Patents Examined by Tri M Hoang
  • Patent number: 11380844
    Abstract: A semiconductor device including at least one variable resistance device is provided. A variable resistance element includes: an ion supply layer having a top, a bottom and a sidewall connecting the top to the bottom; an ion-receiving layer having an inner sidewall connected to at least a portion of the sidewall of the ion supply layer; a gate pattern connected to an outer sidewall of the ion-receiving layer; and a source pattern connected to one of the top or bottom of the ion supply layer, and a drain pattern connected to the other one or the top or bottom of the ion supply layer. A resistance of the ion supply layer is varies depending on an amount of ions supplied from the ion supply layer to the ion-receiving layer in response to a voltage applied to the gate pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Jae-Hyun Han
  • Patent number: 11380390
    Abstract: A memory device includes a memory cell array including M memory cells connected to one bit line and configured to distributively store N-bit data, where N is a natural number of 2 or more and M is a natural number of 2 or more and less than or equal to N, the M memory cells including a first memory cell and a second memory cell having different sensing margins, and a memory controller including a page buffer, the memory controller configured to distributively store the N-bit data in the M memory cells and to sequentially read data stored in the M memory cells to obtain the N-bit data, and an operation logic configured to execute an operation using the N-bit data, the memory controller configured to provide different reading voltages to the first memory cell and the second memory cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Garam Kim
  • Patent number: 11367732
    Abstract: A semiconductor device having a three-dimensional (3D) structure is disclosed. The semiconductor device includes a first chip configured to include a logic circuit, and a second chip stacked on the first chip and configured to include a memory cell array. At least one transfer circuit for connecting a row line of the memory cell array to a global row line is distributed to each of the first chip and the second chip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Go Hyun Lee
  • Patent number: 11361807
    Abstract: A semiconductor device that enables lower power consumption and data storage imitating a human brain is provided. The semiconductor device includes a control unit, a memory unit, and a sensor unit. The memory unit includes a memory circuit and a switching circuit. The memory circuit includes a first transistor and a capacitor. The switching circuit includes a second transistor and a third transistor. The first transistor and the second transistor include a semiconductor layer including a channel formation region with an oxide semiconductor, and a back gate electrode. The control unit has a function of switching a signal supplied to the back gate electrode, in accordance with a signal obtained at the sensor unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Hajime Kimura, Atsushi Miyaguchi, Yoshiaki Oikawa
  • Patent number: 11355172
    Abstract: A magnetic random access memory cell and a method for forming a magnetic random access memory are provided. The memory cell includes a substrate including a plurality of active regions and a plurality of isolation regions each between adjacent active regions. The memory cell also includes a gate structure over each active region, and a word line structure over each isolation region. In addition, the memory cell includes a source region and a drain region in the substrate on both sides of the gate structure, and a dielectric structure over the substrate. The gate structure and the word line structure are located in the dielectric structure. Further, the memory cell includes a source line structure located in the dielectric structure and electrically connected to the source region over each active region. The word line structure, the gate structure, and the source line structure are parallel to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignees: Semiconductor Manufacturing International (Shanghai) Corporation, Semiconductor Manufacturing International (Beijing) Corporation
    Inventors: Xiaohua Li, Yu Li
  • Patent number: 11355204
    Abstract: Techniques related to methods and systems for improving a performance related to reading data stored in memory cells. The method includes selecting a first voltage read range and a second voltage read range from multiple voltage read ranges that are associated with a number of bits storable in a memory cell. The method includes receiving, a first set of parameters that represent a first probability distribution of first candidate voltage read thresholds within the first voltage read range. The method includes receiving a second set of parameters that represent a second probability distribution of second candidate voltage read thresholds within the second voltage read range. The method includes generating, based on an input to an objective function, a voltage read threshold. The method includes reading data stored in the memory cell based on the voltage read threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventors: Aman Bhatia, Haobo Wang, Fan Zhang
  • Patent number: 11355170
    Abstract: An example system implementing a processing-in-memory pipeline includes: a memory array to store data in a plurality of memory cells electrically coupled to a plurality of wordlines and a plurality of bitlines; a logic array coupled to the memory array, the logic array to implement configurable logic controlling the plurality of memory cells; and a control block coupled to the memory array and the logic array, the control block to control a computational pipeline to perform computations on the data by activating at least one of: one or more bitlines of the plurality of bitlines or one or more wordlines of the plurality of wordlines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Dmitri Yudanov
