Patents Examined by Uyen Smet
  • Patent number: 11984174
    Abstract: A configuration setting manager of a memory device receives a request to perform an adjustment operation on a set of configuration setting values for the memory device, where each configuration setting value of the set of configuration setting values is stored in a corresponding configuration register of a set of configuration registers; determines a configuration adjustment definition associated with one or more configuration setting values of the set of configuration setting values; calculates an updated set of configuration setting values by applying a multiplier value to the configuration adjustment definition, wherein the multiplier value is associated with a number of programming operations performed on the memory device; and stores the updated set of configuration setting values in the corresponding configuration registers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2024
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Tawalin Opastrakoon, Renato C. Padilla, Vamsi Pavan Rayaprolu, Sampath K. Ratnam, Michael G. Miller, Gary F. Besinga, Christopher M. Smitchger
  • Patent number: 11978501
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, a circuit in a semiconductor memory device sets threshold voltages of a plurality of memory cells such that two first distributions are formed in a first section on a lowest voltage side in 2N sections. After that, the circuit sets threshold voltages of the plurality of memory cells such that 2(1+M) second distributions are separately formed two by two. The circuit then sets 2N third distributions for the 2N sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: Kioxia Corporation
    Inventors: Akiyuki Murayama, Kikuko Sugimae, Katsuya Nishiyama, Yusuke Arayashiki, Motohiko Fujimatsu, Kyosuke Sano, Noboru Shibata
  • Patent number: 11972836
    Abstract: A storage device including a nonvolatile memory device including memory blocks and a controller connected with the nonvolatile memory device through data input and output lines and a data strobe line may be provided. The nonvolatile memory device and the controller may be configured to perform training on the data input and output lines by adjusting a delay of a data strobe signal sent through the data strobe line and adjust delays of the data input and output lines based on the training result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Soong-Man Shin, Hyungjin Kim, Youngwook Kim
  • Patent number: 11972829
    Abstract: A semiconductor apparatus may include a repair circuit configured to activate a redundant line of a cell array region by comparing repair information and address information. The semiconductor apparatus may include a main decoder configured to perform a normal access to the cell array region by decoding the address information. The address information may include both column information and row information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Dong Keun Kim
  • Patent number: 11967375
    Abstract: A memory device that includes at least one memory cell is introduced. Each of the at least one memory cell is coupled to a bit line and a word line. Each of the at least one memory cell includes a memory element and a selector element, in which the memory element is configured to store data of the at least one memory cell. The selector element is coupled to the memory element in series and is configured to select the memory element for a read operation and amplify the data stored in the memory element in the read operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hung-Li Chiang, Chao-Ching Cheng, Tzu-Chiang Chen, Yu-Sheng Chen, Hon-Sum Philip Wong
  • Patent number: 11961573
    Abstract: A plurality of memory programming the memory cells to at least one programmed data state in a plurality of program-verify iterations. In each iteration, after a programming pulse, a sensing operation is conducted to compare the threshold voltages of the memory cells to a low verify voltage associated with a first programmed data state and to a high very voltage associated with the first programmed data state. The sensing operation includes discharging a sense node through a bit line coupled to one of the memory cells and monitoring a discharge time of the sense node. At least one aspect of the sensing operation is temperature dependent so that a voltage gap between the high and low verify voltages is generally constant across a range of temperatures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Abhijith Prakash, Xiang Yang, Dengtao Zhao
  • Patent number: 11948648
    Abstract: A semiconductor memory apparatus including a memory cell array, a switch circuit, and a sensing circuit is provided. The memory cell array includes multiple memory cells. The switch circuit includes at least one switch. Each of the switch receives a control signal and is turned on or off under control of the control signal. When an erase verification is performed, the sensing circuit sequentially receives an erase verification current generated by each of the memory cells through the switch circuit to verify an erase state of the each of the memory cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Winbond Electronics Corp.
