US Patent 7539064 Precharge circuit of semiconductor memory apparatus

A precharge circuit of a semiconductor memory apparatus includes a first precharge unit and a second precharge unit. The first precharge unit applies a first core voltage to a pair of local input/output lines, in response to a first precharge signal, to precharge the pair of local input/output lines. The second precharge unit applies a clamp voltage, which is generated using a first supply voltage, to the pair of local input/output lines, in response to the first precharge signal, to precharge the pair of local input/output lines.