Multi-bit current sense amplifier with pipeline current sampling of resistive memory array structure and sensing method thereof

The present disclosure relates to a multi-bit current sense amplifier of a resistive memory array structure and a sensing method thereof. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a multi-bit current sense amplifier with pipeline current sampling of a resistive memory array structure and a sensing method thereof.

Many security-aware mobile devices, using secure hash algorithm (SHA) or advanced encryption standard (AES) functions for data encryption, require short read access time (T AC ) and wide-IO from non-volatile memory (NVM) for high read bandwidth function. A spin torque transfer magnetoresistive random access memory (STT-MRAM) is the major on-chip NVM for advanced process nodes; however, it requires small-offset sense amplifiers (SAs) for robust read against small TMR-ratio at the expense of large area overhead and read-energy (E RD ). A study of STT-M RAM macros for security-related applications imposes two main challenges. One of the two main challenges is that using a large number of SAs for parallel wide-IO readout achieves short T AC , but results in high peak current (I PEAK ) and large area overhead. Using fewer SAs for sequential wide-IO readout reduces I PEAK and area overhead, but imposes long T AC and low read-bandwidth (B WR ). Another one of the two main challenges is that MRAM macros with high I PEAK degrade the power supply voltage (VDD) integrity of the chip, often leading to failure in noise-sensitive blocks on the same chip.

Therefore, a multi-bit current sense amplifier with pipeline current sampling of a resistive memory and a sensing method thereof having the features of margin enhancement, offset suppression, small area, low peak current and low energy consumption capability are commercially desirable.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a multi-bit current sense amplifier with pipeline current sampling of a resistive memory is configured to sense a plurality of bit line currents of a plurality of bit lines in a pipeline operation. The multi-bit current sense amplifier with pipeline current sampling of the resistive memory includes a core sense circuit and a plurality of bit line precharge branch circuits. The core sense circuit has a first output node and a second output node. The core sense circuit is connected to one part of the bit lines and generates a reference parallel resistance current and a reference anti-parallel resistance current. The bit line precharge branch circuits are electrically connected to the core sense circuit. The bit line precharge branch circuits are connected to another part of the bit lines. The bit line currents of the bit lines, the reference parallel resistance current and the reference anti-parallel resistance current are sensed by the core sense circuit and the bit line precharge branch circuits in the pipeline operation so as to sequentially generate a plurality of voltage levels on the first output node and the second output node in a clock cycle.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a sensing method of the multi-bit current sense amplifier with pipeline current sampling of the resistive memory includes a voltage level applying step, a first part bit line current sensing step and a second part bit line current sensing step. The voltage level applying step is performed to apply a plurality of voltage levels to a plurality of control signals, respectively. The control signals are configured to control the core sense circuit and the bit line precharge branch circuits. The first part bit line current sensing step is performed to sense the bit line currents of the one part of the bit lines via the core sense circuit according to the voltage levels of the control signals. The second part bit line current sensing step is performed to sense the bit line currents of the another part of the bit lines via the core sense circuit and the bit line precharge branch circuits according to the voltage levels of the control signals.

The present disclosure can be more fully understood by reading the following detailed description of the embodiment, with reference made to the accompanying drawings as follows:

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a resistive memory array structure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a multi-bit current sense amplifier with pipeline current sampling of the resistive memory array structure of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 shows a circuit diagram of a core sense circuit of the multi-bit current sense amplifier of FIG. 2 , connected to a first left bit line precharge branch circuit and a first right bit line precharge branch circuit.

FIG. 4 shows a circuit diagram of the core sense circuit of the multi-bit current sense amplifier of FIG. 2 , connected to a second left bit line precharge branch circuit and a second right bit line precharge branch circuit.

FIG. 5 shows a circuit diagram of the core sense circuit of the multi-bit current sense amplifier of FIG. 2 , connected to a third left bit line precharge branch circuit and a third right bit line precharge branch circuit.

FIG. 6 shows a flow chart of a sensing method of a multi-bit current sense amplifier with pipeline current sampling of a resistive memory array structure according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 shows a flow chart of current sampling operations, current subtracting operations and latching operations of the sensing method of FIG. 6 .

FIG. 8 shows a circuit diagram of a first current sampling operation of the sensing method of FIG. 6 , during a core current sampling time interval of a sensing time interval.

FIG. 9A shows a circuit diagram of a first current subtracting operation of the sensing method of FIG. 6 , during a core current subtracting time interval of the sensing time interval.

FIG. 9B shows a schematic view of variations of voltage levels of a first output node, a second output node, a third output node and a fourth output node of the core sense circuit in the first current subtracting operation of FIG. 9A , during the core current subtracting time interval of the sensing time interval.

FIG. 10 shows a circuit diagram of a first latching operation of the sensing method of FIG. 6 , during a core latching time interval of the sensing time interval.

FIG. 11 shows a circuit diagram of a second current sampling operation of the sensing method of FIG. 6 , during a first one of a plurality of branch current sampling time intervals of the sensing time interval.

FIG. 12 shows a circuit diagram of a second current subtracting operation of the sensing method of FIG. 6 , during a first one of a plurality of branch current subtracting time intervals of the sensing time interval.

FIG. 13 shows a circuit diagram of a second latching operation of the sensing method of FIG. 6 , during a first one of a plurality of branch latching time intervals of the sensing time interval.

FIG. 14 shows timing diagrams of voltage levels of control signals, the first output node, the second output node, the third output node and the fourth output node of FIGS. 8-13 .

The embodiment will be described with the drawings. For clarity, some practical details will be described below. However, it should be noted that the present disclosure should not be limited by the practical details, that is, in some embodiment, the practical details is unnecessary. In addition, for simplifying the drawings, some conventional structures and elements will be simply illustrated, and repeated elements may be represented by the same labels.

It will be understood that when an element (or device) is referred to as be “connected to” another element, it can be directly connected to the other element, or it can be indirectly connected to the other element, that is, intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as be “directly connected to” another element, there are no intervening elements present. In addition, the terms first, second, third, etc. are used herein to describe various elements or components, these elements or components should not be limited by these terms. Consequently, a first element or component discussed below could be termed a second element or component.

Before describing any embodiments in detail, some terms used in the following are described. A voltage level of “1” represents that the voltage is equal to a power supply voltage VDD. The voltage level of “0” represents that the voltage is equal to a ground voltage GND. A PMOS transistor and an NMOS transistor represent a P-type MOS transistor and an N-type MOS transistor, respectively. Each transistor has a source, a drain and a gate.

