured to compare the reading current with a reference current to output a reading result, where the reference current is related to the base current.
Optionally, the memory array includes memory cells arranged in rows and in columns; a plurality of word lines, where the memory cells arranged in one row share one word line; a plurality of bit lines, where the memory cells arranged in one column share one bit line; and a plurality of source lines, where the memory cells arranged in one column share one bit line and the memory cells arranged in different columns are connected with different bit lines.
Optionally, the memory cells in the memory array may share one bit line.
Optionally, the column decoding circuit may include N source-drain series N-Mental-Oxide-Semiconductor (NMOS) transistors including a 1st NMOS transistor to a Nth NMOS transistor, that is, source electrodes of the N NMOS transistors are connected in series, and drain electrodes of the N NMOS transistors are connected in series, where the drain electrode of the 1st NMOS transistor is connected with a source line of a corresponding memory cell, the source electrode of the Nth NMOS transistor is connected with the first input terminal, and N is a natural number greater than or equal to 2.
Optionally, the reading circuit may further include: a current mirror circuit, which includes a current mirror consisting of a first NMOS transistor and a second NMOS transistor, where a drain electrode of the first NMOS transistor is connected with the second input terminal, a drain electrode of the second NMOS transistor is connected with the first input terminal, and the comparison node is a connection node between the drain electrode of the second NMOS transistor and the first input terminal; and a comparison amplifier, where the comparison amplifier includes a positive terminal configured to let in a base voltage, a negative terminal which is connected with the comparison node and configured to let in a comparison voltage of the comparison node, where the comparison voltage is related to the reference current flowing from the comparison node which is generated by the reading current flowing into the comparison node, and a comparison output terminal configured to output the reading result based on the comparison voltage and the base voltage.
In an embodiment, a circuit for reading a memory is provided, where the memory includes a memory array and a column decoding circuit, and the circuit for reading the memory includes: a first input terminal, which is connected with a source lines of memory cells through the column decoding circuit and configured to let in a reading current of a target memory cell; a second input terminal, configured to let in a base current; a comparison node, configured to compare the reading current with a reference current to output a reading result, where the reference current is related to the base current.
Optionally, the circuit for reading the memory may further include: a current mirror circuit, which includes a current mirror consisting of a first NMOS transistor and a second NMOS transistor, where a drain electrode of the first NMOS transistor is connected with the second input terminal, a drain electrode of the second NMOS transistor is connected with the first input terminal, and the comparison node is a connection node between the drain electrode of the second NMOS transistor and the first input terminal; and a comparison amplifier, where the comparison amplifier includes a positive terminal configured to let in a base voltage, a negative terminal which is connected with the comparison node and configured to let in a comparison voltage of the comparison node, where the comparison voltage is related to the reference current flowing from the comparison node which is generated by the reading current flowing into the comparison node, and a comparison output terminal configured to output the reading result based on the comparison voltage and the base voltage.
In an embodiment, a method for reading a memory is provided, where the memory is any one of the above mentioned memories, and the method includes: applying a word line voltage through a row decoding circuit to a word line which is connected with a target memory cell; applying a bit line voltage to a bit line which is connected with the target memory cell; selecting a source line connected with the target memory cell through a column decoding circuit to obtain a reading current at a first input terminal; letting in a base current through the second input terminal; and obtaining a reading result based on the comparison node.
Optionally, the bit line voltage may be within a range from 0.9V to 1.1V.
Embodiments of the present disclosure may have following advantages. In existing techniques, in a memory, a reading voltage or a reading current of a target memory cell is obtained through a bit line of the target memory cell. In embodiments of the present disclosure, the reading voltage or the reading current is obtained through the source line in the memory. The voltage of the power supply of the memory is directly applied to the bit line of the target memory cell, which may greatly decrease the voltage of the power supply (the bit line voltage) required in the reading operation.
Besides, in embodiments of the present disclosure, the column decoding circuit is different from that in the existing techniques. In the existing techniques, the column decoding circuit selects a memory cell by selecting a bit line. In embodiments of the present disclosure, the column decoding circuit is connected with the source lines of the memory cells, and selects a memory cell by providing a low electric level to the source lines of the memory cells. Further, the column decoding circuit consists of a plurality of NMOS transistors. As source electrodes of the NMOS transistors are provided with the low electric level, the control terminals of the NMOS transistors are driven by the low electric level, which may reduce energy consumption.
