Abstract: A circuit is configured to be mounted on a memory module so as to be electrically coupled to a plurality of double-data-rate (DDR) memory devices arranged in one or more ranks on the memory module. The circuit includes a logic element, a register, and a phase-lock loop device. The circuit is configurable to respond to a set of input signals from a computer system to selectively isolate one or more loads of the plurality of DDR memory devices from the computer system and to translate between a system memory domain of the computer system and a physical memory domain of the plurality of DDR memory devices.
Abstract: A test setup for estimating the critical charge of a circuit under test (CUT) uses a charge injection circuit having a switched capacitor that is selectively connected to a node of the CUT. A voltage measurement circuit measures the voltage at a tap in the charge injection circuit before and after the charge is injected. When the injected charge causes an upset in the logical state of the CUT, the critical charge is calculated as the product of the voltage difference and the known capacitance of the capacitor. In one embodiment, (NMOS drain strike simulation) the amount of charge injected is controlled by a variable pulse width generator gating the switch of the charge injection circuit. In another embodiment (PMOS drain strike simulation) the amount of charge injected is controlled by a variable voltage supply selectively connected to the charge storage node.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 27, 2007
Date of Patent:
February 1, 2011
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation
Inventors:
Ethan H. Cannon, Alan J. Drake, Fadi H. Gebara, John P. Keane, AJ Kleinosowski
Abstract: A memory control method for adjusting sampling points utilized by a memory control circuit receiving a data signal and an original data strobe signal of a memory includes: utilizing at least one delay unit to provide a plurality of sampling points according to the original data strobe signal; sampling according to the data signal by utilizing the plurality of sampling points; and analyzing sampling results to dynamically determine a delay amount for delaying the original data strobe signal, whereby a sampling point corresponding to the delayed data strobe signal is kept centered at data carried by the data signal.
Abstract: Capacitive coupling from storage elements on adjacent bit lines is compensated by adjusting voltages applied to the adjacent bit lines. An initial rough read is performed to ascertain the data states of the bit line-adjacent storage elements, and during a subsequent fine read, bit line voltages are set based on the ascertained states and the current control gate read voltage which is applied to a selected word line. When the current control gate read voltage corresponds to a lower data state than the ascertained state of an adjacent storage element, a compensating bit line voltage is used. Compensation of coupling from a storage element on an adjacent word line can also be provided by applying different read pass voltages to the adjacent word line, and obtaining read data using a particular read pass voltage which is identified based on a data state of the word line-adjacent storage element.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 8, 2008
Date of Patent:
January 25, 2011
Assignee:
SanDisk Corporation
Inventors:
Deepanshu Dutta, Jeffrey W. Lutze, Yingda Dong, Henry Chin, Toru Ishigaki
Abstract: A programmable device includes a substrate (10); an insulator (13) on the substrate; an elongated semiconductor material (12) on the insulator, the elongated semiconductor material having first and second ends, and an upper surface S; the first end (12a) is substantially wider than the second end (12b), and a metallic material is disposed on the upper surface; the metallic material being physically migratable along the upper surface responsive to an electrical current I flowable through the semiconductor material and the metallic material.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
April 30, 2003
Date of Patent:
January 18, 2011
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation
Inventors:
William R. Tonti, Wayne S. Berry, John A. Fifield, William H. Guthrie, Richard S. Kontra
Abstract: A method and semiconductor memory device for precharging a local input/output line. The semiconductor memory device, which may have an open bit line structure, transmits data through local input/output lines that are coupled to bit lines of first to n-th memory cell array blocks (n being a natural number). The semiconductor memory device may include a precharge unit configured to generate a plurality of precharge signals and a controller configured to control precharging of the at least one local input/output line responsive to block information corresponding to activation of at least one of the memory cell array blocks and responsive to at least one of the precharge signals.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 6, 2008
Date of Patent:
January 18, 2011
Assignee:
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Inventors:
Myeong-O Kim, Byung-Chul Kim, Yong-Gyu Chu
Abstract: Semiconductor memory device and method for testing the same includes a unit for characterized in that a burst length is increased in a test of a read operation and a write operation and a unit for connecting a plurality of banks to one data pad by sequentially and outputting the data.
Abstract: Disclosed is a page buffer having a wired-OR type structure and a cache function which is adapted for use in a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device and a method of programming same. The page buffer embeds the cache latch block in relation to the cache function. Moreover, the nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes an output driver enabling an internal output line to be unidirectional driven, thereby enabling a program-verifying operation using the wired-OR scheme.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
January 16, 2009
Date of Patent:
January 18, 2011
Assignee:
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Inventors:
Sung Soo Lee, Min Su Kim, Seung Jae Lee
Abstract: A semiconductor memory device includes: a first address buffer configured to be used in a test mode and a normal mode and to receive more addresses in the test mode than in the normal mode; and a second address buffer configured to be used in the normal mode and disabled in the test mode.