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a resistive memory array structure 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a multi-bit current sense amplifier 200 with pipeline current sampling of the resistive memory array structure 100 of FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 shows a circuit diagram of a core sense circuit 212 of the multi-bit current sense amplifier 200 of FIG. 2 , connected to a first left bit line precharge branch circuit B 1 _L and a first right bit line precharge branch circuit B 1 _R. FIG. 4 shows a circuit diagram of the core sense circuit 212 of the multi-bit current sense amplifier 200 of FIG. 2 , connected to a second left bit line precharge branch circuit B 2 _L and a second right bit line precharge branch circuit B 2 _R. FIG. 5 shows a circuit diagram of the core sense circuit 212 of the multi-bit current sense amplifier 200 of FIG. 2 , connected to a third left bit line precharge branch circuit B 3 _L and a third right bit line precharge branch circuit B 3 _R. In FIGS. 1-5 , the resistive memory array structure 100 includes a non-volatile memory array 110 , a replica cell array 120 (i.e., RCA), a word line driver 130 (i.e., WL driver), a multiplexer unit 140 (i.e., Column MUX) and a plurality of multi-bit current sense amplifiers 200 (i.e., MB-CSA).

The non-volatile memory array 110 includes a plurality of non-volatile memory cells. Each of the non-volatile memory cells is controlled by one of the word lines WL< 0 >-WL<i> and stores a weight. Each of the non-volatile memory cells may be a spin torque transfer magnetoresistive random access memory (STT-MRAM). Each of the non-volatile memory cells includes a transistor and a resistive element. The transistor is connected to a source line and one of the word lines WL< 0 >-WL<i>. The resistive element is connected between the transistor and one of the bit lines. The replica cell array 120 is connected between the non-volatile memory array 110 and the word line driver 130 . The multiplexer unit 140 is connected between the non-volatile memory array 110 and the multi-bit current sense amplifiers 200 . The bit lines of the non-volatile memory array 110 are connected to the multi-bit current sense amplifiers 200 via the multiplexer unit 140 .

Each of the multi-bit current sense amplifiers 200 with pipeline current sampling of the resistive memory array structure 100 is configured to sense a plurality of bit line currents of the bit lines in a pipeline operation. The multi-bit current sense amplifier 200 includes a multi-bit current sense circuit 210 , a multi-bit output switch unit 220 and a plurality of output latches 230 .

The multi-bit current sense circuit 210 includes a core sense circuit 212 and a plurality of bit line precharge branch circuits (e.g., B 1 _L, B 1 _R, B 2 _L, B 2 _R, B 3 _L, B 3 _R in FIG. 3 ). The core sense circuit 212 has a first output node Q L and a second output node Q R . The core sense circuit 212 is connected to one part of the bit lines and generates a reference parallel resistance current I REF_P and a reference anti-parallel resistance current I REF_AP . The bit line precharge branch circuits are electrically connected to the core sense circuit 212 . The bit line precharge branch circuits are connected to another part of the bit lines. The bit line currents I BL[0] -I BL[7] of the bit lines, the reference parallel resistance current I REF_P and the reference anti-parallel resistance current I REF_AP are sensed by the core sense circuit 212 and the bit line precharge branch circuits in the pipeline operation so as to sequentially generate a plurality of voltage levels on the first output node Q L and the second output node Q R in a clock cycle. In FIG. 3 , the bit lines include a first bit line BL[ 0 ], a second bit line BL[ 1 ], a third bit line BL[ 2 ], a fourth bit line BL[ 3 ], a fifth bit line BL[ 4 ], a sixth bit line BL[ 5 ], a seventh bit line BL[ 6 ] and an eighth bit line BL[ 7 ]. The one part of the bit lines includes the fourth bit line BL[ 3 ] and the fifth bit line BL[ 4 ]. The another part of the bit lines includes the first bit line BL[ 0 ], the second bit line BL[ 1 ], the third bit line BL[ 2 ], the sixth bit line BL[ 5 ], the seventh bit line BL[ 6 ] and the eighth bit line BL[ 7 ].

In detail, the core sense circuit 212 further has a third output node QB L , a fourth output node QB R , a first left inner node, a second left inner node, a third left inner node, a fourth left inner node, a fifth left inner node, a first right inner node, a second right inner node, a third right inner node, a fourth right inner node, a fifth right inner node, a first bit line node, a second bit line node, a first reference node REF_P and a second reference node REF_AP. The core circuit 212 includes a first left sense-amplifier transistor P 0 , a second left sense-amplifier transistor P 1 , a third left sense-amplifier transistor NS 0 , a fourth left sense-amplifier transistor NS 1 , a fifth left sense-amplifier transistor NS 2 , a sixth left sense-amplifier transistor NS 3 , a seventh left sense-amplifier transistor NS 4 , a first left sense-amplifier capacitor C 0 , a second left sense-amplifier capacitor C 1 , a first left sense-amplifier switch and a second left sense-amplifier switch.

The first left sense-amplifier transistor P 0 is connected to the power supply voltage VDD, the first output node Q L and the first left inner node. The second left sense-amplifier transistor P 1 is connected to the power supply voltage VDD, the third output node QB L and the second left inner node. The third left sense-amplifier transistor NS 0 is connected to the first output node Q L , the third left inner node and the third output node QB L . The fourth left sense-amplifier transistor NS 1 is connected to the third output node QB L , the third left inner node and the first output node Q L . The fifth left sense-amplifier transistor NS 2 is connected to the third left inner node, a sense amplifier enable signal SAEN and the ground voltage. The sixth left sense-amplifier transistor NS 3 is connected to the first left inner node, the sense amplifier enable signal SAEN and the third output node QB L . The seventh left sense-amplifier transistor NS 4 is connected to the second left inner node, the sense amplifier enable signal SAEN and the first output node Q L . The first left sense-amplifier capacitor C 0 is connected between the power supply voltage VDD and the first left inner node. The second left sense-amplifier capacitor C 1 is connected between the power supply voltage VDD and the second left inner node. The first left sense-amplifier switch is connected between the first output node Q L and the first left inner node. The first left sense-amplifier switch is controlled by a switching control signal SW. The second left sense-amplifier switch is connected between the third output node QB E and the second left inner node. The second left sense-amplifier switch is controlled by the switching control signal SW. Each of the first left sense-amplifier transistor P 0 and the second left sense-amplifier transistor P 1 is the PMOS transistor. Each of the third left sense-amplifier transistor NS 0 , the fourth left sense-amplifier transistor NS 1 , the fifth left sense-amplifier transistor NS 2 , the sixth left sense-amplifier transistor NS 3 and the seventh left sense-amplifier transistor NS 4 is the NMOS transistor.

