JP2006286100A - Semiconductor memory - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve a data read rate in a semiconductor memory. <P>SOLUTION: A buffer circuit of a CMOS configuration is connected between an output node N2 of a flip-flop circuit of a CMOS configuration and a 2nd bit line BL_R for reading data, and also a pair of control nodes N5, N6 of the buffer circuit is connected to a pair of word lines WL, /WL, respectively. Thus, it is made possible to read out a data from a memory cell 10 in the state in which the output node N2 of the flip-flop circuit is separated from the 2nd bit line BL_R. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for speeding up processing when data is read from a semiconductor memory capable of writing and reading data.

  As a semiconductor memory capable of writing / reading data, for example, the one described in Non-Patent Document 1 is known. FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram of the semiconductor memory described in Non-Patent Document 1. In this semiconductor memory, the number of memory cells connected to each bit line for transmitting data is set so as to be in the range of 16 to 32, and the parasitic capacitance of the bit line is reduced, so that the data from the memory cell is reduced. The bit line is operated with a large amplitude when reading data.

  The memory cell 50 in FIG. 1 includes a flip-flop circuit having a CMOS configuration in which a pair of pMOS transistors Q1 and Q2 for load and a pair of nMOS transistors Q3 and Q4 for driving are connected, and a front stage and a rear stage of the flip-flop circuit. Each of the nMOS transistors Q6 and Q13 provided is combined with a transfer gate for cell selection. One of the input node N1 and the output node N2 of the flip-flop circuit is in a high level state and the other is in a low level state, and the memory cell 50 stores 1-bit data depending on the difference in the state.

WL in the figure is a word line that transmits a selection signal for selecting writing / reading of the memory cell 50, and is controlled to the VDD level in the selected state and to the GND level in the non-selected state. BL and / BL are a pair of bit lines. The bit line BL is a line for transmitting a voltage signal corresponding to input data to the memory cell 50 at the time of data writing, and the bit line / BL is a line for transmitting data read from the memory cell 50 to the inverter 1. During the non-operation period, these bit lines BL and / BL are controlled in a floating state by transistors Q12 and Q14 connected to the bit lines BL and / BL, respectively, and a write control signal for controlling these operations. Only when data is written to the memory cell 50 or when data is read from the memory cell 50, one of the bit lines is controlled to a low level state according to the data. C _B is the parasitic capacitance of each bit line.

  Normally, a plurality of word lines and a plurality of bit lines are wired so as to cross each other, and a memory cell is arranged at each crossing portion to constitute a memory cell array. In this figure, in order to avoid the complexity of the explanatory diagram, only the focused word line WL, the pair of bit lines BL and / BL, and the memory cell 50 are illustrated, and other word lines, bit lines, and memory cells are illustrated. Is omitted.

  In the figure, DI and / DI are complementary input nodes, WE is a write input node, and DO is an output node. Write data is input to the complementary input nodes DI and / DI, and the above-described write control signal is input to the input node WE. From the output node DO, data read from the memory cell 50 is output through the inverter 1. The inverter 1 functions as a sense circuit, compares the input signal to the inverter 1 with its own logic threshold value, and outputs a signal of the comparison result to the output node DO. Each of these signals is a binary voltage signal of VDD or GND level.

  In the semiconductor memory having such a configuration, the bit lines BL and / BL are not provided with a pull-up transistor, and the bit line operates with a large amplitude during data reading.

  Next, a data read operation and a write operation will be described with respect to the semiconductor memory of FIG. As an initial state, it is assumed that data “1” is stored in the memory cell 50, the circuit node N1 is in a high level state, and N2 is in a low level state.

<Read operation>
FIG. 9 is a timing chart showing voltage waveforms at various parts of the semiconductor memory during the read operation. First, an operation of reading data “1” stored in the memory cell 50 to the output node DO will be described. Through the read operation, the write input node WE is in a non-write state (GND level).

