Patents by Inventor David J. Zimmerman
David J. Zimmerman has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 9476940Abstract: A boundary scan chain for stacked memory. An embodiment of a memory device includes a system element and a memory stack including one or more memory die layers, each memory die layer including input-output (I/O) cells and a boundary scan chain for the I/O cells. A boundary scan chain of a memory die layer includes a scan chain portion for each of the I/O cells, the scan chain portion for an I/O cell including a first scan logic multiplexer a scan logic latch, an input of the scan logic latch being coupled with an output of the first scan logic multiplexer, and a decoder to provide command signals to the boundary scan chain.Type: GrantFiled: December 31, 2013Date of Patent: October 25, 2016Assignee: Intel CorporationInventor: David J. Zimmerman
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Patent number: 9418700Abstract: A system includes a non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM) device and controller logic that detects a bad block within the device, retires the bad block and replaces the bad block with a replacement block by assigning the address of the bad block to the replacement block.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2012Date of Patent: August 16, 2016Assignee: Intel CorporationInventors: Raj K. Ramanujan, Glenn J. Hinton, David J. Zimmerman
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Publication number: 20160203864Abstract: Examples are disclosed for adaptive configuration of non-volatile memory. The examples include a mode register configured to include default and updated values to indicate one or more configurations of the non-volatile memory. The examples may also include discoverable capabilities maintained in a configuration table that may indicate memory address lengths and/or operating power states.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 8, 2015Publication date: July 14, 2016Applicant: INTEL CORPORATIONInventors: SHEKOUFEH QAWAMI, RAJESH SUNDARAM, DAVID J. ZIMMERMAN, BLAISE FANNING
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Patent number: 9317429Abstract: A system and method are described for integrating a memory and storage hierarchy including a non-volatile memory tier within a computer system. In one embodiment, PCMS memory devices are used as one tier in the hierarchy, sometimes referred to as “far memory.” Higher performance memory devices such as DRAM placed in front of the far memory and are used to mask some of the performance limitations of the far memory. These higher performance memory devices are referred to as “near memory.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2011Date of Patent: April 19, 2016Assignee: Intel CorporationInventors: Raj K Ramanujan, Dimitrios Ziakas, David J Zimmerman, Mohan J Kumar, Muthukumar P Swaminathan, Bassam N Coury
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Patent number: 9195589Abstract: Examples are disclosed for adaptive configuration of non-volatile memory. The examples include a mode register configured to include default and updated values to indicate one or more configurations of the non-volatile memory. The examples may also include discoverable capabilities maintained in a configuration table that may indicate memory address lengths and/or operating power states.Type: GrantFiled: December 27, 2011Date of Patent: November 24, 2015Assignee: INTEL CORPORATIONInventors: Shekoufeh Qawami, Rajesh Sundaram, David J. Zimmerman, Blaise Fanning
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Patent number: 9158616Abstract: A method and system for error management in a memory device. In one embodiment of the invention, the memory device can handle commands and address parity errors and cyclic redundancy check errors. In one embodiment of the invention, the memory can detect whether a received command has any parity errors by determining whether the command bits or the address bits of the received command has any parity errors. If a parity error or cyclic redundancy check error in the received command is detected, an error handling mechanism is triggered to recover from the errant command.Type: GrantFiled: September 14, 2012Date of Patent: October 13, 2015Assignee: Intel CorporationInventors: Kuljit S. Bains, David J. Zimmerman, Dennis W. Brzezinski, Michael Williams, John B. Halbert
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Patent number: 9158619Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method provide for on chip redundancy repair for stacked memory devices. A memory device may include a memory stack including one or more layers of dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) and a system element coupled with the memory stack, the system element including a memory controller for control of the memory stack, and repair logic that is coupled with the memory controller. The repair logic is to hold repair addresses that are identified as failing addresses for defective areas of the memory stack, with the repair logic to receive a memory operation request and implement redundancy repair for an operation address for the request using a repair logic memory to store the repair addresses and data for the repair addresses.Type: GrantFiled: March 30, 2012Date of Patent: October 13, 2015Assignee: Intel CorporationInventors: Darshan Kobla, David J. Zimmerman, Vimal K. Natarajan