The core sense circuit 212 further includes a first right sense-amplifier transistor P 2 , a second right sense-amplifier transistor P 3 , a third right sense-amplifier transistor NS 5 , a fourth right sense-amplifier transistor NS 6 , a fifth right sense-amplifier transistor NS 7 , a sixth right sense-amplifier transistor NS 8 , a seventh right sense-amplifier transistor NS 9 , a first right sense-amplifier capacitor C 2 , a second right sense-amplifier capacitor C 3 , a first right sense-amplifier switch and a second right sense-amplifier switch.

The first right sense-amplifier transistor P 2 is connected to the power supply voltage VDD, the fourth output node QB R and the first right inner node. The second right sense-amplifier transistor P 3 is connected to the power supply voltage VDD, the second output node Q R and the second right inner node. The third right sense-amplifier transistor NS 5 is connected to the fourth output node QB R , the third right inner node and the second output node Q R . The fourth right sense-amplifier transistor NS 6 is connected to the second output node Q R , the third right inner node and the fourth output node QB R . The fifth right sense-amplifier transistor NS 7 is connected to the third right inner node, the sense amplifier enable signal SAEN and the ground voltage. The sixth right sense-amplifier transistor NS 8 is connected to the first right inner node, the sense amplifier enable signal SAEN and the second output node Q R . The seventh right sense-amplifier transistor NS 9 is connected to the second right inner node, the sense amplifier enable signal SAEN and the fourth output node QB R . The first right sense-amplifier capacitor C 2 is connected between the power supply voltage VDD and the first right inner node. The second right sense-amplifier capacitor C 3 is connected between the power supply voltage VDD and the second right inner node. The first right sense-amplifier switch is connected between the fourth output node QB R and the first right inner node. The first right sense-amplifier switch is controlled by the switching control signal SW. The second right sense-amplifier switch is connected between the second output node Q R and the second right inner node. The second right sense-amplifier switch is controlled by the switching control signal SW. Each of the first right sense-amplifier transistor P 2 and the second right sense-amplifier transistor P 3 is the PMOS transistor. Each of the third right sense-amplifier transistor NS 5 , the fourth right sense-amplifier transistor NS 6 , the fifth right sense-amplifier transistor NS 7 , the sixth right sense-amplifier transistor NS 8 and the seventh right sense-amplifier transistor NS 9 is the NMOS transistor.

The core sense circuit 212 further includes a first clamping transistor NC 0 , a second clamping transistor NC 1 , a third clamping transistor NC 2 and a fourth clamping transistor NC 3 . The first clamping transistor NC 0 is connected to a clamping signal V CLP , the first output node Q L and the fourth left inner node. The second clamping transistor NC 1 is connected to the clamping signal V CLP , the third output node QB E and the fifth left inner node. The third clamping transistor NC 2 is connected to the clamping signal V CLP , the fourth output node QB R and the fourth right inner node. The fourth clamping transistor NC 3 is connected to the clamping signal V CLP , the second output node Q R and the fifth right inner node.

The core sense circuit 212 further includes a first left switching transistor NO, a second switching transistor N 1 , a third switching transistor N 2 , a fourth switching transistor N 3 , a fifth switching transistor N 4 , a sixth left switching transistor N 5 , a seventh switching transistor N 6 and an eighth switching transistor N 7 . The first left switching transistor N 0 is connected to the fourth left inner node, the first bit line node and a first switching signal S 0 . The second switching transistor N 1 is connected to the fifth left inner node, the first bit line node and a second switching signal S 1 . The third switching transistor N 2 is connected to the fifth right inner node, the first reference node REF_P and a switch reference signal SR. The fourth switching transistor N 3 is connected to the fifth left inner node, the first reference node REF_P and the switching control signal SW. The fifth switching transistor N 4 is connected to the fourth right inner node, the second reference node REF_AP and the switching control signal SW. The sixth left switching transistor N 5 is connected to the fourth left inner node, the second reference node REF_AP and the switch reference signal SR. The seventh switching transistor N 6 is connected to the fourth right inner node, the second bit line node and the second switching signal S 1 . The eighth switching transistor N 7 is connected to the fifth right inner node, the second bit line node and the first switching signal S 0 . The reference parallel resistance current I REF_P and the reference anti-parallel resistance current I REF_AP flow through the first reference node REF_P and the second reference node REF_AP, respectively. Each of the first left switching transistor N 0 , the second switching transistor N 1 , the third switching transistor N 2 , the fourth switching transistor N 3 , the fifth switching transistor N 4 , the sixth left switching transistor N 5 , the seventh switching transistor N 6 and the eighth switching transistor N 7 is the NMOS transistor.

The core sense circuit 212 further includes an eighth left sense-amplifier transistor P 4 , a fifth clamping transistor NC 4 , a ninth left sense-amplifier transistor N 8 , an eighth right sense-amplifier transistor P 5 , a sixth clamping transistor NC 5 and a ninth right sense-amplifier transistor N 9 . The eighth left sense-amplifier transistor P 4 is connected to the power supply voltage VDD. The fifth clamping transistor NC 4 is connected to the eighth left sense-amplifier transistor P 4 and the clamping signal V CLP . The ninth left sense-amplifier transistor N 8 is connected to the fifth clamping transistor NC 4 , the sense amplifier enable signal SAEN and the first reference node REF_P. The eighth right sense-amplifier transistor P 5 is connected to the power supply voltage VDD. The sixth clamping transistor NC 5 is connected to the eighth right sense-amplifier transistor P 5 and the clamping signal V CLP . The ninth right sense-amplifier transistor N 9 is connected to the sixth clamping transistor NC 5 , the sense amplifier enable signal SAEN and the second reference node REF_AP. Each of the eighth left sense-amplifier transistor P 4 and the eighth right sense-amplifier transistor P 5 is the PMOS transistor. Each of the fifth clamping transistor NC 4 , the ninth left sense-amplifier transistor N 8 , the sixth clamping transistor NC 5 and the ninth right sense-amplifier transistor N 9 is the NMOS transistor.

The bit line precharge branch circuits includes a first left bit line precharge branch circuit B 1 _L, a first right bit line precharge branch circuit B 1 _R, a second left bit line precharge branch circuit B 2 _L, a second right bit line precharge branch circuit B 2 _R, a third left bit line precharge branch circuit B 3 _L and a third right bit line precharge branch circuit B 3 _R.

