Patent Grant
7742340
The present disclosure relates generally to memory devices and more particularly to non-volatile memory devices utilizing reference cells.
Non-volatile memory (NVM) devices typically are composed of an array of bit cells, with each bit cell storing a corresponding bit of data. Each bit cell generally is configured as one or more transistors capable of storing charge, and thereby affecting the relationship between the control electrode voltage and the drain current of the transistor. The transistor is “erased” to one state (e.g., a logic “1”) by clearing the charge and the transistor is “programmed” to another state (e.g., a logic “0”) by storing charge at the transistor. Thus, the bit value “stored” by the transistor can be sensed by comparing a reference (either a current or a voltage) with the drain current of the transistor in response to the application of a read voltage to the control electrode of the transistor, whereby the “stored” value is determined to be one state (e.g., a logic “1” or an “erased” state) if the drain current is greater than the read reference and determined to be another state (e.g., a logic “0” or a “programmed” state) if the drain current is less than the read reference.
Conventional NVM architectures make use of a reference cell to generate the read reference, whereby the reference cell is similar in structure as the bit cells used to store data so as to closely mimic the characteristics of the bit cells being sensed. However, the reference current output by a reference cell typically decreases during operation. Under certain conditions, this degradation of the read reference output by the reference cell can result erroneous read and write operations. Implementations having memories in continuous or near-continuous operation are particularly susceptible to the degradation of the reference cell. Accordingly, an improved technique for implementing a reference cell for sensing bit cells of a memory device would be advantageous.
The present disclosure may be better understood, and its numerous features and advantages made apparent to those skilled in the art by referencing the accompanying drawings.
The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicates similar or identical items.
As discussed above, a reference cell typically degrades such that its output current decreases during continuous operation. Given a sufficient operational duration, this degradation can cause the output current of the reference cell to fall below a minimum threshold and thereby cause errors during memory access operations. The inventors have discovered that reference cells also typically recover or (“relax”) once they are disabled or otherwise not powered at an operational voltage such that the potential output current of a degraded reference cell increases over time back to or near the original output current before degradation occurred. The inventors also have discovered that the rate of degradation of a reference cell when enabled and the corresponding rate of relaxation when then disabled often are substantially proportional and often can be substantially equal for a given ambient temperature. Accordingly, in at least one embodiment, a set of reference cells is used for sensing the data values stored at bit cells of a non-volatile memory (NVM) device. In response to an event, the reference cell providing the highest output (current, or alternately voltage) of the set is selected as the reference cell to be used for subsequent memory access operations. The remaining reference cells of the set of reference cells are disabled so that they can recover back to or near their original non-degraded states. At each successive event, the set of reference cells can be reassessed to identify the reference cell that provides the highest output current of the set at that time and the NVM device can be reconfigured to utilize the reference cell so identified. By utilizing the reference cell having the highest output current (or, alternately, voltage) to provide the read reference and disabling the remaining reference cells so that one or more of them can recover, the likelihood of the read reference falling below a minimum threshold is reduced or eliminated, thereby reducing the possibility of errors during memory access operations to the bit cells.
For ease of discussion, the techniques of the present disclosure are described in an example context whereby the sense reference comprises a reference current and the sense reference can be selected as the output current of one of two reference cells. However, the techniques of the present disclosure can be utilized in a reference voltage context or in an implementation with more than two selectable reference cells without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
In the depicted example, the NVM device 100 includes a NVM array 102, a sense amplifier 104, an access management module 106, a reference cell array 108, and a reference controller 110. The reference controller 110 and the access management module 106 can be configured as, for example, state machines or other hardware-based components (e.g., digital logic components). The NVM array 102 includes a bit cell matrix comprising a plurality of bit cells 112 of the NVM array 102. The NVM array 102 can include any of a variety of non-volatile memory cell architectures, such as, for example, thin-film storage (TFS) architectures, high K dielectric or nanocrystal architectures, nitride-based architectures, resistive memory architectures, magnetic random access memory (MRAM) architectures, and the like. For ease of illustration, the NVM array 102 is depicted as a 4×4 bit cell array, but in implementation the NVM array 102 typically includes a substantially greater number of bit cells.
