Abstract: A circuit includes a tracking bit line, a tracking unit connected to the tracking bit line and a detection unit. The tracking unit is configured to receive a first control signal and configured to selectively charge or discharge a voltage on the tracking bit line in response to the first control signal. The detection unit is coupled to the tracking bit line and configured to generate a sense amplifier enable (SAE) signal in response to the voltage level on the tracking bit line.
Abstract: A method for managing memory includes setting a state of a first memory cell to a first state representing a first data and setting a state of a second memory cell to a second state representing the first data. If the state of the second memory cell has changed to a third state representing a second data different from the first data, the method also includes changing the state of the second memory cell back to the second state.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 6, 2013
Date of Patent:
January 31, 2017
Assignee:
Macronix International Co., Ltd.
Inventors:
Hsin Yi Ho, Ming-Hsiu Lee, Chun Hsiung Hung, Hsiang-Lan Lung, Tien-Yen Wang
Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for providing selective threshold voltage characteristics via use of MOS transistors having differential threshold voltages. In one exemplary embodiment, there is provided a metal oxide semiconductor device comprising a substrate of semiconductor material having a source region, a drain region and a channel region therebetween, an insulating layer over the channel region, and a gate portion of the insulating layer. Moreover, with regard to the device, the shape of the insulating layer and/or the shape or implantation of a junction region are of varied dimension as between the gate-to-drain and gate-to-source junctions to provide differential threshold voltages between them.
Abstract: A semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell, a sense amplifier electrically connected to the memory cell, the sense amplifier including a node for sensing a voltage during a sense operation and a data latch electrically connected to the node and configured to hold a first voltage corresponding to a voltage of the node when a strobe signal is issued during a strobe operation, and a controller configured to raise the voltage of the node during the strobe operation before the strobe signal is issued.
Abstract: A 3D non-volatile memory device includes a plate-type lower select line formed over a substrate, a lower select transistor formed in the lower select line, a plurality of memory cells stacked over the lower select transistor, an upper select transistor formed over the memory cells, and a line-type common source line formed over the substrate and spaced from the lower select line.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
May 19, 2014
Date of Patent:
November 29, 2016
Assignee:
SK Hynix Inc.
Inventors:
Hyun-Seung Yoo, Eun-Seok Choi, Se-Jun Kim
Abstract: An apparatus includes a multiple time programmable (MTP) memory device. The MTP memory device includes a metal gate, a substrate material, and an oxide structure between the metal gate and the substrate material. The oxide structure includes a hafnium oxide layer and a silicon dioxide layer. The hafnium oxide layer is in contact with the metal gate and in contact with the silicon dioxide layer. The silicon dioxide layer is in contact with the substrate material. The MTP device includes a transistor, and a non-volatile state of the MTP memory device is based on a threshold voltage of the transistor.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
January 21, 2015
Date of Patent:
November 29, 2016
Assignee:
QUALCOMM Incorporated
Inventors:
Xia Li, Jeffrey Junhao Xu, Xiao Lu, Matthew Michael Nowak, Seung Hyuk Kang, Xiaonan Chen, Zhongze Wang, Yu Lu
Abstract: The present patent application describes 9T, 8T, and 7T versions of bitcells used with 1R1W memories. It also describes 9T, 8T, and 7T versions of bitcells used with single port SRAM memories. Different circuits are discussed to support different bitcells and architectures mentioned above. Our 1R1W and single port bitcells and architectures give significant advantages over the conventional bitcells and architectures.
Abstract: A first field-effect transistor provided over a substrate in which an insulating region is provided over a first semiconductor region and a second semiconductor region is provided over the insulating region; an insulating layer provided over the substrate; a second field-effect transistor that is provided one flat surface of the insulating layer and includes an oxide semiconductor layer; and a control terminal are provided. The control terminal is formed in the same step as a source and a drain of the second field-effect transistor, and a voltage for controlling a threshold voltage of the first field-effect transistor is supplied to the control terminal.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
January 16, 2015
Date of Patent:
November 8, 2016
Assignee:
Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
Abstract: A memristor has a first electrode, a second electrode parallel to the first electrode, and a switching layer disposing between the first and second electrodes. The switching layer contains a conduction channel and a reservoir zone. The conduction channel has a Fermi glass material with a variable concentration of mobile ions. The reservoir zone is laterally disposed relative to the conduction channel, and functions as a source/sink of mobile ions for the conduction channel. In the switching operation, under the cooperative driving force of both electric field and thermal effects, the mobile ions are moved into or out of the laterally disposed reservoir zone to vary the concentration of the mobile ions in the conduction channel to change the conductivity of the Fermi glass material.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 4, 2015
Date of Patent:
October 25, 2016
Assignee:
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
Inventors:
Feng Miao, Jianhua Yang, John Paul Strachan, Wei Yi, Gilberto Medeiros Ribeiro, R. Stanley Williams
Abstract: In a method of reading a memory device, difference information is generated based on a distance difference between a position of a read word-line and a position of a boundary word-line. The read word-line corresponds to a read address. The boundary word-line corresponds to a last programmed word-line in a memory block included in a memory cell array. A read word-line voltage and an adjacent word-line voltage are determined based on the difference information. The read word-line voltage is applied to the read word-line. The adjacent word-line voltage is applied to an adjacent word-line that is adjacent to the read word-line. A read data corresponding to the read address is outputted based on the read word-line voltage and the adjacent word-line voltage.