The first left bit line precharge branch circuit B 1 _L has a third bit line node and includes a tenth left sense-amplifier transistor P 6 , a seventh clamping transistor NC 6 , an eleventh left sense-amplifier transistor N 10 , a twelfth left sense-amplifier transistor N 11 and a thirteenth left sense-amplifier transistor N 12 . The tenth left sense-amplifier transistor P 6 is connected to the power supply voltage VDD. The seventh clamping transistor NC 6 is connected to the tenth left sense-amplifier transistor P 6 and the clamping signal V CLP . The eleventh left sense-amplifier transistor N 10 is connected to the seventh clamping transistor NC 6 , a third switching signal S 2 _B 1 and the third bit line node. The twelfth left sense-amplifier transistor N 11 is connected to the fourth left inner node, a fourth switching signal S 3 _B 1 and the third bit line node. The thirteenth left sense-amplifier transistor N 12 is connected to the fifth left inner node, a fifth switching signal S 4 _B 1 and the third bit line node. In addition, the first right bit line precharge branch circuit B 1 _R has a fourth bit line node and includes a tenth right sense-amplifier transistor P 7 , an eighth clamping transistor NC 7 , an eleventh right sense-amplifier transistor N 13 , a twelfth right sense-amplifier transistor N 14 and a thirteenth right sense-amplifier transistor N 15 . The tenth right sense-amplifier transistor P 7 is connected to the power supply voltage VDD. The eighth clamping transistor NC 7 is connected to the tenth right sense-amplifier transistor P 7 and the clamping signal V CLP . The eleventh right sense-amplifier transistor N 13 is connected to the eighth clamping transistor NC 7 , the third switching signal S 2 _B 1 and the fourth bit line node. The twelfth right sense-amplifier transistor N 14 is connected to the fifth right inner node, the fourth switching signal S 3 _B 1 and the fourth bit line node. The thirteenth right sense-amplifier transistor N 15 is connected to the fourth right inner node, the fifth switching signal S 4 _B 1 and the fourth bit line node.

The second left bit line precharge branch circuit B 2 _L has a fifth bit line node and includes a fourteenth left sense-amplifier transistor P 8 , a ninth clamping transistor NC 8 , a fifteenth left sense-amplifier transistor N 16 , a sixteenth left sense-amplifier transistor N 17 and a seventeenth left sense-amplifier transistor N 18 . The fourteenth left sense-amplifier transistor P 8 is connected to the power supply voltage VDD. The ninth clamping transistor NC 8 is connected to the fourteenth left sense-amplifier transistor P 8 and the clamping signal V CLP . The fifteenth left sense-amplifier transistor N 16 is connected to the ninth clamping transistor NC 8 , a sixth switching signal S 2 _B 2 and the fifth bit line node. The sixteenth left sense-amplifier transistor N 17 is connected to the fourth left inner node, a seventh switching signal S 3 _B 2 and the fifth bit line node. The seventeenth left sense-amplifier transistor N 18 is connected to the fifth left inner node, an eighth switching signal S 4 _B 2 and the fifth bit line node. In addition, the second right bit line precharge branch circuit B 2 _R has a sixth bit line node and includes a fourteenth right sense-amplifier transistor P 9 , a tenth clamping transistor NC 9 , a fifteenth right sense-amplifier transistor N 19 , a sixteenth right sense-amplifier transistor N 20 and a seventeenth right sense-amplifier transistor N 21 . The fourteenth right sense-amplifier transistor P 9 is connected to the power supply voltage VDD. The tenth clamping transistor NC 9 is connected to the fourteenth right sense-amplifier transistor P 9 and the clamping signal V CLP . The fifteenth right sense-amplifier transistor N 19 is connected to the tenth clamping transistor NC 9 , the sixth switching signal S 2 _B 2 and the sixth bit line node. The sixteenth right sense-amplifier transistor N 20 is connected to the fifth right inner node, the seventh switching signal S 3 _B 2 and the sixth bit line node. The seventeenth right sense-amplifier transistor N 21 is connected to the fourth right inner node, the eighth switching signal S 4 _B 2 and the sixth bit line node.

The third left bit line precharge branch circuit B 3 _L has a seventh bit line node and includes an eighteenth left sense-amplifier transistor P 10 , an eleventh clamping transistor NC 10 , a nineteenth left sense-amplifier transistor N 22 , a twentieth left sense-amplifier transistor N 23 and a twenty-first left sense-amplifier transistor N 24 . The eighteenth left sense-amplifier transistor P 10 is connected to the power supply voltage VDD. The eleventh clamping transistor NC 10 is connected to the eighteenth left sense-amplifier transistor P 10 and the clamping signal V CLP . The nineteenth left sense-amplifier transistor N 22 is connected to the eleventh clamping transistor NC 10 , a ninth switching signal S 2 _B 3 and the seventh bit line node. The twentieth left sense-amplifier transistor N 23 is connected to the fourth left inner node, a tenth switching signal S 3 _B 3 and the seventh bit line node. The twenty-first left sense-amplifier transistor N 24 is connected to the fifth left inner node, an eleventh switching signal S 4 _B 3 and the seventh bit line node. In addition, the third right bit line precharge branch circuit B 3 _R has an eighth bit line node and includes an eighteenth right sense-amplifier transistor P 11 , a twelfth clamping transistor NC 11 , a nineteenth right sense-amplifier transistor N 25 , a twentieth right sense-amplifier transistor N 26 and a twenty-first right sense-amplifier transistor N 27 . The eighteenth right sense-amplifier transistor P 11 is connected to the power supply voltage VDD. The twelfth clamping transistor NC 11 is connected to the eighteenth right sense-amplifier transistor P 11 and the clamping signal V CLP . The nineteenth right sense-amplifier transistor N 25 is connected to the twelfth clamping transistor NC 11 , the ninth switching signal S 2 _B 3 and the eighth bit line node. The twentieth right sense-amplifier transistor N 26 is connected to the fifth right inner node, the tenth switching signal S 3 _B 3 and the eighth bit line node. The twenty-first right sense-amplifier transistor N 27 is connected to the fourth right inner node, the eleventh switching signal S 4 _B 3 and the eighth bit line node.