  • Patent number: 11355194
    Abstract: A memory device including: a memory cell array disposed in a first semiconductor layer, the memory cell array including a plurality of wordlines extended in a first direction and stacked in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction; and a plurality of pass transistors disposed in the first semiconductor layer, wherein a first pass transistor of the plurality of pass transistors is disposed between a first signal line of a plurality of signal lines and a first wordline of the plurality of wordlines, and wherein the plurality of signal lines are arranged at the same level as a common source line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kyunghwa Yun, Chanho Kim, Pansuk Kwak
  • Patent number: 11355168
    Abstract: A stacked semiconductor device includes a base die including an input buffer and a parallel circuit; and a plurality of core dies stacked over the base die, the core dies coupled to the base die through a plurality of through-electrodes, wherein the input buffer receives write data in a first order and a write inversion signal, the parallel circuit sorts consecutive bits of the write data to be positioned adjacent to each other so that the write data becomes first parallel data and to transfer the first parallel data to respective first to n-th internal input/output lines, and each of the core dies includes an input control circuit to re-sort the first parallel data transferred via the respective first to n-th internal I/O lines into the write data and a write inversion circuit to selectively invert the re-sorted write data according to the write inversion signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Dong Uk Lee
  • Patent number: 11349066
    Abstract: A magnetoresistive memory device includes a magnetic tunnel junction including a free layer, at least two tunneling dielectric barrier layers, and at least one metallic quantum well layer. The quantum well layer leads to the resonant electron tunneling through the magnetic tunnel junction in such a way that it strongly enhances the tunneling probability for one of the magnetization states of the free layer, while this tunneling probability remains much smaller in the opposite magnetization state of the free layer. The device can be configured in a spin transfer torque device configuration, a voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy, a voltage controlled exchange coupling device configuration, or a spin-orbit-torque device configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES LLC
    Inventors: Alan Kalitsov, Bhagwati Prasad, Derek Stewart
  • Patent number: 11342500
    Abstract: Switchable antiferromagnetic (AFM) memory devices are provided based on magnetically intercalated transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) of the form AxMC2, where A is a magnetic element of stoichiometry x between 0 and 1, M is a transition metal of stoichiometry 1, and C is a chalcogen of stoichiometry 2. Memory storage is achieved by fabricating these materials into crosses of two or more bars and driving DC current pulses along the bars to rotate the AFM order to a fixed angle with respect to the current pulse. Application of current pulses along different bars can switch the AFM order between multiple directions. Standard resistance measurements can detect the orientation of the AFM order as high or low resistance states. The state of the device can be set by the input current pulses, and read-out by the resistance measurement, forming a non-volatile, AFM memory storage bit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
    Inventors: James G. Analytis, Eran Maniv, Nityan L. Nair, Spencer Doyle, Caolan John
  • Patent number: 11328757
    Abstract: In some examples, a device includes a dielectric material, a ferromagnetic material, and a topological material positioned between the dielectric material and the ferromagnetic material. The device is configured to trap electric charge inside the dielectric material or at an interface of the dielectric material and the topological material. The device is configured to switch a magnetization state of the ferromagnetic material based on a current through the topological material or based on a voltage in the topological material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: Regents of the University of Minnesota
    Inventors: Jian-Ping Wang, Protyush Sahu
  • Patent number: 11315639
    Abstract: A memory device includes a cell wafer including a memory cell array; a first logic wafer bonded to one surface of the cell wafer, and including a first logic circuit which controls the memory cell array; and a second logic wafer bonded to the other surface of the cell wafer which faces away from the one surface, and including a second logic circuit which controls the memory cell array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventors: Sung Lae Oh, Sang Woo Park, Dong Hyuk Chae, Ki Soo Kim
  • Patent number: 11315635
    Abstract: A memory device includes a semiconductor substrate, first and second regions in the substrate having a conductivity type different than that of the substrate, with a channel region in the substrate extending between the first and second regions. The channel region is continuous between the first and second regions. A first floating gate is disposed over and insulated from a first portion of the channel region. A second floating gate is disposed over and insulated from a second portion of the channel region. A first coupling gate is disposed over and insulated from the first floating gate. A second coupling gate is disposed over and insulated from the second floating gate. A word line gate is disposed over and insulated from a third portion of the channel region between the first and second channel region portions. An erase gate is disposed over and insulated from the word line gate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: Silicon Storage Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Chunming Wang, Xian Liu, Guo Xiang Song, Leo Xing, Nhan Do