The NVM array 102 is configured to access a memory location of the NVM array 102 based on a supplied address (signal ADDR). In at least one embodiment, each memory location includes a data field to store a data value comprised of a plurality of bit values. The sense amplifier 104 is configured to sense the bit values stored in the set of bit cells at the accessed memory location based on a supplied reference current REF_I and provide the sensed bit values at the memory location as a data value DATA[n−1:0]. During an access to a particular memory location, a voltage is applied to the control electrode of each of the plurality of bit cells of the memory location the sense amplifier 104 compares the resulting drain currents of the corresponding bit cells with the reference current REF_I. In the event that the drain current of a bit cell is greater than the reference current REF_I, output of the sense amplifier 104 for the corresponding bit of DATA[n−1:0] is asserted as, for example, a logic “1” so as to indicate the sensing of a logic “1” stored at the corresponding bit cell. Conversely, in the event that the drain current of the bit cell is not greater than the reference current REF_I the output of the sense amplifier 104 for the corresponding bit is asserted as, for example, a logic “0” so as to indicate the sensing of a logic “0” stored at the corresponding bit cell. Thus, the sensed value for each of the bits of the DATA[0:n−1] value is based on the relationship between the drain current of the corresponding bit cell and the reference current REF_I.
The reference cell array 108 includes a plurality of reference cells (e.g., reference cells 114 and 115), each capable of providing an output current (e.g., IA and IB) that can be selected for use as the reference current REF_I when sensing bit cells of the NVM array 102. Although
The reference controller 110 includes an input to receive an event indicator in response to the occurrence of a predetermined event, such as a power-on event, a reset event, a lapsed time or number of cycles, execution of a particular instruction by an associated processor, occurrence of a particular interrupt at an associated processor, an access to a particular memory address of the NVM device, and the like. In response to an assertion of the event indicator indicating an occurrence of a predetermined event, the reference controller 110 initiates a configuration mode by asserting the signal CONFIG. During the configuration mode, the reference controller 110 determines which reference cell generates the highest output current for the set of reference cells. The reference controller 110 keeps the identified reference cell enabled and disables the remaining reference cells so as to facilitate recovery of the remaining reference cells. For a memory access operation to the NVM array 102, the reference controller 110 provides the output current of the enabled reference cell of the set as the reference current REF_I to the sense amplifier 104 for sensing data stored at bit cells of the NVM array 102.
In the depicted example, the set configuration 201 includes a word line driver 206, a word line 207 and a word line 208, a bit line 209 and a bit line 210, a set of four reference cells 212, 213, 214, and 215, a comparator 216, and a current summation module 218. The reference cells 214 and 215 (REFA and REFB, respectively) are operational reference cells and the reference cells 212 and 213 are non-operational cells (i.e., “dummy cells”) that are implemented so that the reference cell array 108 can have the same array architecture as the NVM array 102 (
The current summation module 218 is coupled to the bit line 209 and the bit line 210 and is configured to generate the reference current REF_I that is the sum of the current IA on the bit line 209 and the current IB on the bit line 210 (although one or both of currents IA and IB may be substantially zero in certain situations as described below). The current comparator 216 includes an input coupled to the bit line 209, an input coupled to the bit line 210, and an output to provide a signal SEL. The current comparator 216 is configured to assert or unassert/deassert the signal SEL based on a comparison of the current IA and the current IB, thereby indicating which of bit lines 209 and 210 has the highest current of the two bit lines. The word line driver 206 includes inputs to receive the configuration signal CONFIG, an input to receive the signal SEL, and outputs to selectively drive the word lines 207 and 208 so as to separately enable or disable the reference cells 214 and 215.
