Large scale integrated circuit with sense amplifier circuits for low voltage operation

Abstract

Disclosed is a one-chip ULSI which can carry out the fixed operation in a wide range of power supply voltage (1 V to 5.5 V). This one-chip ULSI is composed of a voltage converter circuit(s) which serves to a fixed internal voltage for a wide range of power supply voltage, an input / output buffer which can be adapted to several input / output levels, a dynamid RAM(s) which can operate at a power supply voltage of 2 V or less, etc. This one-chip ULSI can be applied to compact and portable electronic devices such as a lap-top type personal computer, an electronic pocket note book, a solid-state camera, etc.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to a large scale integrated circuit, and more particularly to a high-density integrated semiconductor device constituted by a voltage converter circuit and miniaturized devices (devices with small dimension) which can keep up with a wide range of an operating power-supply voltage and kinds of power supplies, i.e. a large scale integrated circuit in which integrated on a monolithic chip are a microcomputer, a logic circuit, a dynamic RAM (random access memory), a static RAM, a ROM (read-only memory), etc.In recent years, onto the market have come portable electronic machines such as a lap-top type personal computer, an electronic pocket notebook, etc., and portable electronic media machines such as a solid-state voice recorder which performs voice recording without using a magnetic medium, a solid-state camera (electronic still camera) which performs image recording without using the magnetic medium. In order for these portable...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention intends to lower the operation voltage of a system provided on a monolithic chip so that the operation speed is not affected by changes in the power supply voltage supplied from the outside.

A further object of the present invention is to improve a sense amplifier used for the dynamic RAM which performs a low voltage, and its operation.

Problems solved by technology

This is because the dynamic RAM requires a refresh operation even during data retention due to its dynamic operation and so does not permit only the operation voltage during data retention to be lowered unlike the static RAM.

The microprocessor and static RAM as mentioned above have a wide range of the operating power-supply voltage of 2-5 V. However, since they are designed around the power supply voltage of 5 V, the operation speed thereof (the highest clock frequency in the case of the microprocessor and access time in the case of the static RAM) is not assured for the operation outside the recommended fluctuation (generally, +10%) in the power supply voltage.

This made it impossible to provide a necessary performance of the system for the operation outside at 5 V and difficult to design the system for the operation at a low power supply voltage.

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