In FIGS. 3-5 , the first bit line BL[ 0 ] and the eighth bit line BL[ 7 ] are connected to the seventh bit line node and the eighth bit line node, respectively. The second bit line BL[ 1 ] and the seventh bit line BL[ 6 ] are connected to the fifth bit line node and the sixth bit line node, respectively. The third bit line BL[ 2 ] and the sixth bit line BL[ 5 ] are connected to the third bit line node and the fourth bit line node, respectively. The fourth bit line BL[ 3 ] and the fifth bit line BL[ 4 ] are connected to the first bit line node and the second bit line node, respectively.

The multi-bit output switch unit 220 is electrically connected between the multi-bit current sense circuit 210 and the output latches 230 . The multi-bit output switch unit 220 includes a plurality of multi-bit output switches (MBOSWs). The number of the multi-bit output switches is four. The multi-bit output switches are electrically connected to the first output node Q L and the second output node Q R of the multi-bit current sense circuit 210 . Only one of the multi-bit output switches is turned on to transmit two voltage levels ( 2 b ) of the first output node Q L and the second output node Q R at one time.

The output latches 230 are electrically connected to the multi-bit output switch unit 220 . The number of the output latches 230 is eight. Two of the output latches 230 are corresponding to one of the multi-bit output switches of the multi-bit output switch unit 220 and configured to generate two of eight 1-bit digital outputs (i.e., one of bit[ 3 , 4 ], bit[ 2 , 5 ], bit[ 1 , 6 ] and bit[ 0 , 7 ]).

FIG. 6 shows a flow chart of a sensing method 300 of a multi-bit current sense amplifier 200 with pipeline current sampling of a resistive memory array structure 100 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 shows a flow chart of current sampling operations (SP 1 ), current subtracting operations (SP 2 ) and latching operations (SP 3 ) of the sensing method 300 of FIG. 6 . FIG. 8 shows a circuit diagram of a first current sampling operation of the sensing method 300 of FIG. 6 , during a core current sampling time interval (Ph 1 -SP 1 ) of a sensing time interval (total of Ph 1 , Ph 2 , Ph 3 and Ph 4 ). FIG. 9A shows a circuit diagram of a first current subtracting operation of the sensing method 300 of FIG. 6 , during a core current subtracting time interval (Ph 1 -SP 2 ) of the sensing time interval. FIG. 9B shows a schematic view of variations of voltage levels of a first output node Q L , a second output node Q R , a third output node QB L and a fourth output node QB R of the core sense circuit 212 in the first current subtracting operation of FIG. 9A , during the core current subtracting time interval (Ph 1 -SP 2 ) of the sensing time interval. FIG. 10 shows a circuit diagram of a first latching operation of the sensing method 300 of FIG. 6 , during a core latching time interval (Ph 1 -SP 3 ) of the sensing time interval. FIG. 11 shows a circuit diagram of a second current sampling operation of the sensing method 300 of FIG. 6 , during a first one (Ph 2 -SP 1 ) of a plurality of branch current sampling time intervals (total of Ph 2 -SP 1 , Ph 3 -SP 1 and Ph 4 -SP 1 ) of the sensing time interval. FIG. 12 shows a circuit diagram of a second current subtracting operation of the sensing method 300 of FIG. 6 , during a first one (Ph 2 -SP 2 ) of a plurality of branch current subtracting time intervals (total of Ph 2 -SP 2 , Ph 3 -SP 2 and Ph 4 -SP 2 ) of the sensing time interval. FIG. 13 shows a circuit diagram of a second latching operation of the sensing method 300 of FIG. 6 , during a first one (Ph 2 -SP 3 ) of a plurality of branch latching time intervals (total of Ph 2 -SP 3 , Ph 3 -SP 3 and Ph 4 -SP 3 ) of the sensing time interval. FIG. 14 shows timing diagrams of voltage levels of control signals, the first output node Q L , the second output node Q R , the third output node QB L and the fourth output node QB R of FIGS. 8-13 . In FIG. 6 , the sensing method 300 includes a voltage level applying step S 12 , a first part bit line current sensing step S 14 and a second part bit line current sensing step S 16 .

The voltage level applying step S 12 is performed to apply the voltage levels to the control signals, respectively. The control signals are configured to control the core sense circuit 212 and the bit line precharge branch circuits of the multi-bit current sense amplifier 200 . In detail, the control signals include a switching control signal SW, a sense amplifier enable signal SAEN, a clamping signal V CLP , a switch reference signal SR, a first switching signal S 0 , a second switching signal S 1 , a third switching signal S 2 _B 1 , a fourth switching signal S 3 _B 1 , a fifth switching signal S 4 _B 1 , a sixth switching signal S 2 _B 2 , a seventh switching signal S 3 _B 2 , an eighth switching signal S 4 _B 2 , a ninth switching signal S 2 _B 3 , a tenth switching signal S 3 _B 3 and an eleventh switching signal S 4 _B 3 .

Please refer to FIGS. 3-5 . The switching control signal SW is configured to control a first left sense-amplifier switch, a second left sense-amplifier switch, a first right sense-amplifier switch, a second right sense-amplifier switch, a fourth switching transistor N 3 and a fifth switching transistor N 4 of the core sense circuit 200 . The sense amplifier enable signal SAEN is configured to control a fifth left sense-amplifier transistor N 52 , a sixth left sense-amplifier transistor N 53 , a seventh left sense-amplifier transistor N 54 , a fifth right sense-amplifier transistor NS 7 , a sixth right sense-amplifier transistor NS 8 , a seventh right sense-amplifier transistor NS 9 , a ninth left sense-amplifier transistor N 8 and a ninth right sense-amplifier transistor N 9 of the core sense circuit 200 . The clamping signal V CLP is configured to control a first clamping transistor NC 0 , a second clamping transistor NC 1 , a third clamping transistor NC 2 , a fourth clamping transistor NC 3 , a fifth clamping transistor NC 4 and a sixth clamping transistor NC 5 of the core sense circuit 200 , and a seventh clamping transistor NC 6 , an eighth clamping transistor NC 7 , a ninth clamping transistor NC 8 , a tenth clamping transistor NC 9 , an eleventh clamping transistor NC 10 and a twelfth clamping transistor NC 11 of the bit line precharge branch circuits. The switch reference signal SR is configured to control a third switching transistor N 2 and a sixth left switching transistor N 5 of the core sense circuit 200 . The first switching signal S 0 is configured to control a first left switching transistor N 0 and an eighth switching transistor N 7 of the core sense circuit 200 . The second switching signal S 1 is configured to control a second switching transistor N 1 and a seventh switching transistor N 6 of the core sense circuit 200 . The third switching signal S 2 _B 1 is configured to control an eleventh left sense-amplifier transistor N 10 and an eleventh right sense-amplifier transistor N 13 of the bit line precharge branch circuits.

