• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.347-353
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• 2017

We present a STT-MRAM read-circuit which mitigates the performance degradation caused by offsets from device mismatches. In the circuit, a single current source supplies read-current to both the data and the reference cells sequentially eliminating potential mismatches. Furthermore, an offset-free pre-amplification using a capacitor storing the mismatch information is employed to lessen the effect of the comparator offset. The proposed circuit was implemented using a 130-nm CMOS technology and Monte Carlo simulations of the circuit demonstrate its effectiveness in suppressing the effect of device mismatch.

• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.184-188
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• 2014

There is a trade-off between read stability and writability under a full-/half-select condition in static random access memory (SRAM). Another trade-off in the minimum operating voltage between the read and write operation also exists. A new peripheral circuit for SRAM arrays, called a variation sensor, is demonstrated here to balance the read/write margins (i.e., to optimize the read/write trade-off) as well as to lower the minimum operation voltage for both read and write operations. A test chip is fabricated using an industrial 45-nm bulk complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process to demonstrate the operation of the variation sensor. With the variation sensor, the word-line voltage is optimized to minimize the trade-off between read stability and writability ($V_{WL,OPT}=1.055V$) as well as to lower the minimum operating voltage for the read and write operations simultaneously ($V_{MIN,READ}=0.58V$, $V_{MIN,WRITE}=0.82V$ for supply voltage $(V_{DD})=1.1V$).

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.16 no.7
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• pp.1455-1462
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• 2012

In this paper, a BCD process based high-reliability 24-bit dual-port eFuse OTP Memory for PMICs is designed. We propose a comparison circuit at program-verify-read mode to test that the program datum is correct by using a dynamic pseudo NMOS logic circuit. The comparison result of the program datum with its read datum is outputted to PFb (pass fail bar) pin. Thus, the normal operation of the designed OTP memory can be verified easily by checking the PFb pin. Also we propose a sensing margin test circuit with a variable pull-up load out of consideration for resistance variations of programmed eFuse at program-verify-read mode. We design a 24-bit eFuse OTP memory which uses Magnachip's $0.35{\mu}m$ BCD process, and the layout size is $289.9{\mu}m{\times}163.65{\mu}m$ ($=0.0475mm^2$).

• The Journal of Korea Institute of Information, Electronics, and Communication Technology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.312-320
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• 2019

In this paper, we design a 512Kb eFlash IP using 110nm eFlash cells. We proposed eFlash core circuit such as row driver circuit (CG/SL driver circuit), write BL driver circuit (write BL switch circuit and PBL switch select circuit), read BL switch circuit, and read BL S/A circuit which satisfy eFlash cell program, erase and read operation. In addition, instead of using a cross-coupled NMOS transistor as a conventional unit charge pump circuit, we propose a circuit boosting the gate of the 12V NMOS precharging transistor whose body is GND, so that the precharging node of the VPP unit charge pump is normally precharged to the voltage of VIN and thus the pumping current is increased in the VPP (boosted voltage) voltage generator circuit supplying the VPP voltage of 9.5V in the program mode and that of 11.5V in the erase mode. A 12V native NMOS pumping capacitor with a bigger pumping current and a smaller layout area than a PMOS pumping capacitor was used as the pumping capacitor. On the other hand, the layout area of the 512Kb eFlash memory IP designed based on the 110nm eFlash process is $933.22{\mu}m{\times}925{\mu}m(=0.8632mm^2)$.

• The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.625-640
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• 2023

This paper propose a circuit that can measure the inductance of an inductive sensor used in IOT applications. The circuit was constructed using the characteristics of an RL low-pass filter circuit, comparator, current control switch, and capacitor, and the inductance value within the range 1[nH] < L ≤ 1[H] can be derived through the duration time during the output voltage of the RL low-pass filter circuit is greater than the reference voltage.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SD
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• v.47 no.12
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• pp.31-38
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• 2010

