Patents Examined by Douglas King
  • Patent number: 11972834
    Abstract: A level-shifting pulse latch is provided for a self-timed memory clock signal for a memory. The level-shifting pulse latch includes a system-power-domain-to-memory-power-domain level-shifter that inverts and level-shifts a system clock signal into an inverted version of the system clock signal. A pass transistor controls whether the inverted version of the system clock signal drives a memory-power-domain latch to produce the self-timed memory clock signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Adithya Bhaskaran, Rahul Sahu, Sharad Kumar Gupta
  • Patent number: 11961585
    Abstract: Memory devices are disclosed. A memory device may include a bonding pad region for coupling command-and-address (CA) input signals and a memory cell region for storing information in memory cells. The memory device may also include a centralized CA interface region including input circuits coupled to the CA input signals. At least two of the input circuits are configured in pairs. Each pair includes a swap circuit configured to select one of a first CA output and a second CA output for a first internal CA signal and select the other of the first CA output and the second CA output for a second internal CA signal responsive to a control signal. Memory systems and systems are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Inventor: Kazuhiro Yoshida
  • Patent number: 11955199
    Abstract: A memory chip, a memory device and an operation method are disclosed. The memory chip includes a number of memory units and a control logic circuit. The memory units could be configured as TLC, MLC or SLC. The control logic circuit is configured to use TLC programming approach to program MLC and SLC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: MACRONIX INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yung-Chun Li, Yu-Ming Huang
  • Patent number: 11947813
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for configurable memory die capacitance are described. A memory device may include a capacitive component, which may include one or more capacitors and associated switching components. The capacitive component may be coupled with an input/output (I/O) pad and an associated input buffer, and the one or more capacitors of the capacitive component may be selectively couplable with the I/O pad via the switching components. Switching components may be activated individually, in coordination, or not at all, such that one, multiple, or none of the capacitors may be coupled with the I/O pad. The capacitive component, I/O pad, and input buffer may be included in a same die of the memory device. In some cases, a configuration of the capacitive component may be based on signaling received from a host device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Jingwei Cheng, Cheng Zhang
  • Patent number: 11942166
    Abstract: An operating method of a nonvolatile memory device includes receiving, at the nonvolatile memory device, a suspend command, suspending, at the nonvolatile memory device, a program operation being performed, in response to the suspend command, receiving, at the nonvolatile memory device, a resume command, and resuming, at the nonvolatile memory device, the suspended program operation in response to the resume command. The program operation includes program loops, each of which includes a bit line setup interval, a program interval, and a verify interval. In the program interval of each of the program loops, a level of a program voltage to be applied to selected memory cells of the nonvolatile memory device increases as much as a first voltage. A difference between a level of the program voltage finally applied s suspend and a level of the program voltage applied first after resume is different from the first voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yongsung Cho, Bong-Kil Jung, Hangil Jeong
  • Patent number: 11941292
    Abstract: A memory system includes a host circuit and a memory circuit. The host circuit controls a bandwidth of a command-address signal based on data driving cycle information. The memory circuit performs an input/output operation based on the command-address signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Jae Hoon Kim
  • Patent number: 11935595
    Abstract: A flash memory scheme simplifies the command sequences transmitted between a flash memory device and a flash memory controller into a simplified command sequence so as to reduce the waiting time period of the command transmission and improve the performance of flash memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Silicon Motion, Inc.
    Inventors: Tsu-Han Lu, Hsiao-Chang Yen
  • Patent number: 11929120
    Abstract: A memory cell comprises a floating gate being disposed between a control gate and a channel, the floating gate being electrically isolated from the control gate and the channel by charge barriers and being configured to enable the selective passage of charge carriers into and out of the floating gate to provide occupancy states of the floating gate. The channel is arranged to provide a minimum threshold voltage to be applied between a control gate and the substrate for introducing charge carriers into the channel from the substrate to make the channel conductive, the minimum threshold voltage being dependent on the occupancy state of the floating gate, such that a read voltage may be applied between the control gate and the substrate that will provide a conductive channel for a first occupancy state of the floating gate and a non-conductive channel for a second occupancy state of the floating gate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: University of Lancaster
    Inventors: Manus Hayne, Dominic Lane
  • Patent number: 11929142
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an apparatus for hardware metering using a memory-type camouflaged cell. The apparatus includes memory including at least one camouflaged memory cell in which a key is hidden by a designer in advance and a controller for controlling whether to block the supply of power to the memory. The controller may perform reading a key from a corresponding key location in the multiple memory cells of the memory based on key location information stored in the controller when a key is input from the outside, determining whether the key input from the outside is the same as the key read from the memory, setting an authentic flag based on the determination result, and performing control based on the set authentic flag such that the memory operates normally or the supply of power is blocked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    Inventor: Jae-Mun Oh
  • Patent number: 11923025
    Abstract: Various implementations described herein relate to systems and methods for programming data, including determining a target row corresponding to a program command and setting row-based programming parameters for the target row using target physical device parameters of the target row and optimized programming parameters corresponding to the physical device parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: KIOXIA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Avi Steiner, Hanan Weingarten, Yasuhiko Kurosawa, Neil Buxton
  • Patent number: 11922055
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for managing data in a processing system, such as but not limited to a data storage device such as a solid-state drive (SSD). A ferroelectric stack register memory has a first arrangement of ferroelectric memory cells (FMEs) of a first construction and a second arrangement of FMEs of a different, second construction arranged to provide respective cache lines for use by a controller, such as a programmable processor. A pointer mechanism is configured to provide pointers to point to each of the respective cache lines based on a time sequence of operation of the processor. Data sets can be migrated to the different arrangements by the controller as required based on the different operational characteristics of the respective FME constructions. The FMEs may be non-volatile and read-destructive. Refresh circuitry can be selectively enacted under different operational modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventors: Jon D. Trantham, Praveen Viraraghavan, John W. Dykes, Ian J. Gilbert, Sangita Shreedharan Kalarickal, Matthew J. Totin, Mohamad El-Batal, Darshana H. Mehta