Abstract: A precharge voltage supply circuit and a semiconductor device using the same are disclosed. The semiconductor device includes a first comparator for comparing a precharge voltage with a first reference voltage having a first voltage level and outputting a first compare signal as a result of the comparison, a second comparator for comparing the precharge voltage with a second reference voltage having a second voltage level and outputting a second compare signal as a result of the comparison, a decoder configured to receive and decode the first compare signal and the second compare signal and output a plurality of control signals as a result of the decoding, and a precharge voltage supply circuit configured to receive the plurality of control signals and supply the precharge voltage.
Abstract: A method, device, and system are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes programming a first On Die Termination (ODT) value into a first plurality of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) devices. The first plurality of DRAM devices are located on a dual inline memory module (DIMM). Additionally, the method also includes programming a second ODT value into a second plurality of additional DRAM devices. The second plurality of additional DRAM devices are also located on the DIMM. The method also specifies that the first and second ODT values are not the same value.
Abstract: Charge pump and discharge circuitry for a non-volatile memory device that splits up the discharge operation into two discharge periods. In a first discharge period, the voltage being discharged (e.g., erase voltage) is discharged through a pair of discharge transistors until the discharging voltage reaches a first voltage level. The path through the pair of discharge transistors is controlled by an intermediate control voltage so that none of the transistors of the pair enter the snapback condition. In the second discharge period, the remaining discharging voltage is fully discharged from the first level through a third discharge transistor.
Abstract: A method and apparatus to configure redundant memory elements in a system on a chip (SoC) having discrete voltage domains (islands). A plurality of memories are provided for each voltage island, each containing redundancy elements or having the capability to access redundant memory elements in a neighboring voltage domain; a fuse cell stores configuration information for controlling the switching of memory elements of the plurality of memories; a shift register receives and retains configuration information on a memory array from the fuse cell corresponding to each memory; and a control circuit directs operation of the shift register. The shift register includes a shift portion for receiving the data of the configuration information and transferring the data to another shift register, and a latch portion for retaining the data inputted to the shift portion.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 9, 2008
Date of Patent:
December 28, 2010
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation
Inventors:
Masayoshi Taniguchi, Isamu Mashima, Jun Usami
Abstract: A control apparatus programs, reads, and erases trapped charges representing multiple data bits from a charge trapping region of a NMOS dual-sided charge-trapping nonvolatile memory cell includes a programming circuit, an erasing circuit, and a reading circuit. The programming circuit provides a negative medium large program voltage to cell's gate along with positive drain and source voltage to inject hot carriers of holes to two charge trapping regions, one of a plurality of threshold adjustment voltages representing a portion of the multiple data bits to the drain and source regions to set the hot carrier charge levels to the two charge trapping regions. The erasing circuit provides a very large positive erase voltage to tunnel the electrons from cell's channel to whole trapping layer including the two charge trapping regions.
Abstract: A method for programming a mixed nonvolatile memory array having a plurality of mixed memory cells, wherein each mixed memory cell includes a depletion mode memory cell and an enhanced mode memory cell. The method comprises steps of programming the enhanced mode memory cell in a way of channel hot carrier and programming the depletion mode memory cell in a way of band-to-band tunneling hot carrier.
Abstract: An electronic system includes a flash memory die having multiple flash memory cells. Each flash memory cell is operable to store at least four bits of data. A second die includes a controller for accessing the flash memory cells. DRAM is used by the controller to temporarily store data. An interface is operable to send and receive signals associated with the flash memory cells to a host. A housing contains the flash memory die, the second die, the DRAM, and the interface.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 30, 2007
Date of Patent:
December 14, 2010
Assignee:
Apple Inc.
Inventors:
Michael J. Cornwell, Christopher P. Dudte
Abstract: A method and system that can be used with signals read from a memory cell or other feature that varies in amplitude as a function of the data being read. The data read from the memory cell may be of the type that decreases in voltage when a ‘low’ is being read and that remains at a predetermined voltage when a ‘high’ is being read. The method and system may vary a reference to voltage used to judge whether the data is being read ‘low’ or ‘high’.
Abstract: To store, in a memory block whose word lines are written successively in a word line writing order, a plurality of data pages that are ordered by logical page address, the pages are written to the word lines so that every page that is written to any one of the word lines has a higher logical page address than any page that is written to a subsequently written word line, regardless of the sequence in which the pages are received for writing. Alternatively, the pages are written to the word lines so that for every pair of written word lines, the word line of the pair that is earlier in the writing order has written thereto a page having a higher logical page address than at least one page written to the other word line of the pair.
Abstract: A semiconductor memory device has a timing margin for internal operations. The semiconductor memory device can activate an internal control signal for controlling an external address sooner than an internal control signal for controlling an external command to secure a sufficient time for data access. The semiconductor memory device includes a command decoding circuit configured to decode an external command to output an internal command signal for an internal operation corresponding to the external command, a control circuit configured to generate a strobe signal for controlling the internal operation in response to the internal command signal and an internal address signal by decoding an address signal received from outside such that the internal address signal activates sooner than the strobe signal, and a column decoding circuit configured to generate a data access signal when both the internal address signal and the strobe signal are activated.