Besides, in embodiments of the present disclosure, only the bit lines of the memory cells need to be applied with a bit line voltage, thus, a pre-charging circuit is not required in a reading circuit. That is, no pre-charging stage is required in a reading process, which may greatly improve a reading rate of the memory and further reduce energy consumption.
In order to clarify the objects, characteristics and advantages of the disclosure, embodiments of present disclosure will be described in detail in conjunction with accompanying drawings.
Many details are described in following description to better understand the present disclosure. It should be noted that, the following embodiments are only illustrative. Those skilled in the art can modify and vary the embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
As described in the background, in the existing techniques, a circuit for reading a memory is always driven by a high voltage VDD of a power supply.
Referring to
However, reading circuits are designed to have a high rate and low consumption to accommodate the trend in downsizing of memory sizes. When sizes of circuits and structures in a memory are reduced, the voltage of the power supply is reduced accordingly. Therefore, the reading circuit in the conventional memory does not conform the trend.
To enable a memory to better accommodate a relatively low driving voltage of a power supply, a memory is provided in an embodiment, which may realize fast reading under a relatively low voltage of a power supply.
Referring to
In some embodiments, the reference current I0 may be equal to the base current Ir, or may be proportional to the base current Ir, or may have a function relation with the base current Ir.
Referring to
The memory array 300 further includes word lines wl0 to wl3, source lines sl0 to sl3 and one bit line bl0. The memory cells in one row share one word line, the memory cells in one column share one bit line, and the memory cells 100 to 115 share the bit line bl0.
From
Therefore, at least two kinds of memory array are provided in embodiments of the present disclosure.
The first kind of memory array includes memory cells arranged in rows and in columns, a plurality of word lines, a plurality of bit lines and a plurality of source lines. The memory cells arranged in one row share one word line. The memory cells arranged in one column share one bit line and the memory cells arranged in different columns are connected with different bit lines. The memory cells arranged in one column share one source line and the memory cells arranged in different columns are connected with different source lines.
The second kind of memory array includes memory cells arranged in rows and in columns, a plurality of word lines, one bit line and a plurality of source lines. The memory cells arranged in one row share one word line. All the memory cells share one bit line, that is, not only the memory cells arranged in one column share one bit line but also the memory cells arranged in different columns share one bit line. The memory cells arranged in one column share one source line and the memory cells arranged in different columns are connected with different source lines.
For example, the memory cell 100 is the target memory cell. In the first kind of memory array, the plurality of bit lines may be connected in parallel. During the reading operation, a bit line voltage is provided to the bit lines directly. A word line voltage is applied to the selected word line wl0 through the row decoding circuit 301, the source line sl0 connected with the memory cell 100 is selected by the column decoding circuit 302, and a source line voltage (low electric level) is provided to the source line sl0. In this manner, the memory cell 100 is selected, and a source line current Is, which is also called a reading current, is output from the source line sl0. In the second kind of memory array, all the memory cells share one bit line. During the reading operation, a bit line voltage is provided to the bit line directly, and the memory cell 100 is selected following a similar process described in the first kind of memory array.
Still referring to
In some embodiments, the column decoding circuit 302 may include one NMOS transistor (not shown), whose drain electrode is connected with a source line of a corresponding memory cell and whose source electrode is connected with the first input terminal 330.
Still referring to
It can be known from the above structure, a current from the drain electrode to the source electrode in the second NMOS transistor N2 is the reference current M. The reference current I0 is a mirror current of a current from the drain electrode to the source electrode in the first NMOS transistor N1, i.e., a mirror current of the base current Ir. Thus, the reference current I0 is proportional to the base current Ir, and the proportion is related to a ratio of a size of the first NMOS transistor N1 to a size of the second NMOS transistor N2.
The comparison node 332 generates a comparison current or a comparison voltage based on the source line current Is let in by the first input terminal 330 and the reference current M. The comparison current is (Is−I0). The comparison voltage is related to the source line current Is flowing into the comparison node 332 and the reference current I0 output from the comparison node 332.
In some embodiments, the reading result of the selected memory cell may be related to the comparison current or the comparison voltage.
In some embodiments, the reading result of the selected memory cell is related to the comparison current. The reading circuit may further include an inverting amplifier unit consisting of a plurality of inverting amplifiers connected in series. The inverting amplifier unit is configured to let in the comparison current and amplify the comparison signal to realize data reading.
