High programming bandwidth and low power consumption are desired in memory devices to meet customer requirements. However, as temperature increases, the average power consumption by the memory increases, and, as programming bandwidth increases, the average power consumption by the memory also increases.
There is a need, therefore, a method and memory device for improving the precision of a temperature-sensor circuit.
The present invention is defined by the following claims, and nothing in this section should be taken as a limitation on those claims.
By way of introduction, the preferred embodiments described below provide a method and memory device for improving the precision of a temperature-sensor circuit. In one preferred embodiment, first and second temperature-dependent reference voltages are generated and compared, and an operating condition of the memory array is controlled based on the result of the comparison. Instead of using a temperature-dependent reference voltage, a temperature-dependent reference current can be used. Other embodiments are disclosed, and each of the embodiments can be used alone or together in combination.
The preferred embodiments will now be described with reference to the attached drawings.
Turning now to the drawings,
The memory array 110 comprises a plurality of memory cells. It should be noted that any suitable type of memory cell can be used. For example, the memory cell can be write-many or write-once, can be arranged in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional memory array, and can be made from any suitable material (e.g., semiconductor, phase-change, amorphous solids, MRAM, or organic passive elements). U.S. Pat. No. 6,881,994 describes a suitable write-many memory cell, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,034,882 and 6,420,215 describe suitable write-once memory cells, as well as suitable techniques for forming a three-dimensional memory array. Each of those patent documents is assigned to the assignee of the present invention and is hereby incorporated by reference. It should be noted that the memory cells described in these patent documents are merely some example of the types of memory cells that can be used and that other type of memory cells, such as Flash memory cells, can be used with these embodiments. Further, while the embodiments will be described in terms of a non-volatile memory cell, volatile memory cells can also be used. The following claims should not be read as requiring a specific type of memory cell unless explicitly recited therein.
The memory controller 120 controls the operation of the memory array 110. One of the functions of the memory controller 120 is to control the operating condition of the memory array 110 based on temperature. The memory controller 120 can have other functionality, which is not described herein to simplify this illustration. The ways in which the memory controller 120 can control the operating condition of the memory array 110 include, but are not limited to, controlling the programming bandwidth of the memory array 110, controlling the reading bandwidth of the memory array 110, changing the voltage across a memory cell for read (e.g., as temperature increases, reduce the voltage), changing the voltage across a memory cell for write (e.g., as temperature increases, reduce the voltage), controlling the sensing current for read (e.g., as temperature increases, increase the current; as temperature decreases, decrease the current), and controlling the sense time for read (e.g., as temperature decreases, increase the sense time). Controlling programming bandwidth will be used to illustrate this embodiment; however, the claims should not be limited to this or any other example unless explicitly recited therein.
To overcome this problem, in this embodiment, instead of comparing a temperature-dependent reference voltage with a positive temperature coefficient to a temperature-independent bandgap reference voltage, a temperature-dependent reference voltage with a positive temperature coefficient is compared to a temperature-dependent reference voltage with a negative temperature coefficient. With reference again to
Comparing Vtemp to Vneg instead of to Vref provides a more precise temperature sensing mechanism. This is illustrated in the graph shown in
In a preferred embodiment, Vtemp is generated from a proportional-to-absolute-temperature (PTAT) voltage source, and Vneg is generated from a complementary-to-absolute-temperature (CTAT) voltage source (i.e., Vneg). Although Vtemp and Vneg can be generated in any suitable manner,
The circuitry shown in
VBE
INEG=VBE
IREF=IBIAS=constant
VNEG=(M1*INEG−N1*IREF)*RNEG
VTEMP=(M2*IREF−N2*INEG)*RTEMP
δVBE/δT=(VBE−(4+m)VT−Eg/q)/T˜=2E−3V/° C.
δINEG/δT=−2E−3/RBEV/° C.
δIREF/δT=0
δVNEG/δT=M1*(−2E−3)*(RNEG/RBE)V/° C.
δVTEMP/δT=−N2*(−2E−3)*(RTEMP/RBE)V/° C.
It should be noted that while
There are several alternatives that can be used with these embodiments. For example, in the embodiment described above, two Vtemp voltages are used because that embodiment uses three zones. If two zones are used, only one Vtemp voltage may be generated. Likewise, if more than three zones are used, more than two Vtemp voltages may be generated. Also, instead of generating two positive temperature coefficient reference voltages and a single negative temperature coefficient reference voltage, the set of voltage generators 150 can generate a single positive temperature coefficient reference voltage and two negative temperature coefficient reference voltages. In yet another alternative embodiment, instead of using a temperature-dependent reference voltage, a temperature-dependent reference current can be used.
It is intended that the foregoing detailed description be understood as an illustration of selected forms that the invention can take and not as a definition of the invention. It is only the following claims, including all equivalents, that are intended to define the scope of this invention. Finally, it should be noted that any aspect of any of the preferred embodiments described herein can be used alone or in combination with one another.
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