US5345122A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Cascade sense amplifier for reading out data stored in semiconductor memory device
Assignee: Toshiba Corp
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Filing: 1993-04-22
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Granted: 1994-09-06
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Expires: 2013-04-22
Abstract
Abstract A cascade sense amplifier includes section separated sense amplifiers, a cascade wiring and a main sense amplifier. The main sense amplifier has a capacitance regulation element provided at a base potential of input transistors constituting a data input end. The element is comprised of a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor for forming a capacitance corresponding to a potential V SS mainly forming a capacitance by the cascade wiring. A size of the element is determined in the manner that the base potential drop time of the transistors is equal to a potential drop time of the cascade wiring when a power source voltage V CC drops. Even though the power source voltage V CC drops, the transistors have no cut-off condition so as to prevent the read-out time from delaying. Especially, if the element is comprised of a MOS transistor, it is possible to use an extremely thin gate insulation layer as a dielectric, thereby suppressing an increase of a chip size.
Inventors
- 👤 Hiroshi Takamoto
- 👤 Takenori Nakamura
- 👤 Kenichi Nakamura
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 08:40
CPC Classifications
G; G11; G11C; G11C7/00; G11C7/06; G11C7/062; H; H03; H03K; H03K5/00; H03K5/22; H03K5/24; H03K5/2409; H03K5/2418; H03K5/2427
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
110 words
A cascade sense amplifier, comprising a plurality of section separated sense amplifiers, each of which opposes to each of section cell array, and which senses data stored in corresponding section cell array; a cascade wiring portion for commonly connecting a plurality of output ends of said plurality of section separated sense amplifier; a main sense amplifier having a bipolar transistor as a data input end and for amplifying each output from each of said section separated sense amplifiers through said cascade wiring portion; and a capacitance regulation element for regulating a capacitance of a base potential of said bipolar transistor constituting the data input end of said main sense amplifier.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
110 words
A cascade sense amplifier, comprising a plurality of section separated sense amplifiers, each of which opposes to each of section cell array, and which senses data stored in corresponding section cell array; a cascade wiring portion for commonly connecting a plurality of output ends of said plurality of section separated sense amplifier; a main sense amplifier having a bipolar transistor as a data input end and for amplifying each output from each of said section separated sense amplifiers through said cascade wiring portion; and a capacitance regulation element for regulating a capacitance of a base potential of said bipolar transistor constituting the data input end of said main sense amplifier.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
31 words
The cascade sense amplifier according to claim 1 wherein said capacitance regulation element is comprised of an element for setting a capacitance equal to a capacitance of said cascade wiring portion.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
The cascade sense amplifier according to claim 2 wherein said capacitance regulation element is comprised of an metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
62 words
The cascade sense amplifier according to claim 2 wherein a capacitance value of said capacitance regulation element is set in a manner such that a potential drop time of a base of said bipolar transistor in said main sense amplifier is equal to a potential drop time of said cascade wiring portion when a power supply voltage of said sense amplifier fluctuates.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
20 words
The cascade sense amplifier according to claim 1 wherein said capacitance regulation element is comprised of an N-channel MOS transistor.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
61 words
The cascade sense amplifier according to claim 5 wherein a capacitance value of said capacitance regulation element is set in the manner that a potential drop time of a base of said bipolar transistor in said main sense amplifier is equal to a potential drop time of said cascade wiring portion when a power supply voltage of said sense amplifier fluctuates.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
61 words
The cascade sense amplifier according to claim 1 wherein a capacitance value of said capacitance regulation element is set in the manner that a potential drop time of a base of said bipolar transistor in said main sense amplifier is equal to a potential drop time of said cascade wiring portion when a power supply voltage of said sense amplifier fluctuates.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US4991141A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1997-09-05 | 1998-03-07 | 1998-09-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-09-05 | 2002-03-07 | 2002-09-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-09-05 | 2006-03-07 | 2006-09-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |