• DocumentCode
    3548323
  • Title

    An advanced bit-line clamping scheme in magnetic RAM for wide sensing margin

  • Author

    Lim, Jong-Chul ; Yu, Hye-Seung ; Choi, Jae-Suk ; Kim, Soo-Won

  • Author_Institution
    Dept. of Electron. Eng., Korea Univ., Seoul, South Korea
  • Volume
    2
  • fYear
    2005
  • fDate
    18-21 Jan. 2005
  • Firstpage
    877
  • Abstract
    This paper proposes the bit-line clamping scheme for a stable signal margin in magnetoresistance RAM. MRAM distinguishes data by the difference of resistance in MTJ. However, there are so many error sources in MTJ that it limits a yield factor. In this paper, we focus on the resistance variation due to bit-line voltage. For maximum signal difference, we try to reduce bit-line voltage as low as possible. Proposed scheme employs CBLSA, equalizer transistor and 1T1MTJ array structure. This method has very excellent bit-line clamping characteristic and overall memory can be designed a simple architecture using current mode sensing. As a result, proposed memory structure can clamp a bit-line voltage under 0.15V and it uses very small power and area. This lower bit-line voltage promises more stable data accessing in MRAM. The circuit is designed in a 0.35μm-CMOS technology.
  • Keywords
    CMOS memory circuits; integrated circuit design; low-power electronics; magnetoresistive devices; random-access storage; tunnelling magnetoresistance; 0.15 V; 0.35 micron; CMOS technology; MRAM; MTJ; advanced bit-line clamping scheme; bit-line voltage; current mode sensing; magnetic RAM; magnetoresistance RAM; maximum signal difference; resistance variation; stable signal margin; wide sensing margin; Application specific integrated circuits; Clamps; Damping; Energy consumption; Equalizers; Low voltage; Magnetoresistance; Random access memory; Read-write memory; Signal design;
  • fLanguage
    English
  • Publisher
    ieee
  • Conference_Titel
    Design Automation Conference, 2005. Proceedings of the ASP-DAC 2005. Asia and South Pacific
  • Print_ISBN
    0-7803-8736-8
  • Type

    conf

  • DOI
    10.1109/ASPDAC.2005.1466480
  • Filename
    1466480