Patent ID: 7535742
Filing Date: 2009-05-19
Classification: G11C

Abstract:
1. A biasing and shielding circuit used in a source side sensing memory for preventing a sense current of a target cell from the influence of a source current of a first adjacent cell and for providing the sense current to a sense node of a sense unit, the biasing and shielding circuit comprising: a pre-discharge device for setting the voltage level of the sense node to a negative voltage level when a first control signal is high enough to open the pre-discharge device; a first and a second biasing units for biasing the voltage level of the sources of the target cell and the first adjacent cell substantially equal to a first biasing voltage level in response to a second biasing voltage level respectively, wherein the sense current and the source current pass through the first and the second biasing units respectively, the first biasing voltage level substantially closes to a ground level; a first and a second voltage pull-down units for pulling down the voltage level of the sources of the target cell and the first adjacent cell substantially closing to the ground level when a second control signal is low respectively; and a first connection unit for receiving and outputting the sense current passing through the first biasing unit to the sense node when the second control signal is high; wherein the drain of the first adjacent cell is coupled to the source of the target cell.