Large-Swing Sense Amplifier With Shared Latch for PVT Tolerance

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional small-swing sense amplifiers in semiconductor processors face challenges with process, voltage, and temperature variations, requiring precise timing and complex designs to maintain functionality as device geometries shrink.

Innovation Solution

The design incorporates a process-tolerant, large-swing sense amplifier with a multiplexer and pre-charge PMOS transistors, noise immunity PMOS transistors, sensing PMOS transistors, and a shared sense latch with cross-coupled inverters, which reduces the number of sense amplifiers needed and simplifies the design by providing top-array and bottom-array access and write-through functionality.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Area of moving object

If conventional small-swing sense amplifiers are used, then the memory cell size can be reduced, but the timing precision requirements increase and reliability decreases under PVT variations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvememory cell sizeVSAvoidsense amplifier performance under PVT variations

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the voltage swing parameter from small-swing to large-swing operation. The sense amplifier is designed to operate with full rail-to-rail voltage swings instead of small differential swings, making the circuit less sensitive to PVT variations and eliminating the need for precise timing while maintaining compatibility with small memory cell sizes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Area of moving object

If conventional small-swing sense amplifiers are used, then the memory cell size can be reduced, but the control signal timing precision requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvememory cell sizeVSAvoidcontrol signal timing precision

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of moving objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the voltage swing parameter from small-swing to large-swing operation. The sense amplifier is designed to operate with full rail-to-rail voltage swings instead of small differential swings, making the circuit less sensitive to PVT variations and eliminating the need for precise timing while maintaining compatibility with small memory cell sizes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Area of moving object

If conventional small-swing sense amplifiers are used, then the memory cell size can be reduced, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvememory cell sizeVSAvoidsense amplifier circuit complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of moving objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the voltage swing parameter from small-swing to large-swing operation. The sense amplifier is designed to operate with full rail-to-rail voltage swings instead of small differential swings, making the circuit less sensitive to PVT variations and eliminating the need for precise timing while maintaining compatibility with small memory cell sizes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The sense latch circuit automatically latches the differential signal from the bit lines and self-regulates the voltage levels through its cross-coupled inverter structure. The circuit self-adjusts to full-rail voltage levels without requiring external timing control or complex regulation circuitry

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS20120140575A1Process tolerant large-swing sense amplfier with latching capability

Publication Date: 2012.06.07 ORACLE INT CORP

AI summary

A process-tolerant large-swing sense amplifier with latching capability includes top-array and bottom-array access. The sense amplifier provides improved tolerance to process variation, reduces design complexity, reduces power consumption, and reduces the physical footprint of the circuit. In addition, the sense amplifier provides write-through functionality through the read data bus.