  As an initial state of a series of read operations, the word line WL is in a non-selected state (GND level). The potential levels of the bit lines BL and / BL depend on the operation content of the previous cycle and the leak current of the bit line, and take an intermediate level (undefined) between VDD and GND. In the figure, it is assumed that the initial value of the voltage on the bit line BL is the GND level and the initial value of the voltage on the bit line / BL is the VDD level. Regarding the MOSFET in the memory cell 50, the MOS transistors Q1 and Q4 are in a conductive state, and the MOS transistors Q2, Q3, Q6, and Q13 are in a nonconductive state.

  The read operation starts from controlling the word line WL to the selected state (VDD level). At this time, MOS transistor Q13 is turned on reflecting the stored contents, and a current path from bit line / BL to ground potential GND is formed via MOS transistors Q13 and Q4. Due to the current flowing out from the bit line / BL, the potential of the bit line / BL gradually decreases and finally reaches the GND level. Inverter 1 functions as a sense circuit, and controls the potential of output node DO to a high level when the voltage on bit line / BL falls below its logical threshold voltage.

On the other hand, when data “0” stored in the memory cell 50 is read to the output node DO, the circuit node N1 is in a low level state and the circuit node N2 is in a high level state, and the circuit node N2 is connected to the bit line / BL. since the current path is formed, the parasitic capacitance C _B of the bit line / BL is charged by this current. The inverter 1 controls the potential of the output node DO to a low level when the potential level of the bit line / BL exceeds its logical threshold voltage.

<Write operation>
An operation of writing the inverse data “0” input from the data input circuit nodes DI and / DI into the memory cell 50 storing the data “1” will be described.

  FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing voltage waveforms in various parts of the semiconductor memory during the write operation. As an initial state of a series of write operations, the input node WE is set to a non-write state (GND level) and the word line is set to a non-selection state (GND level). In association with the input data “0”, the complementary input node DI is set to the low level state, and the complementary input node / DI is set to the high level state. The potential levels of the bit lines BL and / BL depend on the operation contents of the previous cycle and the leakage current of each bit line, and take an intermediate level between the voltages VDD and GND. In the figure, the initial value of the potential on the bit line BL is assumed to be the VDD level, and the initial value of the potential on the bit line / BL is assumed to be the GND level. Regarding the MOSFET in the memory cell 50, the MOS transistors Q1 and Q4 are in a conductive state, and the MOS transistors Q2, Q3, Q6, and Q13 are in a nonconductive state.

In the write operation of the data “0” input to the complementary input node DI to the memory cell 50, the write input node WE is controlled to the write state (VDD level) and the word line WL is set to the selected state (VDD level). Start by controlling. At this time, first, the MOS transistor Q12 is turned on and data “0” is supplied, so that the potential of the bit line BL becomes the GND level. As the potential of the bit line BL decreases, a sufficiently large voltage exceeding the threshold voltage of the MOSFET is applied between the gate and source of the MOS transistor Q6 (source is a node on the bit line side), and the MOS transistor Q6 becomes conductive. It becomes a state. As a result, the potential of the circuit node N1 is lowered, and when this falls below the logic threshold voltage of the inverter composed of the MOS transistors Q2 and Q4, the state of the flip-flop circuit is inverted and the circuit node N1 is in the low level state. N2 changes to the high level state, and the memory cell 50 can hold the update data. Thereafter, the word line WL is returned to the non-selected state (GND level), and subsequently, the write input node WE is controlled to the non-written state (GND level).
Kevin Zhang, Ken Hose, Vivek De, and Borys Senyk, "The scaling of data sensing schemes for high speed cache design in sub-0.18μm technologies," Digest of Technical Papers of Symposium on VLSI Circuit, pp.226-227, June , 2000.

Incidentally, the time required was stored in the memory cell 50 described above data to read in the bit line / BL is larger and the parasitic capacitance _{C B} of the bit lines, the resistance value at the time of conduction of the MOSFET (Q2, Q4, Q13) Dependent. That is, as the parasitic capacitance _{C B} is small, or more conductive resistance of the MOS transistors Q2, Q4, Q13 are small, the read time is shortened. The conduction resistance of the MOSFET has a characteristic that it strongly depends on the applied voltage (V _GS ) between the gate and the source, and the conduction resistance decreases as V _GS increases.