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Publication number: 20150269100Abstract: A nonvolatile storage or memory device is accessed over a memory bus. The memory bus has an electrical interface typically used for volatile memory devices. A controller coupled to the bus sends synchronous data access commands to the nonvolatile memory device, and reads the response from the device bus based on an expected timing of a reply from the nonvolatile memory device. The controller determines the expected timing based on when the command was sent, and characteristics of the nonvolatile memory device. The controller may not need all the electrical signal lines available on the memory bus, and could issue data access commands to different groups of nonvolatile memory devices over different groups of electrical signal lines. The memory bus may be available and configured for either use with a memory controller and volatile memory devices, or a storage controller and nonvolatile memory devices.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 4, 2015Publication date: September 24, 2015Inventors: Shekoufeh Qawami, Rajesh Sundaram, David J. Zimmerman, Robert W. Faber
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Patent number: 9110134Abstract: I/O delay testing for devices utilizing on-chip delay generation. An embodiment of an apparatus includes I/O buffer circuits, at least one of the buffer circuits including a transmitter and a receiver that are coupled for loop-back testing of the buffer circuit; and testing circuitry for the loop-back testing for the at least one buffer circuit, the loop-back testing including determining whether test data transmitted by the transmitter of the buffer circuit matches test data received by the respective coupled receiver. The testing circuitry includes a delay line to provide delay values from a transmit clock signal for the testing of the at least one buffer circuit, a counter to provide a count to choose one of the plurality of delay values, and test logic for the loop-back testing.Type: GrantFiled: December 27, 2012Date of Patent: August 18, 2015Assignee: Intel CorporationInventors: Tak M. Mak, Christopher J. Nelson, David J. Zimmerman, Derek B. Feltham
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Publication number: 20150187410Abstract: A test interface mode over general purpose input/output peripheral connectors of a multichip package (MCP) or system in package (SIP) for an integrated device chip having a wide functional interface. The wide functional interface has more signals than there are available external connectors on the SIP package. Logic in the SIP package includes selection logic to select one or more portions of the wide functional interface to test in a given cycle. Logic in the SIP package multiplexes peripheral connectors as a test interface for the device chip, instead of dedicating connectors on the SIP package for a direct access test interface.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 28, 2013Publication date: July 2, 2015Inventors: Christopher J Nelson, David J Zimmerman
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Publication number: 20150187436Abstract: In accordance with the present description, a device includes an internal defect detection and repair circuit which includes a self-test logic circuit built in within the device and a self-repair logic circuit also built in within the device. In one embodiment, the built in self-test logic circuit may be configured to automatically identify defective memory cells in a memory. Upon identifying one or more defective memory cells, the built in self-repair logic circuit may be configured to automatically repair the defective memory cells by replacing defective cells with spare cells within the memory. In one embodiment, data patterns are generated as a function of memory addresses and periodic address offsets. Other aspects are described herein.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 30, 2014Publication date: July 2, 2015Inventors: Bruce QUERBACH, William K. LUI, David G. ELLIS, David J. ZIMMERMAN, Theodore Z. SCHOENBORN, Christopher W. HAMPSON, Ifar WAN, Yulan ZHANG
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Publication number: 20150187439Abstract: In accordance with the present description, a device includes an internal defect detection and repair circuit which includes a self-test logic circuit built in within the device and a self-repair logic circuit also built in within the device. In one embodiment, the built in self-test logic circuit may be configured to automatically identify defective memory cells in a memory. Upon identifying one or more defective memory cells, the built in self-repair logic circuit may be configured to automatically repair the defective memory cells by replacing defective cells with spare cells within the memory. Other aspects are described herein.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 26, 2013Publication date: July 2, 2015Inventors: Bruce Querbach, Theodore Z. Schoenborn, David J. Zimmerman, David G. Ellis, Christopher W. Hampson, Ifar Wan, Yulan Zhang, Ramakrishna Mallela, William K. Lui
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Patent number: 9064560Abstract: A nonvolatile storage or memory device is accessed over a memory bus. The memory bus has an electrical interface typically used for volatile memory devices. A controller coupled to the bus sends synchronous data access commands to the nonvolatile memory device, and reads the response from the device bus based on an expected timing of a reply from the nonvolatile memory device. The controller determines the expected timing based on when the command was sent, and characteristics of the nonvolatile memory device. The controller may not need all the electrical signal lines available on the memory bus, and could issue data access commands to different groups of nonvolatile memory devices over different groups of electrical signal lines. The memory bus may be available and configured for either use with a memory controller and volatile memory devices, or a storage controller and nonvolatile memory devices.Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 2013Date of Patent: June 23, 2015Assignee: Intel CorporationInventors: Shekoufeh Qawami, Rajesh Sundaram, David J. Zimmerman, Robert W. Faber
