Patent ID: 6498757
Filing Date: 2002-12-24
Classification: G11C

Abstract:
A structure to inspect high/low voltage memory cell threshold voltage using a current mode sense amplifier, the structure comprising:a word line decoder which generates a word line voltage; a potential shifter which receives the word line voltage and a fixed voltage, and then outputs a stabilized voltage according to the word line voltage and the fixed voltage, wherein the fixed voltage is a voltage with limited variation after the word line voltage is stabilized; a selected memory cell, comprising a gate to receive the stabilized voltage output from the potential shifter, a source coupled to a ground voltage and a drain to output a memory cell current; a reference current generator, to generate a reference current; and a current sense amplifier, to receive a memory cell current of the selected memory cell and the reference current, and then to output a sense amplified signal after the comparison of the memory cell current with the reference current.