  In the semiconductor memory shown in FIG. 8, when the data “1” stored in the memory cell 50 is read, a current flows from the bit line / BL to the circuit node N2 via Q13, and the potential of N2 slightly rises from the GND level. To do. Since the circuit node N2 becomes an input node of the inverter composed of the MOS transistors Q1 and Q3, the potential of the output node N1 of the inverter is slightly lowered from the VDD level, and the voltage between the gate and the source of the MOS transistor Q4 is reduced. Get smaller. Therefore, there is a problem in that the conduction resistance of the MOS transistor Q4 increases, resulting in a slowing down of a high-speed read operation (in this example, an operation for lowering the bit line / BL to a low level).

  The same applies to the case where data “0” stored in the memory cell 50 is read out, and the potential of the circuit node N2 is set to the VDD level by the current flowing from the power supply voltage VDD to the bit line / BL via the circuit node N2 and the MOS transistor 13. Slightly lower. As a result, the potential of the output node N1 of the inverter constituted by the MOS transistors Q1 and Q3 slightly rises from the GND level, and the gate-source voltage of the MOS transistor Q2 becomes small. Therefore, there is a problem in that the conduction resistance of the MOS transistor Q2 increases, resulting in a slowing down of a high-speed read operation (in this example, an operation for raising the potential of the bit line / BL to a high level).

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to improve the data reading speed in a semiconductor memory.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor memory having a CMOS configuration flip-flop circuit, a CMOS configuration buffer circuit having an input node connected to an output node of the flip-flop circuit, and the memory cell A first bit line for transmitting write data; a second bit line for transmitting read data read from the memory cell; and a selection signal for selecting a write / read operation of the memory cell. A pair of word lines for transmitting to the input node, the input node of the flip-flop circuit is electrically connected to the first bit line, the output node of the buffer circuit is electrically connected to the second bit line, A pair of control nodes for controlling conduction / non-conduction of the buffer circuit are electrically connected to the pair of word lines, respectively.

  In the present invention, a CMOS buffer circuit is connected between the output node of the CMOS flip-flop circuit and the second bit line for reading data, and a pair of control nodes of the buffer circuit are connected to a pair of words. By connecting to each line, data can be read from the memory cell in a state where the output node of the flip-flop circuit is separated from the second bit line, so that the driving power of the second bit line is not reduced and high-speed data reading is performed. Is possible.

  A semiconductor memory according to a second aspect of the present invention has an input node connected to the first bit line, an output node connected to an input node of the flip-flop circuit, and a pair of control nodes for controlling conduction / non-conduction. A transfer gate for selecting a cell having a CMOS structure connected to each of the pair of word lines; and a transfer gate for writing control having a CMOS structure having an output node connected to the first bit line. To do.

  In the present invention, a transfer gate for selecting a cell having a CMOS structure is connected between the input node of the flip-flop circuit and the first bit line, and the conduction / non-control of the gate is controlled by a pair of word lines. By connecting a CMOS-structured transfer gate for writing control to the first bit line, the transfer gate can be used for writing control and cell selection, and when a single bit line is used for data writing, Guarantees correct data writing.

  A semiconductor memory according to a third aspect of the present invention includes a pair of bit lines instead of the first bit line, and a pair of input nodes of the cell selection transfer gate are connected to the pair of bit lines, respectively. A pair of output nodes of the write control transfer gate are connected to the pair of bit lines, respectively.

  In the present invention, by providing a pair of bit lines for data writing, the parasitic capacitance of the bit lines is divided into two, so that high-speed data writing is possible.

  A semiconductor memory according to a fourth aspect of the present invention includes a pair of first word lines and a pair of second word lines instead of the pair of word lines, and the pair of control nodes of the cell selection transfer gate is a pair of first nodes. Each of the buffer circuits is connected to one word line, and a pair of control nodes of the buffer circuit is connected to a pair of second word lines.