    Inventor: Chung-Zen Chen
  • Patent number: 11942164
    Abstract: Devices and techniques are disclosed herein to provide a number of different bias signals to each of multiple signal lines of an array of memory cells, each bias signal having an overdrive voltage above a target voltage by a selected increment and an overdrive period, to determine settling times of each of the multiple signal lines to the target voltage for the number of different bias signals, to determine a functional compensation profile for an array of memory cells comprising a relationship between the different bias signals and the determined settling times of the multiple signal lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Michele Piccardi, Luyen Tien Vu
  • Patent number: 11942165
    Abstract: A memory device includes memory cells, and a first latch circuit, a second latch circuit, and a third latch circuit, coupled to the memory cells, wherein the first latch circuit is configured to store verification data during a verification operation, the second latch circuit is configured to store failure pattern data during the verification operation, and the third latch circuit is configured to store program data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: YANGTZE MEMORY TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Weijun Wan
  • Patent number: 11934480
    Abstract: A circuit for in-memory multiply-and-accumulate functions includes a plurality of NAND blocks. A NAND block includes an array of NAND strings, including B columns and S rows, and L levels of memory cells. W word lines are coupled to (B*S) memory cells in respective levels in the L levels. A source line is coupled to the (B*S) NAND strings in the block. String select line drivers supply voltages to connect NAND strings on multiple string select lines to corresponding bit lines simultaneously. Word line drivers are coupled to apply word line voltages to a word line or word lines in a selected level. A plurality of bit line drivers apply input data to the B bit lines simultaneously. A current sensing circuit is coupled to the source line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: MACRONIX INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hang-Ting Lue, Hung-Sheng Chang, Yi-Ching Liu
  • Patent number: 11935597
    Abstract: A semiconductor memory device includes: a semiconductor substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposing each other; a back-side insulating layer below the second surface of the semiconductor substrate; an external input/output conductive pattern below the back-side insulating layer; a circuit device including a gate electrode and a source/drain region, on the first surface of the semiconductor substrate; an internal input/output conductive pattern on the first surface of the semiconductor substrate, the internal input/output conductive pattern having at least a portion disposed on the same level as at least a portion of the gate electrode; a through-electrode structure penetrating through the semiconductor substrate and the back-side insulating layer and electrically connected to the internal input/output conductive pattern and the external input/output conductive pattern; and a memory cell array region disposed on a level higher than the circuit device, on the first surface of the semiconducto
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jaeho Ahn, Jiwon Kim, Sungmin Hwang, Joonsung Lim, Sukkang Sung
  • Patent number: 11935616
    Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide a comparison system including at least one comparison circuit, the comparison circuit including: a common circuit, connected to a power supply signal and a ground signal, and configured to control output of the power supply signal or the ground signal based on a first signal and a second signal which are inverted; a first logical circuit, connected to the common circuit, and configured to receive a third signal and a fourth signal which are inverted, and output a first operation signal which is an exclusive OR (XOR) of the first signal and the third signal; and a second logical circuit, connected to the common circuit, and configured to receive the third signal and the fourth signal, and output a second operation signal which is a not exclusive OR (XNOR) of the first signal and the third signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: CHANGXIN MEMORY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventor: Kangling Ji
  • Patent number: 11923012
    Abstract: A semiconductor storage device includes memory cells, select transistors, memory strings, first and second blocks, word lines, and select gate lines. In the memory string, the current paths of plural memory cells are connected in series. When data are written in a first block, after a select gate line connected to the gate of a select transistor of one of the memory strings in the first block is selected, the data are sequentially written in the memory cells in the memory string connected to the selected select gate line. When data are written in the second block, after a word line connected to the control gates of memory cells of different memory strings in the second block is selected, the data are sequentially written in the memory cells of the different memory strings in the second block which have their control gates connected to the selected word line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: KIOXIA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroshi Maejima
  • Patent number: 11923001