Abstract: A method of programming a memory cell is provided. The memory cell includes a memory element having a first conductive material layer, a first dielectric material layer above the first conductive material layer, a second conductive material layer above the first dielectric material layer, a second dielectric material layer above the second conductive material layer, and a third conductive material layer above the second dielectric material layer. One or both of the first and second conductive material layers comprises a stack of a metal material layer and a highly doped semiconductor material layer. The memory cell has a first memory state upon fabrication corresponding to a first read current. The method includes applying a first programming pulse to the memory cell with a first current limit. The first programming pulse programs the memory cell to a second memory state that corresponds to a second read current greater than the first read current.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 20, 2015
Date of Patent:
October 18, 2016
Assignee:
SanDisk Technologies LLC
Inventors:
Abhijit Bandyopadhyay, Tanmay Kumar, Scott Brad Herner, Christopher J. Petti, Roy E. Scheuerlein
Abstract: In one embodiment, a semiconductor memory device includes a plurality of resistive switching memory cells, where each resistive switching memory cell can include: (i) a programmable impedance element having an anode and a cathode; (ii) a word line pair configured to control access to the programmable impedance element, where the word line pair comprises first and second word lines; (iii) a PMOS transistor having a source coupled to the cathode, a drain coupled to a bit line, and a gate coupled to the first word line; and (iv) an NMOS transistor having a source coupled to the bit line, a drain coupled to the cathode, and a gate coupled to the second word line.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 22, 2015
Date of Patent:
October 18, 2016
Assignee:
Adesto Technologies Corporation
Inventors:
Venkatesh P. Gopinath, Deepak Kamalanathan, Daniel Wang
Abstract: A semiconductor memory device may include: a plurality of banks suitable for performing an all bank refresh operation or single bank refresh operation; an address output control unit suitable for generating a plurality of output control signals in response to a single bank refresh pulse signal; an address latch unit suitable for outputting a target row address of a bank corresponding to an activated output control signal; and an address output unit suitable for outputting a row address adjacent to the target row address to a selected bank.
Abstract: An apparatus includes a memory cell, a bit line coupled to the memory cell, and a sense amplifier configured to amplify a data signal on the bit line read out from the memory cell. The sense amplifier is operated in a first mode with a first power source voltage difference and operated in a second mode with a second power source voltage difference smaller than the first power source voltage difference.
Abstract: Integrated circuits with memory circuitry are provided. The memory circuitry may include memory cell transistors and associated pass transistors. The memory cell transistors and the pass transistors may be formed using multiple strips of oxide definition (OD) regions coupled in parallel. The multiple OD strips may have reduced widths. The ratio of the distance from adjacent OD strips to a given OD strip to the width of the given OD strip may be at least 0.5. Forming memory circuitry transistors using this multi-strip arrangement may provide increased levels of stress that improve transistor performance. Each OD strip may have a reduced width that still satisfies fabrication design rules. Forming OD regions having reduced width allows the pass transistors to be overdriven at higher voltage levels to further improve transistor performance.
Abstract: A method of protecting data of a flash memory is provided. The method includes detecting primary power applied to the flash memory, and applying secondary power converted from the primary power to the flash memory. The primary power is compared to first and second values, and a writing-protection pin of the flash memory is enabled when the detected primary power reaches a predetermined value.
Abstract: A system and method for offsetting the data buffer latency in a CPIO device having a JEDEC standard DDR-4 LRDIMM chipset as the front end is disclosed. According to one embodiment, a CPIO ASIC provides variable timing control for its DDR-4 LRDIMM interface such that propagation delay of the data buffers can be offset by the CPIO ASIC, allowing the CPIO LRDIMM to be timing compatible with an RDIMM.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 20, 2015
Date of Patent:
September 20, 2016
Assignee:
DIABLO TECHNOLOGIES INC.
Inventors:
Michael L. Takefman, Maher Amer, Claus Reitlingshoefer
Abstract: A non-volatile semiconductor memory device utilized to implement the writing of data by adding a predetermined voltage for assigning a word line to a non-volatile memory cell includes a control process or generating and outputting control data implementing a program code for writing data including a word line assignment command and voltage source assignment data, a writing controller decoding the control data and generating a control signal of the word line assignment command and a control signal of the voltage source assignment data, a voltage generation circuit generating several voltages for writing data, and a switch circuit selecting a voltage, corresponding to voltage source assignment data, among several voltages, according to the control signal of the word line assignment command and the control signal of voltage source assignment data and outputting the selected voltage to the word line corresponding to the word line assignment command.
Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed managing power and/or temperature in a data storage system. A hybrid data storage device comprises a disk component and a non-volatile semiconductor memory component. The data storage device further comprises a temperature sensor and a controller configured to receive a temperature signal from the temperature sensor indicating a temperature of at least a portion of the data storage device and, when the temperature is determined to be greater than a first temperature, manage power to the semiconductor memory according to a first power throttling state.
Abstract: Provided is an electronic device including a semiconductor memory unit. The semiconductor memory unit may include: a storage cell comprising a variable resistance element; a first selecting element coupled to one end of the storage cell and having a threshold voltage set to a first voltage; and a second selecting element coupled to the other end of the storage cell and having a threshold voltage set to a second voltage higher than the first voltage.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 28, 2014
Date of Patent:
August 2, 2016
Assignee:
SK hynix Inc.
Inventors:
Jae-Yun Yi, Sung-Woong Chung, Seok-Pyo Song