Double Latch Pre-Charge Sense Amplifier in Non-Volatile Memory for Wireless Applications

A newly proposed Double Latch Pre-charge Sense Amplifier (DLPSA) is introduced in the embedded non- volatile memory design for the wireless application, especially for smart cards with wireless & contactless feature, e.g., bank cards (wireless credit cards). This DLPSA has been implemented in both SMIC 0.18im and 0.13im process of ROM IPs. Comparing with the conventional sense amplifier, DLPSA has lower current consumption, lower minimum voltage and wider voltage range. This novel sense amplifier/driver structure is capable of restoring the full signal swing effectively. On top of that, its minimum VDD equates to low power consumption at VDD_MIN.