Variation resistant 3T3R binary weight cell with low output current and high on/off ratio

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10832774-B2
Application number	US-201916448820-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 21, 2019
Priority date	Mar 1, 2019
Publication date	Nov 10, 2020
Grant date	Nov 10, 2020

Abstract

A weight cell and device are herein disclosed. The weight cell includes a first field effect transistor (FET) and a first resistive memory element connected to a drain of the first FET, a second FET and a second resistive memory element connected to a drain of the second FET, the drain of the first FET is connected to a gate of the second FET and the drain of the second FET is connected to a gate of the first FET, and a third FET, and a load resistor connected to a drain of the third FET.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A weight cell, comprising:
a first field effect transistor (FET) and a first resistive memory element connected to a drain of the first FET;
a second FET and a second resistive memory element connected to a drain of the second FET, the drain of the first FET is connected to a gate of the second FET and the drain of the second FET is connected to a gate of the first FET,
a third FET; and
a load resistor connected to a drain of the third FET,
wherein an input to a source of the first FET includes a first programming voltage and an input to a source of the second FET includes a second programming voltage opposite of the first programming voltage such that a current output from a source of the third FET indicates a logical weight of the weight cell.

2. The weight cell of claim 1 , wherein the first FET, the second FET, and the third FET comprise n-type FETs.

3. The weight cell of claim 1 , wherein the first FET, the second FET, and the third FET comprise p-type FETs.

4. The weight cell of claim 1 , wherein the first resistive memory element and the second resistive memory element comprise magneto tunnel junctions (MTJs).

5. The weight cell of claim 1 , wherein the first resistive memory element and the second resistive memory element comprise resistive random access memory (RRAM) elements.

6. The weight cell of claim 1 , wherein the first resistive memory element and the second resistive memory element comprise ferroelectric random access memory (FeRAM) elements.

7. The weight cell of claim 1 , wherein the first resistive memory element and the second resistive memory element comprise pulse code modulation (PCM) memory elements.

8. The weight cell of claim 1 , wherein a gate of the third FET is connected to a gate of the first FET.

9. The weight cell of claim 1 , further comprising a first external connection to a lead of the first resistive memory element and a second external connection to a lead of the second resistive memory element.

10. The weight cell of claim 9 , wherein the first external connection provides a first input voltage to the first resistive memory element and the second external connection provides a second input voltage opposite of the first input voltage to the second resistive memory element.

11. The weight cell of claim 9 , further comprising a third external connection to the source of the third FET configured to provide the current output from the source of the third FET.

12. The weight cell of claim 1 , wherein the weight cell produces a logical value based on a conductance of the first resistive memory element and a conductance of the second resistive memory element.

13. A device, comprising:
an array of weight cells, each weight cell including:
a first field effect transistor (FET) and a first resistive memory element connected to a drain of the first FET;
a second FET and a second resistive memory element connected to a drain of the second FET, the drain of the first FET is connected to a gate of the second FET and the drain of the second FET is connected to a gate of the first FET,
a third FET; and
a load resistor connected to a drain of the third FET; and
a processor configured to perform inference with the array of weight cells by:
setting inputs for a row of weight cells from among the array of weight cells according to a logical value of a corresponding neuron; and
reading outputs of a column of weight cells from among the array of weight cells.

14. The device of claim 13 , wherein the processor is further configured to perform inference by measuring a total current from the read outputs and dividing the total current by an output current.

15. The device of claim 13 , wherein the first resistive memory element and the second resistive memory element comprise magneto tunnel junctions (MTJs).

16. The device of claim 13 , wherein the first FET, the second FET, and the third FET comprise n-type FETs.

17. A device, comprising:
an array of weight cells, each weight cell including:
a first field effect transistor (FET) and a first resistive memory element connected to a drain of the first FET;
a second FET and a second resistive memory element connected to a drain of the second FET, the drain of the first FET is connected to a gate of the second FET and the drain of the second FET is connected to a gate of the first FET,
a third FET; and
a load resistor connected to a drain of the third FET;
wherein an input to a source of the first FET includes a first programming voltage and an input to a source of the second FET includes a second programming voltage opposite of the first programming voltage such that a current output from a source of the third FET indicates a logical weight of the weight cell; and
a processor configured to write to the resistive memory elements according to a direction of a current supplied to the resistive memory elements.

18. The device of claim 17 , wherein the processor is configured to write to the resistive memory elements row by row of the array of weight cells when the direction of the current is down.

19. The device of claim 17 , wherein the processor is configured to write to the resistive memory elements column by column of the array when the direction of the current is up.

20. The device of claim 17 , wherein the first resistive memory element and the second resistive memory element comprise magneto tunnel junctions (MTJs).

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hatcher Ryan M
• Rakshit Titash
• Kittl Jorge
• Sengupta Rwik
• Palle Dharmendar
• Hong Joon Goo

Classifications

• G11C11/161 Primary

  details concerning the memory cell structure, e.g. the layers of the ferromagnetic memory cell · CPC title

• G06N3/063

  using electronic means · CPC title

• G06G7/16

  for multiplication or division {(G06G7/19 and G06G7/24 take precedence; measuring electric power G01R21/00)} · CPC title

• G11C13/0021

  Auxiliary circuits · CPC title

• G11C13/0009 Primary

  RRAM elements whose operation depends upon chemical change · CPC title