The fourth switching signal S 3 _B 1 is configured to control a twelfth left sense-amplifier transistor N 11 and a twelfth right sense-amplifier transistor N 14 of the bit line precharge branch circuits. The fifth switching signal S 4 _B 1 is configured to control a thirteenth left sense-amplifier transistor N 12 and a thirteenth right sense-amplifier transistor N 15 of the bit line precharge branch circuits. The sixth switching signal S 2 _B 2 is configured to control a fifteenth left sense-amplifier transistor N 16 and a fifteenth right sense-amplifier transistor N 19 of the bit line precharge branch circuits. The seventh switching signal S 3 _B 2 is configured to control a sixteenth left sense-amplifier transistor N 17 and a sixteenth right sense-amplifier transistor N 20 of the bit line precharge branch circuits. The eighth switching signal S 4 _B 2 is configured to control a seventeenth left sense-amplifier transistor N 18 and a seventeenth right sense-amplifier transistor N 21 of the bit line precharge branch circuits. The ninth switching signal S 2 _B 3 is configured to control a nineteenth left sense-amplifier transistor N 22 and a nineteenth right sense-amplifier transistor N 25 of the bit line precharge branch circuits. The tenth switching signal S 3 _B 3 is configured to control a twentieth left sense-amplifier transistor N 23 and a twentieth right sense-amplifier transistor N 26 of the bit line precharge branch circuits. The eleventh switching signal S 4 _B 3 is configured to control a twenty-first left sense-amplifier transistor N 24 and a twenty-first right sense-amplifier transistor N 27 of the bit line precharge branch circuits.

The first part bit line current sensing step S 14 is performed to sense the bit line currents (I BL[3] , I BL[4] ) of the one part (BL[ 3 ], BL[ 4 ]) of the bit lines via the core sense circuit 200 according to the voltage levels of the control signals. The second part bit line current sensing step S 16 is performed to sense the bit line currents (I BL[0] −I BL[2] , I BL[5] −I BL[7] ) of the another part (BL[ 0 ]-BL[ 2 ], BL[ 5 ]-BL[ 7 ]) of the bit lines via the core sense circuit 200 and the bit line precharge branch circuits according to the voltage levels of the control signals. The first part bit line current sensing step S 14 and the second part bit line current sensing step S 16 are operated in a bit line developing time interval Ph 0 and the sensing time interval. The sensing time interval follows the bit line developing time interval Ph 0 . Each of the bit lines is precharged to a read voltage V read before the bit line developing time interval Ph 0 (e.g., V BL[3] of the fourth bit line BL[ 3 ] and V BL[4] of the fifth bit line BL[ 4 ] are precharged to the read voltage V read in FIG. 14 ), and the read voltage V read is smaller than the power supply voltage VDD and greater than the ground voltage.

During the bit line developing time interval Ph 0 and a core current sampling time interval (Ph 1 -SP 1 ) of the sensing time interval in the first part bit line current sensing step S 14 , a left bit line current path (I P0 =I BL[3] ), a reference parallel resistance current path (I P1 =I REF_P ), a reference anti-parallel resistance current path (I P2 =I REF_AP ) and a right bit line current path (I P3 =I BL[4] ) are formed, as shown in FIG. 8 . The left bit line current path (I P0 =I BL[3] ) is formed by the first left sense-amplifier transistor P 0 , the first clamping transistor NC 0 , the first left switching transistor N 0 and a fourth bit line BL[ 3 ]. The reference parallel resistance current path (I P1 =I REF_P ) is formed by the second left sense-amplifier transistor P 1 , the second clamping transistor NC 1 , the fourth switching transistor N 3 and a first reference node REF_P. The reference anti-parallel resistance current path (I P2 =I REF_AP ) is formed by the first right sense-amplifier transistor P 2 , the third clamping transistor NC 2 , the fifth switching transistor N 4 and a second reference node REF_AP. The right bit line current path (I P3 =I BL[4] ) is formed by the second right sense-amplifier transistor P 3 , the fourth clamping transistor NC 3 , the eighth switching transistor N 7 and a fifth bit line BL[ 4 ].

During the core current subtracting time interval (Ph 1 -SP 2 ) of the sensing time interval in the first part bit line current sensing step S 14 , a first left sense-amplifier capacitor C 0 of the core sense circuit 200 stores a gate-source voltage of the first left sense-amplifier transistor P 0 , as shown in FIG. 9A . A second left sense-amplifier capacitor C 1 of the core sense circuit 200 stores a gate-source voltage of the second left sense-amplifier transistor P 1 . A first right sense-amplifier capacitor C 2 of the core sense circuit 200 stores a gate-source voltage of the first right sense-amplifier transistor P 2 . A second right sense-amplifier capacitor C 3 of the core sense circuit 200 stores a gate-source voltage of the second right sense-amplifier transistor P 3 . Moreover, a first current subtracting path (I BL[3] -I REF_AP ) is formed by the first left sense-amplifier transistor P 0 , the first clamping transistor NC 0 , the sixth left switching transistor N 5 and the second reference node REF_AP. A second current subtracting path (I REF_P −I BL[3] ) is formed by the second left sense-amplifier transistor P 1 , the second clamping transistor NC 1 , the second switching transistor N 1 and the fourth bit line BL[ 3 ]. A third current subtracting path (I REF_AP −I BL[4] ) is formed by the first right sense-amplifier transistor P 2 , the third clamping transistor NC 2 , the seventh switching transistor N 6 and the fifth bit line BL[ 4 ]. A fourth current subtracting path (I BL[4] -I REF_P ) is formed by the second right sense-amplifier transistor P 3 , the fourth clamping transistor NC 3 , the third switching transistor N 2 and the first reference node REF_P.

