The present invention relates to a memory chip, in which a power voltage is independently supplied to a memory cell array and a peripheral circuit, and a memory device and a memory system including the same device.
As memory technology advances, memory devices are becoming more integrated and performance improvement thereof is required, and to this end, a design of a memory chip is improved to reduce a size thereof. Development of a memory chip capable of operating more rapidly with the same power is becoming necessary.
Conventionally, a single power voltage is supplied from the outside of a memory chip, and a memory cell array power voltage VDDA and a peripheral circuit power voltage VDDP are generated through a separate internal power voltage generating circuit in the memory chip.
However, when the power voltage VDDA (an array VDD) supplied to the memory cell array is lowered, a current consumed in the memory cell array may be significantly reduced, and the power voltage VDDP (a periphery VDD) supplied to the peripheral circuit is increased, an operation speed of the memory device may be increased so that in order to improve the performance of the memory device, it is necessary to supply the power voltage for the memory cell array and the power voltage for the peripheral circuit separately from the outside of the memory chip.
In this regard, although Korean Patent Laid-Open Application No. 10-2004-0000880 (entitled “Method for supplying power supply voltage in semiconductor memory device and circuit for supplying cell array power supply voltage”) has been registered, there is a limitation of the conventional technique in that a power voltage cannot be independently supplied to a memory cell array and a peripheral circuit.
The present invention is directed to providing a memory chip in which a power voltage is independently supplied to a memory cell array and a peripheral circuit, a memory device, and a memory system including the memory device.
One aspect of the present invention provides a memory chip includes a memory cell array configured with an arrangement of memory cells, and a peripheral circuit positioned around the memory cell array and having a power line electrically independent from the memory cell array, wherein a power voltage is independently and externally supplied to the memory cell array and the peripheral circuit.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a memory device including at least one memory chip which includes a memory cell array configured with an arrangement of memory cells and a peripheral circuit positioned around the memory cell array and having a power line electrically independent from the memory cell array, and a power voltage supply unit configured to supply a power voltage to the memory cell array and the peripheral circuit, wherein the power voltage supply unit independently supplies the power voltage to the memory cell array and the peripheral circuit.
Still another aspect of the present invention provides a memory system including a memory device which includes at least one memory chip having a memory cell array configured with an arrangement of memory cells and a peripheral circuit positioned around the memory cell array and having a power line electrically independent from the memory cell array, and a power voltage supply unit configured to supply a power voltage to the memory cell array and the peripheral circuit, wherein the power supply voltages are independently and externally supplied to the memory cell array and the peripheral circuit, a memory controller configured to control a command, a piece of data, and an address which are input to and output from the memory device, and a memory bus configured to transfer information between the memory device and the memory controller.
Therefore, the present invention may provide a memory cell array power voltage (VDDA) and a peripheral circuit power voltage (VDDP), which are desired by a customer according to application, by externally separating and providing the memory cell array power voltage (VDDA) and the peripheral circuit power voltage (VDDP).
Additionally, the above-described solutions are not all of the features of the present invention. Various features of the present invention and advantages and effects thereof will be more fully understood by reference to the following Modes of the Invention.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a memory chip, in which a power voltage required for a memory cell array and a peripheral circuit is generated outside the memory chip and the generated power voltage is independently supplied to the memory cell array and the peripheral circuit, a memory device and a memory system using the same are provided. Therefore, a memory chip operating at high speed, in which a low power voltage is supplied to the memory cell array to significantly reduce current consumption and a high power voltage is also supplied to the peripheral circuit, and a memory device and a memory system using the same can be implemented, and power integrity (PI) and signal integrity (SI) problems due to the lack of power capability can also be resolved.
Further, since the memory chip and the memory device and system using the same according to the embodiments of the present invention do not need to have a power voltage generating circuit in each memory chip so that a size of the memory chip can be reduced such that efficiency in design of the memory chip is achieved, and a memory chip, which is capable of eliminating side effects of heat generated when a power supply voltage is generated inside the memory chip, and a memory device and a memory system using the same can be provided.
Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so as to allow those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains to easily practice the present invention. Further, in the following detailed description of the present invention, when a detailed description of related known functions or configurations is determined to obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. Furthermore, throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals are assigned to parts having similar functions and actions.
Moreover, throughout this disclosure, when a part is referred to as being “connected” to another part, this includes a case in which the part is “directly connected” to another part as well as a case in which the part is “indirectly connected” to another part by interposing a different element between the part and another part. Additionally, when a component is referred to as “being included,” it refers that other components may further be included, not excluding other components unless specifically stated otherwise.
Here, the memory chip 110 may be a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or a flash memory, and the memory chip 110 may be disposed at both sides of a semiconductor substrate to constitute a dual in-line memory module (DIMM).
The memory cell array 111 may be configured with an arrangement of memory cells, and the peripheral circuit 112 may be positioned around the memory cell array 111 and may include elements or circuits required for driving the memory chip in addition to the memory cells.
Meanwhile, a power line for receiving a power voltage may be formed at each of the memory cell array 111 and the peripheral circuit 112, and the power line of the memory cell array 111 and the power line of the peripheral circuit 112 may be electrically independently formed from each other. As shown in
The memory cell array 111 and the peripheral circuit 112 may independently receive the power voltages from the outside of the memory chip 110, and, at this point, power voltages at different levels may be supplied to the memory cell array 111 and the peripheral circuit 112.
Further, as shown in
That is, the peripheral circuit 112 of the memory device according to one embodiment of the present invention may adjust the power voltage for the peripheral circuit, which is supplied from the outside, through the variable peripheral circuit power voltage unit 113 so as to supply the power voltage to each of a plurality of peripheral circuit blocks.
For example, when the power voltage supplied to the peripheral circuit from the outside is 1.5 V and blocks using voltages of 1.0 V and 1.5 V are present in the peripheral circuit, the variable peripheral circuit power voltage unit 113 may adjust a portion of the power supply voltage supplied from the outside to a voltage of 1.0 V and may supply the voltage of 1.5 V, which is not adjusted, and the voltage of 1.0 V, which is adjusted, to each of the plurality of blocks of the peripheral circuit.
Hereinafter, each of components constituting the memory device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.
The memory chip 110 included in the memory device according to one embodiment of the present invention may include the memory cell array 111 and the peripheral circuit 112, as shown in
Further, as shown in
That is, when the memory cell array power voltage generating unit 121 generates the memory cell array power voltage, the memory cell array power voltage control unit 122 supplies the memory cell array 111 with the memory cell array power voltage, and when the peripheral circuit power voltage generating unit 123 generates the peripheral circuit power voltage, the peripheral circuit power voltage control unit 124 supplies the peripheral circuit with the peripheral circuit power voltage.
In the memory device according to one embodiment, the memory cell array power voltage VDDA and the peripheral circuit power voltage VDDP may be applied to the memory chip through a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).
Thus, the memory device according to one embodiment of the present invention may independently supply the memory cell array power voltage and the peripheral circuit power voltage to the memory cell array and the peripheral circuit, respectively, without having a circuit configured to generate a power voltage in the memory chip, and thus a memory device having various specifications can be implemented.
As shown in
The memory controller 200 may control a command, a piece of data, and an address which are input to and output from the memory device and may further control a plurality of memory devices. The memory bus 300 may transfer information between the memory device and the memory controller.
The memory system according to one embodiment of the present invention can easily control a power voltage supply at the outside of the memory chip to correspond to various applied electronic products such as a personal computer (PC), a television (TV), a smart phone, and the like.
The present invention is not limited to the above-described exemplary embodiments and the accompanying drawings. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains that substitutes, modifications, and alternations of components according to the present invention can be made without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10-2016-0013274 | Feb 2016 | KR | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/KR2017/000726 | 1/20/2017 | WO | 00 |