Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
Headerless word line driver with shared wordline underdrive control

Abstract:

A word line driver circuit receives a word line input signal and supplies a word line driver output signal to a worldline. The word line driver circuit includes a transistor having a first current carrying terminal coupled to the word line driver output signal and a second current carrying terminal coupled to a first node. A gate of the transistor is coupled to the word line input signal, and the transistor provides a path from the word line to the first node while the word line is asserted. A programmable word line underdrive circuit is coupled between the first node and a ground node to reduce a voltage on the word line output signal. A plurality of word line driver circuits are coupled to the first node and use the word line underdrive circuit to underdrive their respective word lines.