Offset-Canceling Single-Ended Sensing Scheme With One-Bit-Line Precharge Architecture for Resistive Nonvolatile Memory in 65-nm CMOS

In the design of nonvolatile memory (NVM), the sensing scheme (SS) has become a read-energy bottleneck because the required read-cell current is too large to satisfy a target read yield. This problem is further aggravated by technology scaling because increased process variation and reduced supply voltage (VDD) require more current to satisfy the target read yield. This paper proposes an offset-canceling single-ended SS (OCSE-SS) with one-bit-line precharge architecture (1BLPA) that is intended for use in ultralow power NVM applications. The test chip is fabricated using 65-nm process technology, and the measurement results show that the read energy per bit of the OCSE-SS is 1/3 compared to that of the conventional SS (Conv-SS). The read energy reduction comes from the singleended sensing, offset cancellation, and 1BLPA features. Moreover, when a resistance difference between the data and reference cells is as small as 0.5 kQ, the OCSE-SS reads successfully with a VDD of 1.0 V and a sensing time (tSEN) of 17 ns due to the offset cancellation characteristic, whereas the Conv-SS fails regardless of VDD and tSEN values.