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Patent number: 9036718Abstract: Embodiments provide access to a memory over a high speed serial link at slower speeds than the high speed serial links regular operation. An embodiment may comprise a memory apparatus with a differential receiver coupled to a protocol recognition circuit, a low speed receiving circuit that has a first receiver coupled with a first input of the differential receiver and a second receiver coupled with a second input of the differential receiver, wherein the low speed receiving circuit is coupled with the protocol recognition circuit, allowing the first and second receivers to access the protocol recognition block at a different frequency than the differential receiver.Type: GrantFiled: December 18, 2013Date of Patent: May 19, 2015Assignee: Intel CorporationInventors: David J. Zimmerman, Michael W. Williams
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Patent number: 8909849Abstract: An apparatus for data storage is presented. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a phase change memory device comprising phase change memory storage elements. The apparatus further includes control logic to control two or more set pipelines to serve memory requests in a staggered manner, such that set operations of the memory requests begin at different times.Type: GrantFiled: November 15, 2010Date of Patent: December 9, 2014Assignee: Intel CorporationInventors: Rajesh Sundaram, Derchang Kau, David J. Zimmerman
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Patent number: 8862973Abstract: A method and system for error management in a memory device. In one embodiment of the invention, the memory device can handle commands and address parity errors and cyclic redundancy check errors. In one embodiment of the invention, the memory can detect whether a received command has any parity errors by determining whether the command bits or the address bits of the received command has any parity errors. If a parity error or cyclic redundancy check error in the received command is detected, an error handling mechanism is triggered to recover from the errant command.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 2009Date of Patent: October 14, 2014Assignee: Intel CorporationInventors: Kuljit S. Bains, David J. Zimmerman, Dennis W. Brzezinski, Michael Williams, John B. Halbert
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Publication number: 20140304475Abstract: A system and method are described for flushing a specified region of a memory side cache (MSC) within a multi-level memory hierarchy. For example, a computer system according to one embodiment comprises: a memory subsystem comprised of a non-volatile system memory and a volatile memory side cache (MSC) for caching portions of the non-volatile system memory; and a flush engine for flushing a specified region of the MSC to the non-volatile system memory in response to a deactivation condition associated with the specified region of the MSC.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 20, 2011Publication date: October 9, 2014Inventors: Raj K Ramanujan, Glenn J Hinton, David J Zimmerman
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Patent number: 8843794Abstract: Techniques and mechanisms for evaluating I/O buffer circuits. In an embodiment, test rounds are performed for a device including the I/O buffer circuits, each of the test rounds comprising a respective loop-back test for each of the I/O buffer circuits. Each of the test rounds corresponds to a different respective delay between a transmit clock signal and a receive clock signal. In another embodiment, a first test round indicates a failure condition for at least one I/O buffer circuit and a second test round indicates the failure condition for each of the I/O buffer circuits. Evaluation of the I/O buffer circuits determines whether the device satisfies a test condition, where the determining is based on a difference between the delay corresponding to the first test round and the delay corresponding to the second test round.Type: GrantFiled: September 24, 2012Date of Patent: September 23, 2014Assignee: Intel CorporationInventors: Christopher J. Nelson, Tak M. Mak, David J. Zimmerman, Pete D. Vogt
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Publication number: 20140189457Abstract: I/O delay testing for devices utilizing on-chip delay generation. An embodiment of an apparatus includes I/O buffer circuits, at least one of the buffer circuits including a transmitter and a receiver that are coupled for loop-back testing of the buffer circuit; and testing circuitry for the loop-back testing for the at least one buffer circuit, the loop-back testing including determining whether test data transmitted by the transmitter of the buffer circuit matches test data received by the respective coupled receiver. The testing circuitry includes a delay line to provide delay values from a transmit clock signal for the testing of the at least one buffer circuit, a counter to provide a count to choose one of the plurality of delay values, and test logic for the loop-back testing.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 27, 2012Publication date: July 3, 2014Inventors: Tak M. Mak, Christopher J. Nelson, David J. Zimmerman, Derek B. Feltham
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Publication number: 20140129767Abstract: A system and method are described for integrating a memory and storage hierarchy including a non-volatile memory tier within a computer system. In one embodiment, PCMS memory devices are used as one tier in the hierarchy, sometimes referred to as “far memory.” Higher performance memory devices such as DRAM placed in front of the far memory and are used to mask some of the performance limitations of the far memory. These higher performance memory devices are referred to as “near memory.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 30, 2011Publication date: May 8, 2014Inventors: Raj K Ramanujan, Rajat Agarwal, Kai Cheng, Taarinya Polepeddi, Camille C. Raad, David J. Zimmerman, Muthukumar P. Swaminathan, Dimitrios Ziakas, Mohan J. Kumar, Bassam N. Coury, Glenn N. Hinton