Method and apparatus for sharing sense amplifiers between memory banks

摘要

A memory device includes a first memory bank and a second memory bank, each memory bank having at least one subarray of memory cells. Multiple sense amplifiers are coupled to both the first memory bank and the second memory bank. The multiple sense amplifiers are configured for use by both the first memory bank and the second memory bank, but not simultaneously. A control mechanism is used to avoid accessing the first memory bank and the second memory bank simultaneously. The sharing of sense amplifiers between memory banks minimizes the die area penalty caused by additional memory banks.