In response to a predetermined event such as a reset event, the reference controller 110 temporarily asserts the CONFIG signal. In response to the assertion of the CONFIG signal, the word line driver 206 asserts both the word line 207 and the word line 208, thereby causing the floating gate transistor of the reference cell 214 to drive the current IA on the bit line 209 and causing the floating gate transistor of the reference cell 215 to drive the current IB on the bit line 210. The current comparator 216 compares the resulting currents IA and IB and configures its output so that the signal SEL reflects the relationship between the currents. For example, the current comparator 216 could assert the signal SEL when the current IA is higher than the current IB, and deassert/unassert the signal SEL when the current IA is lower than the current IB.
The word line driver 206 latches the state of the signal SEL and, based on the state of the signal SEL, identifies the reference cell that is providing the greater current of the two. The word line driver 206 then deasserts the word line associated with the other reference cell while continuing to assert the word line associated with the identified reference cell. To illustrate, assuming that the reference cell 214 has the greater output current of the two reference cells 214 and 215, the word line driver 206 deasserts the word line 208 so as to disable the reference cell 215 and continues to assert the word line 207 so as to keep the reference cell 214 in an enabled state so as to continue driving the current IA. Conversely, in the event that the reference cell 215 has the greater output current of the two reference cells 214 and 215, the word line driver 206 would deassert the word line 207 so as to disable the reference cell 214 and continue to assert the word line 208 so as to maintain the reference cell 215 in an enabled state.
As described above, the current summation module 218 sums the current IA and IB and provides the resulting current as the reference current REF_I to the sense amplifier 104 (
Although
In response to detecting the event, at block 304 the reference controller 110 of the NVM device 100 determines which reference cell of the reference cell array 108 provides the highest output current. As described with reference to
At block 306, the reference controller 110 configures the NVM device 100 to use the output current of the reference cell identified at block 304 for sensing bit cells of the NVM array 102. As illustrated by
At block 308, memory access operations can be performed with the NVM device 100 so configured at block 306. The configuration performed at block 306 can be continued for memory access operations at block 308 until another predetermined event occurs at a next iteration of block 302, at which point the reference cells can be reassessed again at block 304 and the NVM device 100 reconfigured at block 306 as appropriate. The predetermined event that for the next iteration of the method 300 can include the same event or a different event as that in the previous iteration of the method 300.
In
At time t0 the NVM device 100 is powered on (event 1). In response, the reference controller 110 determine which reference cell has the highest output current. For this example, assume that it is the reference cell REFB that has the highest output current. Accordingly, the reference controller 110 disables the reference cell REFA and utilizes the output current of the reference cell REFB as the reference current for sensing bit cells. As illustrated by line 404, the output current of the reference cell REFB degrades during operation from a maximum output current I_High toward the minimum reference current I_Min before sensing errors occur. Prior to degrading to the minimum reference current I_Min, another event (e.g., a soft reset or timer lapse) occurs at time t1. In response, the reference controller 110 enables both reference cells REFA and REFB and determines which one provides the higher output current. In the example of
As illustrated by line 402, the output current of the reference cell REFA degrades during its operation following time t1. Conversely, as illustrated by line 404, the disabled reference cell REFB is able to recover or “relax” following time t1. Accordingly, at or prior to time t2 the output current of the reference cell REFA becomes less than the potential output current of the reference cell REFB. Thus, when another event occurs at time t2, the reference cell REFB provides the greater output current of the two references when both are reassessed in response to the event. The reference controller 110 therefore disables the reference cell REFA and utilizes the output current of the enabled reference cell REFB as the reference current for sensing bit cells of the NVM array 102 following time t2. Meanwhile, the disabled reference cell REFA is able to recover while the reference cell REFB is in use. At time t3, another event occurs and the reassessment of the output currents of the reference cells REFA and REFB for selection can occur again.
As illustrated by chart 400, by selecting and utilizing the reference cell having the highest output current as the reference cell for sensing purposes while disabling the other reference cells of the set, the reference cells of the set can be rotated in and out of use, thereby allowing the reference cell in use during one duration to recover back to its original output current during the next duration. As a result, the reference current can be maintained at a level higher than the minimum reference current I_Min. In contrast, as illustrated by line 406, the conventional use of a single reference cell ultimately can cause the single reference cell to degrade to a point that its output current, and thus the reference current used to sense bit cells, is below the minimum reference current I_Min, which typically leads to sensing errors.