In FIG. 9B , the variations of voltage levels of the first output node Q L and the third output node QB L depend on the bit line current I BL[3] of the first left sense-amplifier transistor P 0 , the reference parallel resistance current I REF_P of the second left sense-amplifier transistor P 1 , the reference anti-parallel resistance current I REF_AP of the first clamping transistor NC 0 and the bit line current I BL[3] of the second clamping transistor NC 1 . When the bit line current I BL[3] is equal to an anti-parallel resistance current I AP , the reference parallel resistance current I REF_P of the second left sense-amplifier transistor P 1 is different from the bit line current I BL[3] of the second clamping transistor NC 1 , so that a voltage level V QBL of the third output node QB L is changed to enhance an effective sensing margin. When the bit line current I BL[3] is equal to a parallel resistance current I P , the bit line current I BL[3] of the first left sense-amplifier transistor P 0 is different from the reference anti-parallel resistance current I REF_AP of the first clamping transistor NC 0 , so that a voltage level V QL of the first output node Q L is changed to enhance the effective sensing margin. In addition, the variations of voltage levels of the second output node Q R and the fourth output node QB R depend on the reference anti-parallel resistance current I REF_AP of the first right sense-amplifier transistor P 2 , the bit line current I BL[4] of the third clamping transistor NC 2 , the bit line current I BL[4] of the second right sense-amplifier transistor P 3 and the reference parallel resistance current I REF_P of the fourth clamping transistor NC 3 . When the bit line current I BL[4] is equal to the anti-parallel resistance current I AP , the bit line current I BL[4] of the second right sense-amplifier transistor P 3 is different from the reference parallel resistance current I REF_P of the fourth clamping transistor NC 3 , so that a voltage level V QR of the second output node Q R is changed to enhance the effective sensing margin. When the bit line current I BL[4] is equal to the parallel resistance current I P , the reference anti-parallel resistance current I REF_AP of the first right sense-amplifier transistor P 2 is different from the bit line current I BL[4] of the third clamping transistor NC 2 , so that a voltage level V QBR of the fourth output node QB R is changed to enhance the effective sensing margin. Accordingly, the current subtracting operations (SP 2 ) of the sensing method 300 of the present disclosure can enhance the effective sensing margin by about 2 times, compared to a conventional sensing method without the current subtracting operations.

During the core latching time interval (Ph 1 -SP 3 ) of the sensing time interval in the first part bit line current sensing step S 14 , a first reference current path (I P4 =I REF_P ) and a second reference current path (I P5 =I REF_AP ) are formed, as shown in FIG. 10 . The first reference current path (I P4 =I REF_P ) is formed by the eighth left sense-amplifier transistor P 4 , the fifth clamping transistor NC 4 , the ninth left sense-amplifier transistor N 8 and the first reference node REF_P. The second reference current path (I P5 =I REF_AP ) is formed by the eighth right sense-amplifier transistor P 5 , the sixth clamping transistor NC 5 , the ninth right sense-amplifier transistor N 9 and the second reference node REF_AP. When the voltage level V QL of the first output node Q L is greater than the voltage level V QBL of the third output node QB L , the first output node Q L is set to the power supply voltage VDD. When the voltage level V QR of the second output node QR is smaller than the voltage level V QBR of the fourth output node QB R , the second output node Q R is set to zero. Moreover, a left bit line developing path (I P6 =I BL[2] ) is formed by the tenth left sense-amplifier transistor P 6 , the seventh clamping transistor NC 6 , the eleventh left sense-amplifier transistor N 10 and the third bit line BL[ 2 ]. A right bit line developing path (I P7 =I BL[4] ) is formed by the tenth right sense-amplifier transistor P 7 , the eighth clamping transistor NC 7 , the eleventh right sense-amplifier transistor N 13 and the sixth bit line BL[ 5 ]. Table 1 lists the current sampling operation (SP 1 ) of FIG. 8 , the current subtracting operation (SP 2 ) of FIG. 9A and the latching operation (SP 3 ) of FIG. 10 . ΔV QL represents a changed voltage of the first output node Q L . ΔV QBL represents a changed voltage of the third output node QB L . ΔV QR represents a changed voltage of the second output node Q R . ΔV QBR represents a changed voltage of the fourth output node QB R . T SP2 represents a time period of the current subtracting operation. C QL represents a capacitance value of the first output node Q L . C QBL represents a capacitance value of the third output node QB L . C QR represents a capacitance value of the second output node Q R . C QBR represents a capacitance value of the fourth output node QB R .

During the branch current sampling time intervals (total of Ph 2 -SP 1 , Ph 3 -SP 1 and Ph 4 -SP 1 ) of the sensing time interval in the second part bit line current sensing step S 16 , a left branch bit line current path (I P0 =one of I BL[2] , I BL[1] , I BL[0] ), a reference parallel resistance current path (I P1 =I REF_P ), a reference anti-parallel resistance current path (I P2 =I REF_AP ) and a right branch bit line current path (I P3 =one of I BL[5] , I BL[6] , I BL[7] ) are formed, as shown in FIG. 11 (only Ph 2 -SP 1 ). The left branch bit line current path (I P0 =one of I BL[2] , I BL[1] , I BL[0] ) is formed by the first left sense-amplifier transistor P 0 , the first clamping transistor NC 0 , one of the twelfth left sense-amplifier transistor N 11 , the sixteenth left sense-amplifier transistor N 17 and the twentieth left sense-amplifier transistor N 23 , and one of the third bit line BL[ 2 ], the second bit line BL[ 1 ] and the first bit line BL[ 0 ]. The reference parallel resistance current path (I P1 =I REF_P ) is formed by the second left sense-amplifier transistor P 1 , the second clamping transistor NC 1 , the fourth switching transistor N 3 and the first reference node REF_P. The reference anti-parallel resistance current path (I P2 =I REF_AP ) is formed by the first right sense-amplifier transistor P 2 , the third clamping transistor NC 2 , the fifth switching transistor N 4 and the second reference node REF_AP. The right branch bit line current path (I P3 =one of I BL[5] , I BL[6] , I BL[7] ) is formed by the second right sense-amplifier transistor P 3 , the fourth clamping transistor NC 3 , one of the twelfth right sense-amplifier transistor N 14 , the sixteenth right sense-amplifier transistor N 20 and the twentieth right sense-amplifier transistor N 26 , and one of the sixth bit line BL[ 5 ], the seventh bit line BL[ 6 ] and the eighth bit line BL[ 7 ].