This paper presents the design of a graphic memory for QVGA-scale LCD Driver IC (LDI). The graphic memory is designed based on the pseudo-SHAM for the purpose of small area, and the memory cell structure is designed using a bit line partitioning method to improve sensing characteristics and drivabilties in the line-read operation. Also, a collision protection circuit using C-gate is designed to control collisions between read/write operations and self-refresh/line-read operations effectively. The graphic memory circuit has been designed in transistor level using $0.18{\mu}m$ CMOS technology library and the operations of the graphic memory have been verified using Hspice. The results show that the bit-bitb line voltage difference, ${\Delta}V$ increases by 40%, the charge sharing time between bit and bitb voltages $T_{CHGSH}$ decreases by 30%, and the current during line-read decreases by 40%.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.273-279
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• 2000

Electrical repair method which has replaced laser repair method can replace defective cell by redundancy’s in the redundancy scheme of conventional high density memory. This electrical repair circuit consists of the antifuse program/read/latch circuits, a clock generator a negative voltage generator a power-up pulse circuit a special address mux and etc. The measured program voltage of made antifuses was 7.2~7.5V and the resistance of programmed antifuses was below 500 Ω. The period of clock generator was about 30 ns. The output voltage of a negative voltage generator was about 4.3 V and the current capacity was maximum 825 $mutextrm{A}$. An antifuse was programmed using by the electric potential difference between supply-voltage (3.3 V) and output voltage generator. The output pulse width of a power-up pulse circuit was 30 ns ~ 1$mutextrm{s}$ with the variation of power-up time. The programmed antifuse resistance required below 44 ㏀ from the simulation of antifuse program/read/latch circuit. Therefore the electrical repair circuit behaved safely and the yield of high densitymemory will be increased by using the circuit.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.105-109
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• 2000

We have designed and fabricated a single-flux-quantum(SFQ) four-stage shift register using YBCO bicrystal Josephson junctions, and tested its operations using a digital measurement set-up. The circuit consists of 4 shift register stages and a read SQUID placed next to each side of the shift register. Each SQUID was inductively coupled to the nearby shift register stage. The major obstacle in testing the circuits was the interference between the two read SQUIDs, and we could get over the problem by determining the correct operation points of the SQUID from the simultaneously measured modulation curves. Loaded data ('1' or '0') were successfully shifted from a stage to the next by a controlled current pulse injected to the bias lines located between the stages, and the corresponding correct data shifts were observed with the two read SQUIDs.

• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.300-308
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• 2010

This paper describes the development of a low-power electrocardiogram (ECG) touch sensor intended for the use with two dry metal electrodes. An equivalent ECG extraction circuit model encountered in a ground-free two-electrode configuration is investigated for an optimal sensor read-out circuit design criteria. From the equivalent circuit model, (1) maximum sensor resolution is derived based on the electrode's background thermal noise, which originates from high electrode-skin contact impedance, together with the input referred noise of instrumentation amplifier (IA), (2) 60 Hz electrostatic coupling from mains and motion artifact are also considered to determine minimum requirement of common mode rejection ratio (CMRR) and input impedance of IA. A dedicated ECG read-out front end incorporating chopping scheme is introduced to provide an input referred circuit noise of 1.3 ${\mu}V_{rms}$ over 0.5 Hz ~ 200 Hz, CMRR of IA > 100 dB, sensor resolution of 7 bits, and dissipating only 36 ${\mu}W$. Together with 8 bits synchronous successive approximation register (SAR) ADC, the sensor IC chip is implemented in 0.18 ${\mu}m$ CMOS technology and integrated on a 5 cm $\times$ 8 cm PCB with two copper patterned electrodes. With the help of proposed touch sensor, ECG signal containing QRS complex and P, T waves are successfully extracted by simply touching the electrodes with two thumbs.

• Proceedings of the Korea Information Processing Society Conference
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• 2013.05a
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• pp.21-23
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• 2013

Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) using CMOS technology has many advantages. It does not need to refresh every certain time, as a result, the speed of SRAM is faster than Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM). This is the reason why SRAM is widely used in almost processors and system on chips (SoC) which require high processing speed. Two basic operations of SRAM are read and write. We consider two basic factors, including the accuracy of read and write operations and the speed of these operations. In our paper, we propose the read and write assist circuits for SRAM. By adding a power control circuit in SRAM, the write operation performed successfully with low error ratio. Moreover, the value in memory cells can be read correctly using the proposed pre-charge method.