The present invention generally relates to semiconductor memory devices and, more particularly, to Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) devices and to design structures for SRAM devices.
Referring to
Various techniques have been proposed in the prior art to address the difficult challenge. See for instance, in “2005 Symposium on VLSI Technology Digest of Technical Papers”, page 128-129, the paper titled “Stable SRAM Cell Design for the 32 nm Node and Beyond” which describes an 8-transistor SRAM cell to address the problem mentioned above. However, the 8-transistor SRAM design requires additional transistors, word-lines, and bit-lines, and therefore seems significantly to increase the area of the SRAM and to add process complexity.
Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,127 to Nagahashi et al. which describes a semiconductor memory having different read and write word line voltage levels. However, the choice of word line voltage levels is limited by device reliability and various other circuit and technology concerns. Therefore, its advantage seems to be limited.
Further, multiple conduction state field effect transistors (MCSFETs) are known. See, for example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0273393 to Chidambarrao et al., STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF MAKING FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTOR HAVING MULTIPLE CONDUCTION STATES, filed Jun. 7, 2005.
See also U.S. Pat. No. 7,123,529 to Hanson et al. U.S. Pat. No. 7,242,239 to Hanson et al. The '393 Publication, and the '529 and '239 patents are all hereby incorporated in their entireties by reference.
The multiple-conduction state FET (“MCSFET”) is similar to known FETs in that it has an essentially nonconductive state when a gate to source voltage applied to the MCSFET does not exceed a first threshold voltage. The MCSFET also has a fully conductive state when the gate to source voltage is above a second threshold voltage or “final threshold voltage” that enables the MCSFET to be fully conductive. The fully conductive state is defined as a level in which an inversion layer forms in the channel region as a result of the voltage applied between the gate and the source of the MCSFET.
However, unlike ordinary FETs, the first threshold voltage and the final threshold voltage have different values. When the gate to source voltage is between the first threshold voltage and the final threshold voltage the MCSFET has another conductive state in which the MCSFET is turned on, but conducts a relatively low amount of current. At that time, the MCSFET conducts a current having a magnitude which is ten or more times smaller than the current conducted when the MCSFET exceeds the final threshold voltage level. Here, when the gate to source voltage is at such level, the MCSFET is turned on, in that an inversion layer forms in a part of the channel region as a result of the voltage applied between the gate and the source of the MCSFET. The difference is that when the gate to source voltage is above the final threshold voltage and the MCSFET is in the second conductive state, the inversion layer of the MCSFET extends within a larger part of the channel region so as to turn on a larger part of the transistor. Thus, a predetermined part of the MCSFET smaller than the entire MCSFET becomes fully conductive when the gate-source voltage exceeds the first threshold voltage, and a remaining predetermined part of the MCSFET becomes fully conductive when the gate-source voltage exceeds the second or “final” threshold voltage level. In particular known embodiments, the MCSFET is fabricated in such way that the transistor has one threshold voltage for a first part of the width of the transistor channel, and has a higher threshold voltage for the remaining part of the transistor channel width. For example, the transistor can have a gate oxide that varies in thickness between the two parts of the transistor channel width and conditions in which threshold voltage implants are conducted in the two parts of the transistor channel can be varied in order to achieve the desired difference in threshold voltages.
The present inventors believe that improvements in SRAMs can be achieved if, for example, an SRAM is combined with the benefits of MCSFETs.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an SRAM device includes a pair of MCSFETs connected as the pass gates (access transistors).
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a SRAM with adaptable access transistors, where the strength of the access transistors can be adaptively changed during read and write operations to improve read and write margins.
It is a further object to provide an SRAM device having a dual-Vt device structure.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an SRAM device design structure having area characteristics which are desirable.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and which constitute part of this application, illustrate the presently preferred embodiments of the invention which, together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments given below serve to explain the present invention.
Hereinafter will be described the details of one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention.
SRAM Device with MCSFETs as Access Transistors:
Referring now to
During a read operation as shown in
A circuit design of a word-line voltage control circuit to provide two voltages during read and write cycles (operations) is shown in
In one preferred embodiment of the present invention which can be fabricated for a 45 nm technology node, Vt1 is approximately (±10%) 0.35V, Vt2 is approximately 0.8V, and VDD is, for example, approximately 1 volt.
Design process 910 may include using a variety of inputs; for example, inputs from library elements 930 which may house a set of commonly used elements, circuits, and devices, including models, layouts, and symbolic representations, for a given manufacturing technology (e.g., different technology nodes, 32 nm, 45 nm, 90 nm, etc.), design specifications 940, characterization data 950, verification data 960, design rules 970, and test data files 985 (which may include test patterns and other testing information). Design process 910 may further include, for example, standard circuit design processes such as timing analysis, verification, design rule checking, place and route operations, etc. One of ordinary skill in the art of integrated circuit design can appreciate the extent of possible electronic design automation tools and applications used in design process 910 without deviating from the scope and spirit of the invention. The design structure of the invention is not limited to any specific design flow.
Design process 910 preferably translates an embodiment of the invention as shown in
While the present invention has been particularly described in conjunction with a specific preferred embodiment, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the present description. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will embrace any such alternatives, modifications and variations as falling within the true scope and spirit of the present invention.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
5982211 | Ko | Nov 1999 | A |
6087886 | Ko | Jul 2000 | A |
6181608 | Keshavarzi et al. | Jan 2001 | B1 |
6363006 | Naffziger et al. | Mar 2002 | B2 |
6573549 | Deng et al. | Jun 2003 | B1 |
6614696 | Kanno et al. | Sep 2003 | B2 |
6784028 | Rueckes et al. | Aug 2004 | B2 |
6835591 | Rueckes et al. | Dec 2004 | B2 |
6836424 | Segal et al. | Dec 2004 | B2 |
6849492 | Helm et al. | Feb 2005 | B2 |
6911682 | Rueckes et al. | Jun 2005 | B2 |
6919592 | Segal et al. | Jul 2005 | B2 |
6920061 | Bhavnagarwala et al. | Jul 2005 | B2 |
6942921 | Rueckes et al. | Sep 2005 | B2 |
6979590 | Rueckes et al. | Dec 2005 | B2 |
7056758 | Segal et al. | Jun 2006 | B2 |
7120047 | Segal et al. | Oct 2006 | B2 |
7123529 | Hanson et al. | Oct 2006 | B1 |
7170809 | Joshi | Jan 2007 | B2 |
7176505 | Rueckes et al. | Feb 2007 | B2 |
7177176 | Zheng et al. | Feb 2007 | B2 |
7189607 | Helm et al. | Mar 2007 | B2 |
7217978 | Joshi et al. | May 2007 | B2 |
7242239 | Hanson et al. | Jul 2007 | B2 |
7295458 | Chan et al. | Nov 2007 | B2 |
7453716 | Kim et al. | Nov 2008 | B2 |
7471544 | Nakazato et al. | Dec 2008 | B2 |
20060273393 | Chidambarrao et al. | Dec 2006 | A1 |
20060281236 | Datta et al. | Dec 2006 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20090175068 A1 | Jul 2009 | US |