  • Patent number: 11901022
    Abstract: A nonvolatile memory device includes: a peripheral circuit for repeatedly performing program loops each including a program operation including a setup operation on the plurality of bit lines and an application operation of applying a program pulse to a selected word line and the verification operation, and a control logic circuit for controlling the peripheral circuit, wherein the peripheral circuit performs a first program loop of the program loops by: applying each a first and a second program pulses in each a first and a second section of the application operation, setting a first bit line to a first level and a second bit line to a second level lower than the first level from a start of the setup operation until an end of the first section, and resetting the first and the second bit line to the second level in the second section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Hyung Jin Choi
  • Patent number: 11901010
    Abstract: Control logic in a memory device initiates a program operation on a memory array, the program operation comprising a seeding phase. During the seeding phase, the control logic causes a seeding voltage to be applied to a string of memory cells in a data block of the memory array during the seeding phase of the program operation and causes a first positive voltage to be applied to a first plurality of word lines of the data block during the seeding phase, wherein each of the first plurality of word lines is coupled to a corresponding memory cell of a first plurality of memory cells in the string of memory cells, the first plurality of word lines comprising a selected word line associated with the program operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Vinh Q. Diep, Ching-Huang Lu, Yingda Dong
  • Patent number: 11901012
    Abstract: A non-volatile memory device includes a memory cell array including memory cells respectively connected to bit lines; and a control logic unit configured to control a program operation with respect to the memory cells. The control logic unit is configured to perform a normal program verify operation with respect to the memory cells by using a normal program verify condition, during the program operation, and, based on a suspend command that is received during the program operation, perform an initial program verify operation with respect to the memory cells by using an initial program verify condition that is different from the normal program verify condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Byungsoo Kim, Wandong Kim, Jaeyong Jeong
  • Patent number: 11894076
    Abstract: An operating method of a non-volatile memory device comprises: performing a foggy operation applying a first application voltage to a word line and applying a first verification voltage having a same level as or a higher level than a target threshold voltage to the word line, determining whether the foggy operation is completely performed according to whether a number of memory cells each having a threshold voltage higher than the first verification voltage is equal to or greater than a first number, performing a fine operation applying a second application voltage to the word line and applying a second verification voltage having the same level as the target threshold voltage, and determining whether the fine operation is completely performed, according to whether a number of memory cells each having a threshold voltage lower than the second verification voltage is less than or equal to a second number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Hyung Jin Choi
  • Patent number: 11887689
    Abstract: Methods and devices for techniques for precharging a memory cell are described. Precharging a memory cell while the memory cell is coupled with its digit line may reduce a total duration of an access operation thereby reducing a latency associated with accessing a memory device. During a read operation, the memory device may select a word line to couple the memory cell with a selected digit line. Further, the memory device may selectively couple the selected digit line with a reference digit line that is to be precharged to a given voltage. A difference in voltage between the selected digit line and the reference digit line at the completion of precharging may represent a signal indicative of a logic state of the memory cell. The memory device may use a capacitor precharged to a first voltage to capture the signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Ferdinando Bedeschi, Umberto Di Vincenzo
  • Patent number: 11875845
    Abstract: There is provided a method for operating a memory device for performing a program operation of programming data in selected memory cells among a plurality of memory cells. The method includes: applying a program voltage to the selected memory cells; verifying program states of memory cells programmed to any one program state among a plurality of program states distinguished based on a plurality of threshold voltages among the selected memory cells; and verifying an erase state of memory cells programmed to an erase state among the selected memory cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Myeong Cheol Son
  • Patent number: 11869585
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for operating memory cell(s) are described. A resistance of a storage element included in a memory cell may be programmed by applying a voltage to the memory cell that causes ion movement within the storage element, where the storage element remains in a single phase and has different resistivity based on a location of the ions within the storage element. In some cases, multiple of such storage elements may be included in a memory cell, where ions within the storage elements respond differently to electric pulses, and a non-binary logic value may be stored in the memory cell by applying a series of voltages or currents to the memory cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Mattia Boniardi, Agostino Pirovano, Innocenzo Tortorelli
  • Patent number: 11862280
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for thin film transistors and related fabrication techniques are described. The thin film transistors may access two or more decks of memory cells disposed in a cross-point architecture. The fabrication techniques may use one or more patterns of vias formed at a top layer of a composite stack, which may facilitate building the thin film transistors within the composite stack while using a reduced number of processing steps. Different configurations of the thin film transistors may be built using the fabrication techniques by utilizing different groups of the vias. Further, circuits and components of a memory device (e.g., decoder circuitry, interconnects between aspects of one or more memory arrays) may be constructed using the thin film transistors as described herein along with related via-based fabrication techniques.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Hernan A. Castro, Stephen W. Russell, Stephen H. Tang
  • Patent number: 11854594
    Abstract: A data processing method, a data processing circuit, and a computing apparatus are provided. In the method, data is obtained. A first value of a bit of the data is switched into a second value according to data distribution and an accessing property of memory. The second value of the bit is stored in the memory in response to switching the bit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltpd.
    Inventors: Hung-Li Chiang, Jer-Fu Wang, Tzu-Chiang Chen, Meng-Fan Chang