Patent ID: 7046568

Claim:
A method of sensing a conduction current of a memory cell comprising: (a) providing a voltage supply; (b) coupling a capacitor to said memory cell via an intermediate circuit; (c) charging said capacitor to an initial voltage above a reference voltage by coupling to said voltage supply; (d) decoupling said capacitor from said voltage supply; (e) boosting the voltage on the capacitor by a predetermined amount after said decoupling; (f) discharging said capacitor with said conduction current of said memory cell for a predetermined period of time such that said voltage on the capacitor decreases to a discharged voltage; (g) decoupling said capacitor from the intermediate circuit; (h) reducing said discharged voltage on the capacitor by said predetermined amount; and (i) comparing the voltage on the capacitor with the reference voltage to give a measure of said conduction current.