In some embodiments, the reading result of the selected memory cell is related to the comparison voltage. The reading circuit may further include a comparison amplifier 334. Referring to
In embodiments of the present disclosure, no pre-charging stage is required in the reading process. When the reading operation of the memory starts, the voltage Vdd of the power supply is provided, that is, the bit line voltage (i.e., the voltage Vdd) is applied to the bit lines connected with the memory cells. At the same time, the row decoding circuit 301 applies the word line voltage to the word line connected with the target memory cell, and the column decoding circuit 302 connects the source line which is connected with the target memory cell to a low electric level to obtain the reading current (source current).
The above process is actually a power-on process of the memory. No pre-charging stage for the bit lines is required, and the bit lines in the memory array are applied with the voltage Vdd of the power supply directly, which may greatly improve the reading rate of the memory.
The voltage of the power supply required in the memory in embodiments of the present disclosure is further compared with that in the existing techniques.
Referring to
Referring to
In an embodiment, a circuit for reading the above memory is provided, including: a first input terminal, which is connected with a source line of a memory cell through a column decoding circuit in the memory and configured to let in a reading current of a target memory cell; a second input terminal, configured to let in a base current; a comparison node, configured to compare the reading current with a reference current to output a reading result, where the reference current is related to the base current.
In some embodiments, the circuit for reading the memory may further include: a current mirror circuit, which includes a current mirror consisting of a first NMOS transistor and a second NMOS transistor, where a drain electrode of the first NMOS transistor is connected with the second input terminal, a drain electrode of the second NMOS transistor is connected with the first input terminal, and the comparison node is a connection node between the drain electrode of the second NMOS transistor and the first input terminal; and a comparison amplifier, where the comparison amplifier includes a positive terminal configured to let in a base voltage, a negative terminal which is connected with the comparison node and configured to let in a comparison voltage of the comparison node, where the comparison voltage is related to a reference current flowed from the comparison node which is generated by the reading current flowing over the comparison node, and a comparison output terminal configured to output the reading result based on the compassion voltage and the base voltage.
In an embodiment, a method for reading a memory is provided, including S100 to S104.
In S100, a word line voltage is applied through a row decoding circuit of the memory to a word line which is connected with a target memory cell.
In S101, a bit line voltage is applied to a bit line which is connected with the target memory cell.
In some embodiments, the bit line voltage may be equal to a voltage of power supply. In some embodiments, the bit line voltage may be within a range from 0.9V to 1.1V. It should be noted that, the bit line voltage (the voltage of the power supply) in the method may be not limited to a low electric level voltage, such as the range from 0.9V to 1.1V. In some embodiments, the bit line voltage may be a high electric level voltage.
In S102, a source line connected with the target memory cell is selected through a column decoding circuit, to obtain a reading current at a first input terminal.
In S103, a base current is let in through the second input terminal.
In S104, a reading result is obtained based on the comparison node.
It should be noted that, S100, S101 and S102 belong to a power-on process of the memory. Thus, they may be performed in any sequence. In some embodiments, S101 is performed when the memory is applied with the voltage of power supply. S100 and S102 are steps for selecting the target memory cell. When the memory cells are read, S101 may be performed once while S100 and S102 may be performed repeatedly.
From above, the method for reading the memory is different from that in the existing techniques.
In the existing techniques, except for the power-on process of the memory, a memory reading process further includes a pre-charging stage and a comparison stage. During the memory reading process, the power-on process of the memory is performed only one time. When the memory cells in the memory are selected and data therein are read, the pre-charging stage and the comparison stage are performed repeatedly according to target memory cells selected.
In embodiments of the present disclosure, the memory reading process includes the power-on process of the memory and the comparison stage. From S100 to S104, S101 needs to be performed one time actually. As the reading process does not include a pre-charging stage, when the memory cells are selected and data thereof are read, only steps for selecting the memory cells and the comparison steps are performed repeatedly. As a result, energy consumption may be reduced, and the reading rate may be improved.
Although the present disclosure has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it should be understood that the disclosure is presented by way of example only, and not limitation. Those skilled in the art can modify and vary the embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the protection scope of the present disclosure is subject to the scope defined by the claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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201410005972.X | Jan 2014 | CN | national |