Methods and apparatus to improve performance while reading a one-time programmable memory

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11145378-B2
Application number	US-201916729146-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 27, 2019
Priority date	Feb 19, 2019
Publication date	Oct 12, 2021
Grant date	Oct 12, 2021

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed to improve performance while reading a one-time programmable memory. An example apparatus includes: a voltage boost circuit including a first output, a second output, a first input configured to be coupled to a controller, a second input coupled to a first output of a decoder, a third input coupled to a second output of the decoder; and a multiplexer including a first input coupled to the first output of the voltage boost circuit, a second input coupled to the second output of the voltage boost circuit, a third input coupled to an array of memory, and an output coupled to a sensing circuit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a voltage boost circuit including a first output, a second output, a first input configured to be coupled to a controller, a second input coupled to a first output of a decoder, a third input coupled to a second output of the decoder; and
a multiplexer including a first input coupled to the first output of the voltage boost circuit, a second input coupled to the second output of the voltage boost circuit, a third input coupled to an array of memory, and an output coupled to a sensing circuit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the voltage boost circuit includes:
a voltage boost network including an output, a first input configured to be coupled to the output of the controller, and a second input coupled to an input voltage node;
a first level shifter including a first input coupled to the second output of the decoder, a second input coupled to the first output of the decoder, a third input coupled to the output of the voltage boost network, and an output coupled to the first input of the multiplexer; and
a second level shifter including a first input coupled to the first output of the decoder, a second input coupled to the second output of the decoder, a third input coupled to the output of the voltage boost network, and an output coupled to the second input of the multiplexer.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the voltage boost network is configured to:
transmit a signal including a voltage level; and in response to a rising edge on a signal at an output of the controller, boost the voltage level of the signal; and
wherein at least one of the first level shifter or the second level shifter is configured to transmit the signal to the first input of the multiplexer or the second input of the multiplexer based on a first logic value at the first output of the decoder and a second logic value at the second output of the decoder.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further including an inverter including an output coupled to a fourth input of the multiplexer, and an input coupled to the first output of the decoder.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein:
the array of memory is a first array of memory; and
the multiplexer includes:
a first n-channel transistor including a control terminal coupled to the first output of the voltage boost circuit, a first current terminal coupled to a first current terminal of a first p-channel transistor and the first array of memory, and a second current terminal coupled to a second current terminal of the first p-channel transistor and the sensing circuit; and
a second n-channel transistor including a control terminal coupled to the second output of the voltage boost circuit, a first current terminal coupled to a second array of memory and a first current terminal of a second p-channel transistor, and a second current terminal coupled to a second current terminal of the second p-channel transistor and the sensing circuit.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the multiplexer includes:
the first p-channel transistor including a control terminal coupled to the first output of the decoder, the first current terminal coupled to the first array of memory and the first current terminal of the first n-channel transistor, and a second current terminal coupled to the sensing circuit and the second current terminal of the first n-channel transistor; and
a second p-channel transistor including a control terminal coupled to the output of the inverter, the first current terminal coupled to the second array of memory and the first current terminal of the second n-channel transistor, and the second current terminal coupled to the sensing circuit and the second current terminal of the second n-channel transistor.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the array of memory includes a one time programmable memory array.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the voltage boost circuit includes:
a voltage boost network configured to:
transmit a first signal including a voltage level; and
in response to a rising edge on a control signal at an output of a controller, boost the voltage level of the first signal; and

a level shifter configured to transmit the first signal to an input of a multiplexer based on a first logic value of a first select signal and a second logic value of a second select signal.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the voltage boost network includes a first input configured to be coupled to the output of the controller, a second input coupled to an input voltage node, and an output coupled to an input of the level shifter.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the multiplexer includes a n-channel transistor coupled to an array of memory and wherein the level shifter includes a first input coupled to the first select signal, a second input coupled to the second select signal, a third input coupled to the output of the voltage boost network, and an output coupled to a control terminal of the n-channel transistor.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the level shifter is configured to, in response to the first logic value of the first select signal being a logic high value and the second logic value of the second select signal being a logic low value, transmit the signal to the control terminal of the n-channel transistor.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the multiplexer includes a n-channel transistor coupled to an array of memory and wherein the level shifter includes a first input coupled to the second select signal, a second input coupled to the first select signal, a third input coupled to the output of the voltage boost network, and an output coupled to a control terminal of the n-channel transistor.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the level shifter is configured to, in response to the first logic value of the first select signal being a logic low value and the second logic value of the second select signal being a logic high value, transmit the signal to the control terminal of the n-channel transistor.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the multiplexer is operable to select a one time programmable memory array.

15. A method process of operating a memory circuit comprising:
providing a gate signal to a first transistor of a multiplexer at a first voltage;
receiving from a controller a control signal having an edge changing from one logic level to another logic level;
in response to the edge change, boosting the gate signal from the first voltage to a second voltage for a certain period; and
passing a bit current from a memory cell through the first transistor to a sensing circuit during the certain period.

16. The process of claim 15 , in which the multiplexer includes a first n-channel transistor coupled to a first array of memory and a second n-channel transistor coupled to a second array of memory and the first transistor is the first n-channel transistor.

17. The process of claim 16 , in which the first array of memory and the second array of memory include a one time programmable memory array.

18. The process of claim 15 , further including transmitting a memory bit from the sensing circuit to a computing system.

Assignees

• Texas Instruments Inc

Inventors

• Balasubramanian Suresh
• Spriggs Stephen Wayne
• Jamison George B

Classifications

• G11C17/18 Primary

  Auxiliary circuits, e.g. for writing into memory · CPC title

• G11C17/16 Primary

  using electrically-fusible links · CPC title

• H03K3/42

  by the use, as active elements, of opto-electronic devices, i.e. light-emitting and photoelectric devices electrically- or optically-coupled · CPC title

• H03K3/356113

  using additional transistors in the input circuit · CPC title