The present invention includes apparatus and a method for reading one or more data states from an integrated circuitry memory cell, including the steps of connecting the memory cell to a bit line which is connected to an amplifier having an offset control which introduces an offset during the sensing portion of a read cycle to identify a data state stored in the memory cell.

A semiconductor device according to an embodiment includes a plurality of sampler circuits configured to receive a plurality of offset clock signals or a plurality of divided clock signals and to sample a data signal in response to each of a plurality of divided clock signals. A calibration circuit applies a first offset clock signal to a first sampler circuit, applies a second offset clock signal having an opposite phase to the first offset clock signal to a second sampler circuit, and generates a first offset adjustment signal for adjusting an offset of the first sampler circuit based on an output of the first sampler circuit that is output in response to the first offset clock signal.

A semiconductor device according to an embodiment includes a plurality of sampler circuits configured to receive a plurality of offset clock signals or a plurality of divided clock signals and to sample a data signal in response to each of a plurality of divided clock signals. A calibration circuit applies a first offset clock signal to a first sampler circuit, applies a second offset clock signal having an opposite phase to the first offset clock signal to a second sampler circuit, and generates a first offset adjustment signal for adjusting an offset of the first sampler circuit based on an output of the first sampler circuit that is output in response to the first offset clock signal.

Embodiments relate to improving the biasing of active electronic components such as, for example, sense amplifiers. Embodiments include an adjustable bias signal generator that receives a reference signal as an input and generates a corresponding bias signal as an output. The adjustable bias signal generator may comprise a voltage driver and capacitor divider circuitry. In some embodiments, the capacitor divider circuitry is configurable by selecting specific capacitor dividers using a digital code. In other embodiments, the voltage driver is adjustable by applying different trim settings to tune the output of the voltage driver. The voltage driver may be temperature compensated by multiplexing different trim settings that correspond to different temperatures.

A semiconductor memory device may include a core circuit including a plurality of memory cell arrays electrically connected between a plurality of row lines and a plurality of column lines, and a column path control circuit configured to generate a preliminary column pulse from a command signal irrelevant to a column address signal, to generate a main column pulse in response to an enable time point of the column address signal and an enable time point of the preliminary column pulse, and to enable an access target column line among the plurality of column lines.

Technology is disclosed herein for testing circuitry that controls memory operations in a memory structure having non-volatile memory cells. The testing of the circuitry can be performed without the memory structure. The memory structure may reside on one semiconductor die, with sense blocks and a control circuit on another semiconductor die. The control circuit is able to perform die level control of memory operations in the memory structure. The control circuit may control the sense blocks to simulate sensing of non-volatile memory cells in the memory structure even though the sense blocks are not connected to the memory structure. The control circuit verifies correct operation of the semiconductor die based on the simulated sensing. For example, the control circuit may verify correct operation of a state machine that controls sense operations at a die level. Thus, the operation of the semiconductor die may be tested without the memory structure.

Methods, systems, and devices for sense amplifier with digit line multiplexing are described. A method includes precharging an input and an output of an amplifier stage of a sense component to a first voltage based on a read operation associated with a memory cell. The method includes precharging a first side and a second side of a latch stage of the sense component to the first voltage based on precharging the output of the amplifier stage to the first voltage, the latch stage coupled with the amplifier stage. The method may also include coupling a second voltage from a digit line associated with the memory cell to the input of the amplifier stage, the amplifier stage generating a third voltage on the output based on coupling the second voltage to the input, and the latch stage latching a logic value associated with the memory cell based on the third voltage.

The present invention includes apparatus and a method for reading one or more data states from an integrated circuitry memory cell, including the steps of connecting the memory cell to a bit line which is connected to an amplifier having an offset control which introduces an offset during the sensing portion of a read cycle to identify a data state stored in the memory cell.

The present invention includes apparatus and a method for reading one or more data states from an integrated circuitry memory cell, including the steps of connecting the memory cell to a bit line which is connected to an amplifier having an offset control which introduces an offset during the sensing portion of a read cycle to identify a data state stored in the memory cell.

A semiconductor integrated circuit includes a plurality of sense amplifier units including a first group of sense amplifier units and a second group of sense amplifier units, a first data bus, a second data bus, a transfer circuit between the first data bus and the second data bus, and a data latch connected to the second data bus and to the first data bus through the transfer circuit and the second data bus. Each sense amplifier unit is connected to one of the bit lines. The first data bus is connected to each of the sense amplifier units in the first group. The second data bus is connected to each of the sense amplifier units in the second group. The transfer circuit controls the transfer of data between the first data bus and the second data bus in both directions.