Circuitry for ferroelectric FET-based dynamic random access memory and non-volatile memory

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10127964-B2
Application number	US-201515323197-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 2, 2015
Priority date	Jul 3, 2014
Publication date	Nov 13, 2018
Grant date	Nov 13, 2018

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to circuitry for effective operation of Ferroelectric-gated FET (FeFET) memories. Exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes circuits and/or circuit blocks to facilitate memory refresh, error checking and correcting (ECC), reading and sensing memory cells, program and erase operations, and other control and periphery operations for FeFET memory cell arrays.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A memory circuit comprising:
FeFET-based data memory cells arranged in an array having rows and columns, the FeFET-based memory cells capable of being polarized to set memory values of the FeFET-based memory cells to a logic one or a logic zero;
wordlines, each of the wordlines operatively coupled to one of the rows of FeFET-based data memory cells;
bitlines, each of the bitlines operatively coupled to the columns of FeFET-based data memory cells; and
sourcelines, each of the sourcelines operatively coupled to the columns of FeFET-based data memory cells, each of the FeFET-based data memory cells in each column shares one of the bitlines and one of the source lines,
wherein a selected one of the FeFET-based memory cells is programmed during a programming cycle by setting a corresponding selected one of the wordlines, a corresponding selected one of the bitlines, and a corresponding selected one of the sourcelines to generate a first voltage difference across a ferroelectric gate stack of the selected one of the FeFET-based memory cells throughout the programming cycle; and
wherein a second voltage difference across a ferroelectric gate stack of a first unselected one of the FeFET-based memory cells that shares the corresponding selected one of the bitlines and the corresponding selected one of the sourcelines with the selected one of the FeFET-based memory cells is varied as a function of time to be a first fraction of the first voltage difference during a portion of the programming cycle and to be a second fraction of the first voltage difference during another portion of the programming cycle to control disturbances to a polarization of the first unselected one of the FeFET-based memory cells by applying a first control voltage pulse to a corresponding unselected one of the wordlines of the first unselected one of the FeFET-based memory cells during the portion of the programming cycle.

2. The memory circuit of claim 1 , wherein the portion of the programming cycle corresponds to half of the programming cycle.

3. The memory circuit of claim 2 , wherein the other portion of the programming cycle corresponds to another half of the programming cycle.

4. The memory circuit of claim 1 , wherein a third voltage difference across a ferroelectric gate stack of a second unselected one of the FeFET-based memory cells that shares the corresponding selected one of the wordlines with the selected one of the FeFET-based memory cells is varied as a function of time to be the second fraction of the first voltage difference during the portion of the programming cycle and to be the first fraction of the first voltage difference during the other portion of the programming cycle to control disturbances to the polarization of the second unselected one of the FeFET-based memory cells by applying a second control voltage pulse to a corresponding unselected one of the bitlines and to a corresponding unselected one of the sourcelines of the second unselected one of the FeFET-based memory cells during the portion of the programming cycle, and
wherein the first control voltage pulse and the second control voltage pulse have substantially equal magnitudes and opposite polarities.

5. The memory circuit of claim 1 , further comprising:
refresh circuitry operatively coupled to the FeFET-based data memory cells, the refresh circuitry being configured to refresh the FeFET-based data memory cells in response to satisfaction of a refresh threshold.

6. The memory circuit of claim 5 , wherein the refresh threshold is adjustable over a lifespan of the FeFET-based data memory cells to accommodate for deterioration of the FeFET-based data memory cells.

7. The memory circuit of claim 6 , wherein the refresh threshold is adjusted according to a pre-determined schedule.

8. The memory circuit of claim 6 , wherein the memory array includes reference FeFET-based memory cells and the refresh threshold is adjusted according to a use of the reference FeFET-based memory cells.

9. The memory circuit of claim 5 , wherein (i) gates of the FeFET-based memory cells in each row of the memory array are operatively coupled to one of the wordlines, (ii) drains of the FeFET-based memory cells in each column of the memory array are operatively coupled to one of the bitlines, (iii) sources of the FeFET-based memory cells in each column of the memory array are operatively coupled to one of the sourcelines, and the refresh circuitry further comprises:
voltage sensors, wherein each of the wordlines, bitlines, and sourcelines are operatively coupled to one of the voltage sensors;
counter circuits, wherein each of the voltage sensors are operatively coupled to one of the counter circuits, the counter circuits being configured to monitor a number of times the bitlines, the sourcelines, and the wordlines are selected; and
refresh control circuitry operatively coupled to the counter circuits, the refresh control circuitry being configured to determine whether the refresh threshold is satisfied based on the number of times the bitlines, the sourcelines, and the wordlines are selected and to refresh at least one of the data memory cells in the memory array in response to determining the number of times the bitlines, the sourcelines, and the wordlines are selected satisfies the refresh threshold.

10. The memory circuit of claim 5 , wherein the memory array further comprises reference memory cells, each of the reference memory cells being formed by a Ferroelectric Field Effect Transistor and the refresh circuitry further determines a state of the reference memory cells and initiates a refresh of the data memory cells based on a state of the reference memory cells.

11. The memory circuit of claim 5 , wherein the memory array includes reference memory cells and the refresh threshold is adjusted according to a use of reference FeFET cells.

12. A method of controlling a degree to which polarization of unselected FeFET-based memory cells in a memory array are disturbed by an operation performed with respect to a selected FeFET-based memory cell, the method comprising:
programming the selected FeFET-based memory cell by generating a first voltage difference across a ferroelectric gate stack of the selected FeFET-based memory cell throughout a programming cycle via a corresponding selected wordline, a corresponding selected bitline, and a corresponding selected sourceline; and
generating a second voltage difference across a ferroelectric gate stack of a first unselected one of the FeFET-based memory cells that shares the corresponding selected bitline and the corresponding selected sourceline with the selected one of the FeFET-based memory cells to be a first fraction of the first voltage difference during a portion of the programming cycle and to be a second fraction of the first voltage difference during another portion of the programming cycle by applying a first control voltage pulse to a corresponding unselected wordline of the first unselected FeFET-based memory cell during a portion of a programming cycle; and
generating a third voltage difference across a ferroelectric gate stack of a second unselected FeFET-based memory cell that shares the corresponding selected wordline with the selected FeFET-based memory cell to be the second fraction of the first voltage difference during the portion of the programming cycle and to be the first fraction of the first voltage difference during the other portion of the programming cycle by applying a second control voltage pulse to a corresponding unselected bitline and to a corresponding unselected sourceline of the second unselected FeFET-based memory cell during the other portion of the

Assignees

• Univ Yale

Inventors

• Sun Xiao
• Ma Tso-Ping

Classifications

• G11C11/223

  using MOS with ferroelectric gate insulating film · CPC title

• G11C11/5657

  using ferroelectric storage elements · CPC title

• G11C2211/5648

  Multilevel memory programming, reading or erasing operations wherein the order or sequence of the operations is relevant · CPC title

• G11C11/2275 Primary

  Writing or programming circuits or methods · CPC title

• G11C29/52

  Protection of memory contents; Detection of errors in memory contents · CPC title