Patent ID: 6078531
Filing Date: 2000-06-20
Classification: G11C

Abstract:
A word line voltage supply circuit in a semiconductor memory device for generating a voltage different in level from a power supply voltage in response to a change in an input address and supplying the same to a word line, comprising:a control circuit generating a pulse signal having a predetermined pulse width after the elapse of a predetermined time from the change of address when detecting a change of the input address,a booster circuit performing a boosting operation in response to the pulse signal from the control circuit and generating a boosted voltage different in level from the power supply voltage, anda driver circuit comprising first and second transistors, said first transistor having a first gate electrode connected to a second source electrode of said second transistor, said first transistor further having one of a first source and a first drain electrodes connected to receive the boosted voltage from said booster circuit, said first gate electrode being held at a first voltage in response to the change of the input address received on a second drain electrode of said second transistor, and at a second voltage higher than the first voltage by exactly the boosted voltage due to capacitive coupling between said first gate electrode and said one of the first source and first drain electrodes in response to the boosted voltage being received on one of said first source and drain electrodes, and the other of said first source and first drain electrodes outputting the boosted voltage to the word line.