  In the present invention, two independent pairs of word lines are provided, to which a pair of control nodes of the cell selection transfer gate and a pair of control nodes of the buffer circuit are separately combined and connected. This makes it possible to write and read data simultaneously.

  According to the semiconductor memory of the present invention, the data reading speed can be improved.

  FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of a semiconductor memory according to an embodiment. Here, an example of application to a single-port memory is shown. The semiconductor memory shown in FIG. 1 uses a CMOS-type flip-flop circuit, in which an inverter made up of a pair of load pMOS transistors Q1 and Q2 and an inverter made up of a pair of nMOS transistors Q3 and Q4 for driving are used as a memory cell. The bit line (BL_R) is operated with a large amplitude at the time of reading, and the inverter 1 is used as a logic gate in the sense circuit, which is the same as the conventional one shown in FIG.

  A difference from the prior art is that a buffer circuit having a CMOS configuration in which pMOS transistors Q7 and Q8 and nMOS transistors Q9 and Q10 are connected in series is built in the memory cell 10, and the input node of the buffer circuit is connected to the output node N2 of the flip-flop circuit. A first bit line BL_W for transmitting write data to the memory cell 10 and a second bit line BL_R for transmitting read data read from the memory cell 10, respectively, A pair of word lines WL and / WL are provided for transmitting a selection signal for selecting 10 writing / reading to the memory cell 10, and an input node N1 of the flip-flop circuit is electrically connected to the first bit line BL_W. The output node N4 of the buffer circuit is connected to the second bit line BL_R, and the conduction and non-conduction of the buffer circuit are performed. A pair of control node N5 for controlling, N6 pair of word line WL, and is to connected to / WL.

  With such a configuration, data can be read from the memory cell 10 in a state where the output node N2 of the flip-flop circuit is separated from the second bit line BL_R for data output, so that the driving force of the second bit line BL_R can be read. This makes it possible to read data at high speed. Note that another inverter 2 is provided at the output stage of the inverter 1.

  In addition, a transfer gate for selecting a cell having a CMOS structure using a pMOS transistor Q5 and an nMOS transistor Q6 is provided between the input node N1 of the flip-flop circuit and the first bit line BL_W. The input node N3 of the transfer gate is connected to the first bit line BL_W, and a pair of control nodes N7 and N8 for controlling conduction / non-conduction of the transfer gate are connected to the pair of word lines WL and / WL, respectively. Further, the output node N9 of the transfer gate for writing control of the CMOS configuration by the pMOS transistor Q11 and the nMOS transistor Q12 is connected to the first bit line BL_W.

  With such a configuration, the driving of the first bit line BL_W is controlled by the transfer gate for writing control, and the transfer gate for cell selection is controlled by the selection signal transmitted to the pair of word lines WL and / WL. Therefore, even when a single bit line is used for data writing, reliable data writing can be guaranteed.

  FIG. 2 is a table showing the operation of the buffer circuit. In the non-selected state, the word line WL is in a low level state and the word line / WL is in a high level state. In the selected state, the word line WL is in a high level state and the word line / WL is in a low level state. In the non-selected state, regardless of whether the input node N2 of the buffer circuit is in a low level state or a high level state, the output node N4 of the buffer circuit is in a high impedance state. On the other hand, in the selected state, when the input node N2 of the buffer circuit is in the low level state, the output node N4 is in the high level state, and when the input node N2 of the buffer circuit is in the high level state, the output node N4 is in the low level state. Thus, the buffer circuit is a three-state buffer with three states of output.

  Here, the high level state means a power supply voltage VDD or a high level near VDD, and the low level state means a ground potential GND or a low level near GND. The same applies to the following description unless otherwise specified. Next, a data read operation and a write operation in the semiconductor memory will be described.

<Read operation>
As an initial state, data “1” is stored in the memory cell 10, the circuit node N1 is in a high level state, and the circuit node N2 is in a low level state. The operation of reading data “1” stored in the memory cell 10 to the output node DO of the inverter 2 is as follows. Through this read operation, the write control transfer gates (MOS transistors Q11 and Q12) are non-conductive.