    Abstract: A programming operation is performed on a first set of memory cells addressable by a first wordline (WL), wherein the first set of memory cells are comprised by an open translation unit (TU) of memory cells. It is determined that a second set of memory cells comprised by the open TU are in a coarse programming state, wherein the second set of memory cells is addressable by a second WL. In response to determining that the second set of memory cells satisfies a threshold criterion, a programming state verify level associated with the second WL is reduced by a verify level offset. A programming state gate step size associated with each WL of the open TU is reduced by a predefined value. A programming operation is performed on the second set of memory cells using the reduced programming state verify level and the reduced programming state gate step size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Murong Lang, Zhenming Zhou, Jian Huang, Tingjun Xie, Jiangli Zhu, Nagendra Prasad Ganesh Rao, Sead Zildzic
  • Patent number: 11922991
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an information processing apparatus includes a connector into which a first-type semiconductor storage device operating with n types of power supply voltages or a second-type semiconductor storage device operating with m types of power supply voltages less than the n types of power supply voltages is capable of being placed. The apparatus checks whether or not a notch is formed at a predetermined position of a semiconductor storage device placed into the connector, and supplies the m types of power supply voltages to the semiconductor storage device when the notch is formed at the predetermined position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: KIOXIA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akihisa Fujimoto, Atsushi Kondo
  • Patent number: 11908521
    Abstract: A non-volatile memory includes memory cells, word lines connected to the memory cells, and a set of regular control gate drivers connected to the word lines. The control gate drivers include different subsets of control gate drivers that receive different sources of voltage and provide different output voltages. A redundant control gate driver, that receives the different sources of voltage and provides the different output voltages, is included that can replace any of the regular control gate drivers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Liang Li, Qin Zhen
  • Patent number: 11901018
    Abstract: A local data bus of a sense amplifier associated with one bit line is used to perform logical operations for a sensing operation performed by another sense amplifier associated with a different bit line. Each sense amplifier circuit includes a sensing node that is pre-charged, then discharged through a selected memory cell and a local data bus with a number of data latches connected. Target program data can be stored in the latches and combined in logical combinations with the sensed value of the memory cell to determine whether it has verified. By including a transfer circuit between the local data buses of a pair of sense amplifiers, the logical operations of a first sense amplifier can be performed using the local data bus of the paired sense amplifier, freeing the first sense amplifier's sense node to be concurrently pre-charged for a subsequent sensing operation, thereby improving performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Iris Lu, Tai-Yuan Tseng, Chia-Kai Chou
  • Patent number: 11887680
    Abstract: Over time, the number of write cycles required to successfully program a multi-level cell (MLC) is reduced. Since a hard-coded value does not change over the lifetime of the device, the device may perform too many verify steps at one stage of the device lifetime and wait too long to begin verification at another stage of the device lifetime, reducing performance of the device. As discussed herein, verification for higher voltage level programming is delayed until verification for lower voltage level programming reaches at least a threshold level of success instead of using a hard-coded number of verify steps to skip. As a result, the performance drawbacks associated with skipping a hard-coded number of verify cycles may not occur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey S. McNeil, Jason Lee Nevill, Tommaso Vali
  • Patent number: 11887651
    Abstract: Devices and techniques for temperature informed memory refresh are described herein. A temperature counter can be updated in response to a memory device write performed under an extreme temperature. Here, the write is performed on a memory device element in the memory device. The memory device element can be sorted above other memory device elements in the memory device based on the temperature counter. Once sorted to the top of these memory device elements, a refresh can be performed the memory device element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Gianni Stephen Alsasua, Harish Reddy Singidi, Kishore Kumar Muchherla, Sampath Ratnam, Ashutosh Malshe, Vamsi Pavan Rayaprolu, Renato Padilla, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11869584
    Abstract: A method for performing memory access of a Flash cell of a Flash memory includes: performing a plurality of sensing operations respectively corresponding to a plurality of sensing voltages to generate a first digital value and a second digital value of the Flash cell, the second digital value representing at least one candidate threshold voltage of the Flash cell; determining a threshold voltage of the Flash cell according to whether the at least one candidate threshold voltage is high or low; determining soft information of a bit stored in the Flash cell according to the threshold voltage of the Flash cell; and using the soft information to perform soft decoding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Silicon Motion, Inc.
    Inventors: Tsung-Chieh Yang, Hsiao-Te Chang, Wen-Long Wang