During the branch current subtracting time intervals (total of Ph 2 -SP 2 , Ph 3 -SP 2 and Ph 4 -SP 2 ) of the sensing time interval in the second part bit line current sensing step S 16 , a first branch current subtracting path (I BL[2] −I REF_AP , I BL[1] −I REF_AP , I BL[0] −I REF_AP ), a second branch current subtracting path (I REF_P −I BL[2] , I REF_P −I BL[1] , I REF_P −I BL[0] ), a third branch current subtracting path (I REF_AP −I BL[5] , I REF_AP −I BL[6] , I REF_AP −I BL[7] ) and a fourth branch current subtracting path (I BL[5] −I REF_P , I BL[6] −I REF_P , I BL[7] −I REF_P ) are formed, as shown in FIG. 12 (only Ph 2 -SP 2 ). The first branch current subtracting path is formed by the first left sense-amplifier transistor P 0 , the first clamping transistor NC 0 , the sixth left switching transistor N 5 and the second reference node REF_AP. The second branch current subtracting path is formed by the second left sense-amplifier transistor P 1 , the second clamping transistor NC 1 , one of the thirteenth left sense-amplifier transistor N 12 , the seventeenth left sense-amplifier transistor N 18 and the twenty-first left sense-amplifier transistor N 24 , and one of the third bit line BL[ 2 ], the second bit line BL[ 1 ] and the first bit line BL[ 0 ]. The third branch current subtracting path is formed by the first right sense-amplifier transistor P 2 , the third clamping transistor NC 2 , and one of the thirteenth right sense-amplifier transistor N 15 , the seventeenth right sense-amplifier transistor N 21 and the twenty-first right sense-amplifier transistor N 27 , and one of the sixth bit line BL[ 5 ], the seventh bit line BL[ 6 ] and the eighth bit line BL[ 7 ]. The fourth branch current subtracting path is formed by the second right sense-amplifier transistor P 3 , the fourth clamping transistor NC 3 , the third switching transistor N 2 and the first reference node REF_P. The first left sense-amplifier capacitor C 0 of the core sense circuit 200 stores the gate-source voltage of the first left sense-amplifier transistor P 0 . The second left sense-amplifier capacitor C 1 of the core sense circuit 200 stores the gate-source voltage of the second left sense-amplifier transistor P 1 . The first right sense-amplifier capacitor C 2 of the core sense circuit 200 stores the gate-source voltage of the first right sense-amplifier transistor P 2 . The second right sense-amplifier capacitor C 3 of the core sense circuit 200 stores the gate-source voltage of the second right sense-amplifier transistor P 3 . In addition, the second bit line BL[ 1 ] and the seventh bit line BL[ 6 ] are precharged to the read voltage V read and then developing by the core sense circuit 212 , the second left bit line precharge branch circuit B 2 _L and the second right bit line precharge branch circuit B 2 _R.

During the branch latching time intervals (total of Ph 2 -SP 3 , Ph 3 -SP 3 and Ph 4 -SP 3 ) of the sensing time interval in the second part bit line current sensing step S 16 , a first reference current path (I P4 =I REF_P ) and a second reference current path (I P5 =I REF_AP ) are formed, as shown in FIG. 13 (only Ph 2 -SP 3 ). The first reference current path and the second reference current path of FIG. 13 are the same as the first reference current path and the second reference current path of FIG. 10 , respectively. When the voltage level V QL of the first output node Q L is greater than the voltage level V QBL of the third output node QB L , the first output node Q L is set to the power supply voltage VDD. When the voltage level V QR of the second output node Q R is smaller than a voltage level V QBR of a fourth output node QB R , the second output node Q R is equal to zero.

In FIG. 14 , one clock cycle is greater than the sum of the bit line developing time interval Ph 0 and the sensing time interval (total of Ph 1 , Ph 2 , Ph 3 and Ph 4 ). A third current sampling operation of the sensing method 300 is performed by the core sense circuit 212 , the second left bit line precharge branch circuit B 2 _L and the second right bit line precharge branch circuit B 2 _R during a second one (Ph 3 -SP 1 ) of the branch current sampling time intervals of the sensing time interval. A fourth current sampling operation of the sensing method 300 is performed by the core sense circuit 212 , the third left bit line precharge branch circuit B 3 _L and the third right bit line precharge branch circuit B 3 _R during a third one (Ph 4 -SP 1 ) of the branch current sampling time intervals of the sensing time interval. The third current sampling operation and the fourth current sampling operation are similar to the second current sampling operation of FIG. 11 . A third current subtracting operation of the sensing method 300 is performed by the core sense circuit 212 , the second left bit line precharge branch circuit B 2 _L and the second right bit line precharge branch circuit B 2 _R during a second one (Ph 3 -SP 2 ) of the branch current subtracting time intervals of the sensing time interval. A fourth current subtracting operation of the sensing method 300 is performed by the core sense circuit 212 , the third left bit line precharge branch circuit B 3 _L and the third right bit line precharge branch circuit B 3 _R during a third one (Ph 4 -SP 2 ) of the branch current subtracting time intervals of the sensing time interval. The third current subtracting operation and the fourth current subtracting operation are similar to the second current subtracting operation of FIG. 12 . A third latching operation of the sensing method 300 is performed by the core sense circuit 212 during a second one (Ph 3 -SP 3 ) of the branch latching time intervals of the sensing time interval. A fourth latching operation of the sensing method 300 is performed by the core sense circuit 212 during a third one (Ph 4 -SP 3 ) of the branch latching time intervals of the sensing time interval. The third latching operation and the fourth latching operation are similar to the second latching operation of FIG. 13 .

According to the aforementioned embodiments and examples, the advantages of the present disclosure are described as follows.

1. The multi-bit current sense amplifier with pipeline current sampling of the resistive memory array structure and the sensing method thereof of the present disclosure can apply the read voltage to precharge the bit lines before reading the non-volatile memory array. Because the non-volatile memory array is read by current, it takes a long time to charge the bit-line capacitances on the bit lines to the read voltage until the memory current is stable before reading. The precharging of the present disclosure can shorten the current sampling time of the non-volatile memory cells and achieve shorter read time.

2. The multi-bit current sense amplifier with pipeline current sampling of the resistive memory array structure and the sensing method thereof of the present disclosure can read the non-volatile memory cells by sharing the same core sense circuit and reference currents to achieve higher area efficiency and lower peak current. When the multi-bit current sense amplifier is activated, multiple non-volatile memory cells which need to be read can be switched into the same core sense circuit for reading in a clock cycle, sharing the read circuit and the reference current. Higher area efficiency and lower peak current can be achieved.

3. The multi-bit current sense amplifier with pipeline current sampling of the resistive memory array structure and the sensing method thereof of the present disclosure utilize a pipeline current sampling technology to achieve faster read and reduce the power consumption. In the case of switching the different memory cells into the core sense circuit for reading, the non-volatile memory cells that have not been switched into the core sense circuit can be sampled by the other branches PMOS. The parasitic capacitance of the bit lines is charged to the read voltage, so that there is a faster current settling time when switching into the core sense circuit.

Although the present disclosure has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain embodiments thereof, other embodiments are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the embodiments contained herein.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present disclosure without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present disclosure cover modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they fall within the scope of the following claims.