  FIG. 3 is a timing chart showing voltage waveforms at main circuit nodes at the time of data reading. As an initial state of a series of read operations, the word lines WL and / WL are in a non-selected state (WL is in a low level state and / WL is in a high level state), and the bit lines BL_W and BL_R are respectively connected to the power supply voltage VDD and the ground potential GND. At the intermediate level, MOS transistors Q1, Q4, and Q7 in memory cell 10 are conductive, and MOS transistors Q2, Q3, Q5, Q6, and Q8 to Q10 are nonconductive.

The read operation is started by controlling the word lines WL and / WL to the selected state. That is, the word line WL is set to the high level and the word line / WL is set to the low level. Thus, MOS transistors Q8, Q10 is rendered conductive, the parasitic capacitance _{C BR} of the second bit line BL_R is charged by a current from the power supply voltage VDD flows via the MOS transistor Q7, Q8, the second bit line BL_R The potential becomes high level. At this time, the inverter 1 functions as a sense circuit, and controls the output to a low level when the potential of the second bit line BL_R exceeds its logical threshold voltage. The logical value output from the inverter 1 is quickly inverted by the inverter 2, and a high-level signal is output to the output node DO of the inverter 2.

  On the other hand, when data “0” is stored in the memory cell 10 as an initial state, the circuit node N1 is in the low level state, the circuit node N2 is in the high level state, and the MOS transistors Q2, Q3, and Q9 are conductive. In the state, MOS transistors Q1, Q4, Q5, Q6, Q7, Q8, and Q10 are non-conductive. Here, when the word lines WL and / WL are controlled to be in the selected state, the MOS transistors Q8 and Q10 are turned on, and the potential of the second bit line BL_R is lowered by the current flowing to the ground through the MOS transistors Q10 and Q9. Decrease to level. At this time, the inverter 1 controls the output to a high level when the potential of the second bit line BL_R falls below its logical threshold voltage. The logical value output from the inverter 1 is quickly inverted by the inverter 2, and a low-level signal is output to the output node DO of the inverter 2.

  In this manner, data is read from the memory cell 10 in a state where the circuit node N2 of the flip-flop circuit is isolated from the second bit line BL_R. In the read operation, there is no current inflow from the circuit node N2 to the second bit line BL_R or current outflow from the second bit line BL_R to the circuit node N2, and therefore, between the gate and source of the MOS transistor Q9 or the MOS transistor Q7. A high voltage corresponding to the power supply voltage can be applied between the gate and the source of the memory cell, thereby speeding up data reading from the memory cell 10 to the second bit line BL_R.

<Write operation>
Next, an operation of writing the reverse data “0” to the memory cell 10 in which the data “1” is stored will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a timing chart showing voltage waveforms at main circuit nodes at the time of data writing. As an initial state of a series of write operations, the word lines WL and / WL are in a non-selected state (WL is in a low level state and / WL is in a high level state), and the bit lines BL_W and BL_R are respectively connected to the power supply voltage VDD and the ground potential GND. Intermediate level. In the figure, the initial value of the first bit line BL_W is assumed to be VDD. The write control transfer gates (MOS transistors Q11 and Q12) are non-conductive. In addition, MOS transistors Q1, Q4, and Q7 in memory cell 10 are conductive, and MOS transistors Q2, Q3, Q5, Q6, and Q8 to Q10 are nonconductive.