  • Patent number: 11315651
    Abstract: A non-volatile memory device includes a first and a second memory regions including first and second memory cells and first and second analog circuits, respectively; a control logic circuit determining on/off states of the analog circuits, and converting an external power supply voltage into an internal operating voltage for operation of each of the memory cells; and input/output circuit selecting an input/output memory region for performing input/output of data using the internal operating voltage, wherein input/output of data for the first and second memory cells are sequentially performed, and at least one of the each of the first and second analog circuits are turned on together while the input/output of data for the first memory cells is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Bongkil Jung, Dongjin Shin, Manjae Yang, Byungsun Lee, Dongsu Jang
  • Patent number: 11302381
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for driving word lines using sub word line drivers are described. A memory array may include a plurality of sub-arrays arranged with gaps in between. Word lines may be arranged across multiple sub-arrays and drive access transistors that are used to selectively access rows (e.g., rows of memory cells) within the sub-arrays. In some examples, signals applied to selection devices driving the word lines may be over-driven for a duration at or near the desired transitions of the word line, and some signals may be driven to a relatively high level for a duration around the high and low transitions of a global row line. Whether a signal is over driven or driven to a relatively high level may depend on the type or types of transistors used in each word line driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Tae H. Kim, Brenton P. Van Leeuwen
  • Patent number: 11295804
    Abstract: The present invention provides an output circuit and a chip. The output circuit includes a first-stage circuit, a second-stage circuit, a third-stage circuit, and a fourth-stage circuit. The first-stage circuit is configured to read serial data in a memory and divide the serial data into first voltage signals each at a specified rate level; the second-stage circuit is configured to receive the first voltage signals, generate a plurality of second voltage signals; the third-stage circuit is configured to: allocate a transmission path to each of the second voltage signals according to a ZQ calibration signal; and the fourth-stage circuit includes a pull-up circuit and a pull-down circuit, each including thin-gate low-threshold NMOS transistors, and the fourth-stage circuit is configured to generate output voltage signals of the output circuit. By eliminating the limit on a minimum operating power supply voltage, different high-speed data output ports are compatible, thereby improving efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: Changxin Memory Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Kai Tian
  • Patent number: 11289143
    Abstract: A magnetic memory device includes a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) stack, a spin-orbit torque (SOT) induction wiring disposed over the MTJ stack, a first terminal coupled to a first end of the SOT induction wiring, a second terminal coupled to a second end of the SOT induction wiring, and a shared selector layer coupled to the first terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: MingYuan Song, Shy-Jay Lin, Chien-Min Lee, William Joseph Gallagher
  • Patent number: 11288160
    Abstract: A method includes writing received data sequentially to a particular location of a cyclic buffer of a memory device according to a first set of threshold voltage distributions. The method further includes performing a touch up operation on the particular location by adjusting the first set of threshold voltage distributions of the data to a second set of threshold voltage distributions in response to a determination that a trigger event has occurred. The second set of threshold voltage distributions can have a larger read window between adjacent threshold voltage distributions of the second set than that of the first set of threshold voltage distributions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey S. McNeil, Jr., Niccolo′ Righetti, Kishore K. Muchherla, Akira Goda, Todd A. Marquart, Mark A. Helm, Gil Golov, Jeremy Binfet, Carmine Miccoli, Giuseppina Puzzilli
  • Patent number: 11282564
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed including a memory device and a processing device operatively coupled to the memory device. The processing device can perform operations including identifying, among a first plurality of wordlines of a set of pages of the memory device, at least one wordline having a current value of a data state metric satisfying a first condition; determining new values of the data state metric of a second plurality of wordlines of the set of pages, wherein the at least one wordline is excluded from the second plurality of wordlines; and responsive to determining that the new values of the data state metric of one or more wordlines of the second plurality of wordlines satisfy a second condition, performing a media management operation with respect to the one or more wordlines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Vamsi Pavan Rayaprolu, Kishore Kumar Muchherla, Harish R. Singidi, Ashutosh Malshe, Gianni S. Alsasua