Abstract:
A high-voltage switch (24) has a high-voltage input terminal (29), receiving a high voltage (HV), and an output terminal (31). A pass transistor (36), having a control terminal, is connected between the high-voltage input terminal (29) and the output terminal (31). The output of a voltage-multiplying circuit (40) of the charge-pump type is connected to the control terminal. The voltage-multiplying circuit (40) is of a symmetrical type, has first and second charge-storage means (41, 42), receiving a clock signal (CK) of a periodic type, and has a first circuit branch (44, 48) and a second circuit branch (45, 49), which are symmetrical to one another and operate in phase opposition with respect to the clock signal (CK).
Abstract:
The present invention relates to a method and an electronic device for stabilising the voltage on the drain terminals of multilevel non volatile memory cells (3) in the programming step. In the method the application of said voltage is provided through a drain voltage regulator (2) having an output (OUT) connected to said terminals in a common circuit node (A) by means of a metal line (4) conduction path having a parasitic intrinsic resistance (R pars ). Advantageously, a feedback path (5) is provided between the node (A) and an input of the regulator (2).
Abstract:
The read circuit (1') comprises an array branch (6) having an input array node (22) connected, via an array bit line (8), to an array cell (10); a reference branch (12) having an input reference node (32) connected, via a reference bit line (14), to a reference cell (16); a current-to-voltage converter (18) connected to an output array node (56) of the array branch (6) and to an output reference node (58) of the reference branch (12) to supply on the output array node (56) and the output reference node (58) the respective electric potentials (V M , V R ) correlated to the currents flowing in the array memory cell (10) and, respectively, in the reference memory cell (16); and a comparator (19) connected at input to the output array node (56) and output reference node (58) and supplying as output a signal (OUT) indicative of the contents stored in the array memory cell (10); and an array decoupling stage (80) arranged between the input array node (22) and the output array node (56) to decouple the electric potentials of the input and output array nodes (22, 56) from one another.
Abstract:
A voltage regulator (150I) integrated in a chip of semiconductor material is proposed. The regulator has a first input terminal for receiving a first voltage (Vhv) and an output terminal for providing a regulated voltage (Vreg) being obtained from the first voltage, the regulator including: a differential amplifier (205I) for receiving a comparison voltage (Vref) and a feedback signal (Vfb) being a function of the regulated voltage, and for proving a regulation signal (Vr) according to a comparison between the comparison voltage and the feedback signal, the differential amplifier having a first supply terminal being coupled with a reference terminal for receiving a reference voltage and a second supply terminal, a regulation transistor (MS) having a control terminal for receiving the regulation signal, and a conduction first terminal and a conduction second terminal being coupled through loading means (Rpup) between the reference terminal and the first input terminal of the regulator, the second terminal of the regulation transistor being coupled with the output terminal of the regulator, wherein the second supply terminal of the differential amplifier is coupled with a second input terminal of the regulator for receiving a second voltage (Vdd) being lower than the first voltage in absolute value, and wherein the regulator further includes a set of auxiliary transistors (MS1-MS5) being connected in series between the second terminal of the regulation transistor and the output terminal of the regulator, and control means (155) for controlling the auxiliary transistors according to the regulated voltage.