  The write operation of the reverse data “0” input to the input node DI of the transfer gate for write control makes the transfer gate for write control conductive and controls the word lines WL and / WL to the selected state. To start with. That is, the potential of the control line / WE to the pMOS transistor Q11 is set to low level, the potential of the control line WE to the nMOS transistor Q12 is set to high level, the word line WL is set to high level, and the word line / WL is set to low level. . Thereby, MOS transistors Q5, Q11, and Q12 are turned on. Since the MOS transistors Q11 and Q12 are turned on, data “0” is supplied via the MOS transistors Q11 and Q12, and the potential of the first bit BL_W becomes low level. As the potential of the first bit line BL_W decreases, a sufficiently large voltage exceeding the threshold voltage of the MOSFET is applied between the gate and source of the MOS transistor Q6 (source is a node on the first bit line side). In the selection transfer gate, the MOS transistor Q6 is turned on in addition to the MOS transistor Q5. As a result, the potential of the circuit node N1 decreases, and when the potential of the circuit node N1 falls below the logic threshold value of the inverter composed of the MOS transistors Q2 and Q4, the logic state of the flip-flop circuit is inverted, and the circuit node N1 In the low level state, the circuit node N2 changes to the high level state, and the memory cell 10 can hold the updated data. Thereafter, the word lines WL and / WL are returned to the non-selected state, and subsequently, the write control transfer gate is controlled to the non-written state, whereby the data ‘0’ is stored in the memory cell 10.

  The same applies when data “1” is written to the memory cell 10. By making the transfer gate for writing control conductive, data “1” is supplied via the MOS transistors Q11 and Q12, and the potential of the first bit line BL_W is driven to a high level. In this transfer gate, the MOS transistor Q5 is turned on in addition to the MOS transistor Q6, so that reliable writing of data “1” is guaranteed.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, a CMOS buffer circuit is connected between the output node N2 of the CMOS flip-flop circuit and the second bit line BL_R for reading data, and a pair of control of the buffer circuit is performed. By connecting the nodes N5 and N6 to the pair of word lines WL and / WL, respectively, data can be read from the memory cell 10 with the output node N2 of the flip-flop circuit separated from the second bit line BL_R. Since the driving power of the 2-bit line BL_R is not reduced and the dynamic range is wide, high-speed data reading can be realized. In particular, when this semiconductor memory is applied to an application that requires high-speed operation, such as a cache memory, high-speed performance can be obtained and the effect is great. As this type of cache memory, for example, there is application to an L1 cache memory (small on-chip cache memory built in a microprocessor).

  According to the present embodiment, a transfer gate for selecting a cell having a CMOS structure is connected between the input node N2 of the flip-flop circuit and the first bit line BL_W, and the conduction / non-transmission control is performed for the pair of word lines. The transfer gate is used for writing control and cell selection by connecting a transfer gate for writing control with a CMOS configuration to the first bit line BL_W, and is used for writing data. Reliable data writing can be ensured when a single bit line is used.

  Although not shown in FIG. 1, when there are a plurality of bit lines BL_W and BL_R in the bit line direction or the word line direction, a multiplexer for multiplexing read data and outputting it to the outside is provided at the subsequent stage of the sense circuit. Thus, the scale of the memory array can be increased.

  Subsequently, the semiconductor memory of this embodiment can be variously modified and will be described below.

  FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of a first modification of the semiconductor memory. The semiconductor memory of FIG. 6 includes a pair of bit lines BL_W1 and BL_W2 instead of the first bit line BL_W of FIG. 1, and a pair of input nodes N3 and N3 ′ of the cell selection transfer gate is connected to the pair of bit lines BL_W1. , BL_W2, and a pair of output nodes N9 and N9 ′ of the write control transfer gate are connected to the pair of bit lines BL_W1 and BL_W2, respectively. Other basic configurations are the same as those in FIG.

  When writing data “0” to the memory cell 20 having such a configuration, the potential of the bit line BL_W1 is controlled to a low level, and when writing data “1”, the potential of the bit line BL_W2 is controlled to a high level. To do.

In the first modification, by dividing the write bit line into two in this way, the parasitic capacitance in the write bit line is divided into C _BW1 and C _BW2 as shown in FIG. . Thus, when the parasitic capacitance of the transfer gate is a dominant factor of the bit line capacitance, the write operation can be speeded up.

  FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of a second modification of the semiconductor memory. The semiconductor memory of FIG. 6 includes a pair of first word lines WL_W and / WL_R and a pair of second word lines WL_R and / WL_W instead of the pair of word lines WL and / WL of FIG. A pair of control nodes N7 and N8 of the transfer gate are connected to the pair of first word lines WL_W and / WL_R, respectively, and a pair of control nodes N5 and N6 of the buffer circuit are connected to the pair of second word lines WL_R and / WL_W, respectively. Is done. Other basic configurations are the same as those in FIG. Further, since the operation is the same as that described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the description thereof is omitted here. In the second modification, it is possible to simultaneously write and read data by adopting such a two-port memory configuration.

  FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of a third modification of the semiconductor memory. The semiconductor memory shown in FIG. 6 has a configuration in which the first bit line shown in FIG. 5 is divided into two and the two pairs of word lines shown in FIG. 6 are used. With such a configuration, data writing can be performed at a high speed and data writing and reading can be performed simultaneously.

It is a circuit diagram which shows the structure of the semiconductor memory in one embodiment. It is a table | surface which shows operation | movement of the buffer circuit in the said semiconductor memory. 6 is a timing chart showing voltage waveforms at main circuit nodes during a data read operation of the semiconductor memory. 4 is a timing chart showing voltage waveforms at main circuit nodes during a data write operation of the semiconductor memory. It is a circuit diagram which shows the structure of the 1st modification about the said semiconductor memory. It is a circuit diagram which shows the structure of the 2nd modification about the said semiconductor memory. It is a circuit diagram which shows the structure of the 3rd modification about the said semiconductor memory. It is a circuit diagram which shows the structure of the conventional semiconductor memory. 10 is a timing chart showing voltage waveforms at main circuit nodes during a data read operation of a conventional semiconductor memory. It is a timing chart which shows the voltage waveform of the main circuit nodes in the data write operation of the conventional semiconductor memory.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 2 ... Inverter 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 ... Memory cell N1 ... Input node of flip-flop circuit N2 ... Output node of flip-flop circuit N3, N3 '... Input node of transfer gate for cell selection N4 ... Buffer circuit N5, N6: Buffer node control nodes N7, N8: Cell selection transfer gate control nodes N9, N9 ': Write control transfer gate output nodes Q1, Q2, Q5, Q7, Q8, Q11 ... pMOS transistors Q3, Q4, Q6, Q9, Q10, Q12 ... nMOS transistors BL_W ... first bit line BL_R ... second bit line BL_W1, BL_W2 ... pair of write bit lines WL, / WL ... pair of word lines WL_W , / WL_R: a pair of first word lines WL_R, / WL_W: a pair of second words Line

Claims (4)

A memory cell including a CMOS-structured flip-flop circuit and a CMOS-structured buffer circuit in which an input node is connected to an output node of the flip-flop circuit;
A first bit line for transmitting write data to the memory cell;
A second bit line for transmitting read data read from the memory cell;
A pair of word lines for transmitting a selection signal for selecting a write / read operation of the memory cell to the memory cell;
An input node of the flip-flop circuit is electrically connected to the first bit line, an output node of the buffer circuit is electrically connected to the second bit line, and a pair of transistors that control conduction / non-conduction of the buffer circuit A semiconductor memory, wherein control nodes are electrically connected to the pair of word lines, respectively. CMOS in which an input node is connected to the first bit line, an output node is connected to an input node of the flip-flop circuit, and a pair of control nodes for controlling conduction / non-conduction are connected to the pair of word lines, respectively A transfer gate for cell selection of the configuration;
A transfer gate for write control in a CMOS configuration in which an output node is connected to the first bit line;
The semiconductor memory according to claim 1, further comprising:   A pair of bit lines is provided instead of the first bit line, and a pair of input nodes of the cell selection transfer gate are connected to the pair of bit lines, respectively, and a pair of outputs of the write control transfer gate 3. The semiconductor memory according to claim 2, wherein the nodes are respectively connected to the pair of bit lines.   The buffer circuit includes a pair of first word lines and a pair of second word lines instead of the pair of word lines, and a pair of control nodes of the cell selection transfer gate are connected to the pair of first word lines, respectively. 4. The semiconductor memory according to claim 2, wherein the pair of control nodes are connected to the pair of second word lines, respectively.

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