At time t0 the NVM device 100 is powered on. In response, the reference controller 110 determines which reference cell has the highest output current. For this example, assume that it is the reference cell REFB that has the highest output current. Accordingly, the reference controller 110 disables the reference cell REFA and utilizes the output current of the reference cell REFB as the reference current for sensing bit cells. As illustrated by line 504, the output current of the reference cell REFB degrades during operation from a maximum output current I_High toward the minimum reference current I_Min. Assume for this example that the NVM device 100 is operating at a temperature T1 (e.g., 85 C).
The NVM device 100 then is powered off between times t1 and t2, which disables both reference cells REFA and REFB. As a result, the reference cell REFB is able to begin recovering. However, for the duration between time t1 and t2, the NVM device 100 is at a lower ambient temperature of T2 (e.g., 25 C). Thus, because the rate of recovery of a reference cell is in some degree proportional to its temperature, the reference cell REFB has not fully recovered by the time the NVM device 100 is powered on again (time t2). As such, the reference cell REFA has a higher output current at time t2 and the reference controller 110 therefore selects the reference cell REFA for provision of the reference current for sensing bit cells following time t2. However, because the temperature of the NVM device 100 increases back to temperature T1 during operation following time t2, the reference cell REFB is able to recover at a faster rate and therefore likely will be selected in response to the next event to occur due to the degradation of the reference cell REFA in operation following time t2.
As illustrated by chart 500, a reference current higher than the minimum current I_Min can be maintained by allowing the reference cell having the lower output current to more fully recover, even in the event of a decreased rate of recovery due to lower temperatures. In contrast, as illustrated by line 506, the conventional use of a single reference cell ultimately can cause the single reference cell to degrade to a point that its output current, and thus the reference current used to sense bit cells, is below the minimum reference current I_Min.
In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a select reference cell of a plurality of reference cells associated with a plurality of bit cells of a bit cell array of a memory device as having the highest output current of the plurality of reference cells is determined at a first time. A data value stored at a bit cell of the plurality of bit cells is sensed using an output current of the select reference cell.
In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a memory comprising a bit cell array, a plurality of reference cells associated with a plurality of bit cells of the bit cell array, and a sense amplifier is provided. At a first event, the sense amplifier is configured to utilize an output current of a first reference cell of the plurality of reference cells in response to determining the output current of the first reference cell is the highest output current of the first plurality of reference cells at the first event. At a second event subsequent to the first event, the sense amplifier is configured to utilize an output current of a second reference cell of the plurality of reference cells in response to determining the output current of the second reference cell is the highest output current of the plurality of reference cells at the second event.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a memory device is provided. The memory device includes a bit cell array comprising a plurality of bit cells and a plurality of reference cells associated with the plurality of bit cells. The memory device further includes a sense amplifier comprising an input to receive a reference current, the sense amplifier configured to sense data values stored at bit cells of the bit cell array based on the reference current. The memory device also comprises a reference controller configured to provide an output current of a select reference cell of the plurality of reference cells to the sense amplifier as the reference current for sensing a bit cell of the plurality of bit cells in response to determining the select reference cell as having the highest output current of the plurality of reference cells.
The preceding description is intended to convey a thorough understanding of the present disclosure by providing a number of specific embodiments and details involving adjusting the read reference for a non-volatile memory. It is understood, however, that the present disclosure is not limited to these specific embodiments and details, which are exemplary only, and the scope of the disclosure is accordingly intended to be limited only by the following claims and equivalents thereof. It is further understood that one possessing ordinary skill in the art, in light of known systems and methods, would appreciate the use of the present disclosure for its intended purposes and benefits in any number of alternative embodiments, depending upon specific design and other needs.
In this document, relational terms such as “first” and “second”, and the like, may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. The term “another”, as used herein, is defined as at least a second or more. The terms “including”, “having”, or any variation thereof, as used herein, are defined as comprising. The term “coupled”, as used herein with reference to electro-optical technology, is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly, and not necessarily mechanically.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| 20090231925 A1 | Sep 2009 | US |
