Patent ID: 7269076

Claim:
A data input/output circuit of an embedded memory device, which includes sub memory cell blocks that share word lines, the data input/output circuit comprising: input/output lines, each pair of which is arranged in each of the sub memory cell blocks; bit line sense amplifying unit groups, which are connected between the sub memory cell blocks and the input/output lines and mutually transmit data signals between the sub memory cell blocks and the input/output lines in response to first control signals; and data input/output units, wherein each data input/output unit comprises: a precharge/pre-discharge circuit; a data input/output line pair; and input/output line selection circuits each connected to the data input/output line pair, each data input/output unit being connected to an input/output line group, each input/output line group including a first predetermined number of pairs of input/output lines, wherein each data input/output unit selects as a data path some of the pairs of input/output lines included in the input/output line groups in response to second control signals, wherein each input/output line selection unit is connected between each of the first predetermined number of pairs of the input/output lines and the data input/output line pair, wherein in response to muxing signals of the second control signals, the input/output line selection circuits pre-discharge unselected pairs of input/output lines to a ground voltage and prevent current flow through the unselected pairs of input/output lines during an initial state of a read operation and a write operation, and, in response to input/output precharge control signals among the second control signals, the precharge/pre-discharge circuit pre-discharges the data input/output line pair to a ground voltage during the initial state of the read operation and the write operation, and wherein each data input/output unit receives and transmits the data signals to the sub memory cell blocks via the selected pairs of input/output lines.