Self-body biasing sensing circuit for resistance-based memories

摘要

A resistance based memory sensing circuit has reference current transistors feeding a reference node and a read current transistor feeding a sense node, each transistor has a substrate body at a regular substrate voltage during a stand-by mode and biased during a sensing mode at a body bias voltage lower than the regular substrate voltage. In one option the body bias voltage is determined by a reference voltage on the reference node. The substrate body at the regular substrate voltage causes the transistors to have a regular threshold voltage, and the substrate body at the body bias voltage causes the transistors to have a sense mode threshold voltage, lower than the regular threshold voltage.