Patents Assigned to Avalanche Technology, Inc.
  • Publication number: 20160021073
    Abstract: A magnetic memory device includes a main memory made of magnetic memory, the main memory and further includes a parameter area used to store parameters used to authenticate data. Further, the magnetic memory device has parameter memory that maintains a protected zone used to store protected zone parameters, and an authentication zone used to store authentication parameters, the protection zone parameters and the authentication parameters being associated with the data that requires authentication. Upon modification of any of the parameters stored in the parameter memory by a user, a corresponding location of the parameter area of the main memory is also modified.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2015
    Publication date: January 21, 2016
    Applicant: AVALANCHE TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Siamack Nemazie, NGON VAN LE
  • Patent number: 9229892
    Abstract: A method of accessing a server address space of a shared PCIe end point system includes programming a primary address translation table with a server address of a server address space, setting up a direct memory access (DMA) to access a primary port memory map, the primary port memory map correlating with addresses in the primary address translation table, and re-directing the direct memory accesses to the primary port memory map to the server address space according to the primary address translation table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: AVALANCHE TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Anilkumar Mandapuram, Siamack Nemazie
  • Patent number: 9231027
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a spin transfer torque (STT) MRAM device having a perpendicular magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) memory element. The memory element includes a perpendicular MTJ structure in between a non-magnetic seed layer and a non-magnetic cap layer. The MTJ structure comprises a magnetic free layer structure and a magnetic reference layer structure with an insulating tunnel junction layer interposed therebetween, an anti-ferromagnetic coupling layer formed adjacent to the magnetic reference layer structure, and a magnetic fixed layer formed adjacent to the anti-ferromagnetic coupling layer. At least one of the magnetic free and reference layer structures includes a non-magnetic perpendicular enhancement layer, which improves the perpendicular anisotropy of magnetic layers adjacent thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: Avalanche Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Huadong Gan, Yiming Huai, Xiaobin Wang, Yuchen Zhou, Zihui Wang
  • Patent number: 9224504
    Abstract: A memory device includes a memory array with random defective memory cells. The memory array is organized into rows and columns with a row and column identifying a memory location of a memory cell of the memory array. The memory device includes a row address device and a column address device and is operative to use a grouping of either the row or the column addresses to manage the random defective memory cells by mapping the memory location of a defective memory cell to an alternate memory location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: AVALANCHE TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Siamack Nemazie, Ebrahim Abedifard
  • Patent number: 9218866
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention includes a multi-state current-switching magnetic memory element includes a stack of two or more magnetic tunneling junctions (MTJs), each MTJ having a free layer and being separated from other MTJs in the stack by a seeding layer formed upon an isolation layer, the stack for storing more than one bit of information, wherein different levels of current applied to the memory element causes switching to different states.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignee: AVALANCHE TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Rajiv Yadav Ranjan, Parviz Keshtbod, Roger Klas Malmhall
  • Patent number: 9213495
    Abstract: A mass storage device includes a controller configured to communicate with a host. The controller is coupled to a first memory and a second memory, the first and second memories being of different types. The mass storage device includes a storage media partitioned into a plurality of Logical Units (LUNs) based on capabilities and resources of the mass storage device. The mass storage device further includes the first memory and the second memories and a hybrid reserved area spanning at least a portion of the first and second memories.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: AVALANCHE TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Mehdi Asnaashari, Siamack Nemazie
  • Patent number: 9209390
    Abstract: A memory device comprises a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of parallel trenches therein, a memory region formed in the substrate including an array of memory cells having a plurality of vertical selection transistors with respective channels formed in trench sidewalls, a plurality of buried source electrodes in trench bottoms, a plurality of paired gate electrodes formed on paired trench sidewalls, a first and second stitch region disposed adjacent the memory region along a trench direction including a first and second row of gate contacts, respectively, and a row of source contacts disposed in the first or second stitch region with each of the source contacts coupled to a respective one of the source electrodes. One of each pair of the gate electrodes is coupled to a respective one of the first row of gate contacts and the other one of each pair of gate electrodes is coupled to a respective one of the second row of gate contacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: Avalanche Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Kimihiro Satoh, Jing Zhang, Yiming Huai
  • Patent number: 9196332
    Abstract: An STTMRAM element includes a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) having a perpendicular magnetic orientation. The MTJ includes a barrier layer, a free layer formed on top of the barrier layer and having a magnetic orientation that is perpendicular and switchable relative to the magnetic orientation of the fixed layer. The magnetic orientation of the free layer switches when electrical current flows through the STTMRAM element. A switching-enhancing layer (SEL), separated from the free layer by a spacer layer, is formed on top of the free layer and has an in-plane magnetic orientation and generates magneto-static fields onto the free layer, causing the magnetic moments of the outer edges of the free layer to tilt with an in-plane component while minimally disturbing the magnetic moment at the center of the free layer to ease the switching of the free layer and to reduce the threshold voltage/current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: Avalanche Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Jing Zhang, Yuchen Zhou, Rajiv Yadav Ranjan, Yiming Huai
  • Publication number: 20150332748
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a magnetic random access memory comprising a first magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) including a first magnetic reference layer and a first magnetic free layer with a first insulating tunnel junction layer interposed therebetween; a second MTJ including a second magnetic reference layer and a second magnetic free layer with a second insulating tunnel junction layer interposed therebetween; and an anti-ferromagnetic coupling layer formed between the first and second variable magnetic free layers. The first and second magnetic free layers have a first and second magnetization directions, respectively, that are perpendicular to the layer planes thereof. The first magnetic reference layer has a first pseudo-fixed magnetization direction substantially perpendicular to the layer plane thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2014
    Publication date: November 19, 2015
    Applicant: Avalanche Technology Inc.
    Inventors: Zihui Wang, Xiaobin Wang, Huadong Gan, Yuchen Zhou, Yiming Huai
  • Publication number: 20150316971
    Abstract: An unified power management scheme for all the idle subsystems during normal mode of operation and power save mode of operation reduces significant power and time during saving and restoring context of System on a chip (SoC). Power management schemes based on subset of manufacturing tests and high speed non-volatile memory provides transparency and shortest latency of entering and exiting power save mode and as a result providing significant power savings and extending battery life. Due to the shortest logic delays in some phases of logic scan, memory BIST and analog BIST, entry procedure and exit procedures from power save mode consume least amount of time with little overhead due to clock switching and power gating procedures. Any part of SoC that can be tested during manufacture using standard procedures of logic scan, memory BIST, analog BIST and boundary scan will be able to enter and exit power save mode and still retain the state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2014
    Publication date: November 5, 2015
    Applicant: Avalanche Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Ravishankar TADEPALLI, NGON VAN LE
  • Publication number: 20150311252
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to an MRAM device comprising a plurality of MTJ memory elements. Each of the memory elements includes a magnetic free layer and a first magnetic reference layer with an insulating tunnel junction layer interposed therebetween; a second magnetic reference layer formed adjacent to the first magnetic reference layer opposite the insulating tunnel junction layer; an anti-ferromagnetic coupling layer formed adjacent to the second magnetic reference layer opposite the first magnetic reference layer; and a magnetic fixed layer formed adjacent to the anti-ferromagnetic coupling layer. The magnetic free layer has a variable magnetization direction substantially perpendicular to the layer plane thereof. The first and second magnetic reference layers have a first fixed magnetization direction substantially perpendicular to the layer planes thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2014
    Publication date: October 29, 2015
    Applicant: Avalanche Technology Inc.
    Inventors: Huadong Gan, Yiming Huai, Yuchen Zhou, Xiaobin Wang, Zihui Wang
  • Patent number: 9166143
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a magnetic random access memory element comprising a first magnetic reference layer, a first insulating tunnel junction layer, a first magnetic free layer, a first coupling layer, a second magnetic free layer, a second coupling layer, a third magnetic free layer, a second insulating tunnel junction layer, and a second magnetic reference layer formed in sequence. The first and second magnetic reference layers have respectively a first and second fixed magnetization directions that are substantially perpendicular to respective layer planes and are substantially opposite to each other. The first, second, and third magnetic free layers have respectively a first, second, and third variable magnetization directions that are substantially perpendicular to respective layer planes. The second variable magnetization direction may be parallel or anti-parallel to the first and third variable magnetization directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: Avalanche Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Huadong Gan, Xiaobin Wang, Yuchen Zhou, Yiming Huai
  • Patent number: 9166146
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a spin transfer torque magnetic random access memory (STT-MRAM) device having a plurality of memory elements. Each of the plurality of memory elements comprises a magnetic reference layer with a first invariable magnetization direction substantially perpendicular to layer plane thereof; a magnetic free layer separated from the magnetic reference layer by an insulating tunnel junction layer with the magnetic free layer having a variable magnetization direction substantially perpendicular to layer plane thereof; a dielectric layer formed in contact with the magnetic free layer opposite the insulating tunnel junction layer; and a first conductive layer formed in contact with the dielectric layer opposite the magnetic free layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: Avalanche Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Zihui Wang, Yuchen Zhou, Yiming Huai
  • Patent number: 9158623
    Abstract: A memory system includes a flash subsystem for storing data identified by page numbers. The memory system further includes a central processing unit (CPU), and a flash controller coupled to the CPU, the CPU being operable to pair a lower with an upper page. Further included in the memory system is a buffer including a page of data to be programmed in a block of the flash subsystem, wherein split segments of pages are formed and concatenated with split error correcting code (ECC), the ECC having a code rate associated therewith.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: AVALANCHE TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Siamack Nemazie, Anilkumar Mandapuram
  • Patent number: 9142755
    Abstract: A magnetic random access memory (MRAM) element is configured to store a state when electric current flows therethrough. The MRAM element includes a first magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) for storing a data bit and a reference bit MTJ for storing a reference bit. The data bit MTJ and reference bit MTJ are preferred to be of identical structure that includes a magnetic free layer (FL) having a switchable magnetization with a direction that is perpendicular to a film plane. The direction of magnetization of the FL is determinative of the data bit stored in the at least one MTJ. The identical structure further includes a magnetic reference layer (RL) having a magnetization with a direction that is perpendicular to the film plane, and a magnetic pinned layer (PL) having a magnetization with a direction that is perpendicular to the film plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: Avalanche Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Yuchen Zhou, Yiming Huai
  • Patent number: 9123575
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a semiconductor memory device including a plurality of first level contacts arranged in an array with every third row vacant along a first direction, thereby forming multiple contact regions separated by multiple vacant regions along the first direction with each of the multiple contact regions including a first row and a second row of the first level contacts extending along a second direction; a first and second plurality of second level contacts formed on top of the first level contacts with the second plurality of second level contacts having elongated shape extending into the vacant regions adjacent thereto; and a first and second plurality of memory elements formed on top of the first and second plurality of second level contacts, respectively, thereby permitting the memory elements to have greater center-to-center distance between two closest neighbors than the first level contacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: Avalanche Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Kimihiro Satoh, Bing K Yen, Dong Ha Jung, Yiming Huai
  • Patent number: 9117532
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to an apparatus for initializing perpendicular magnetic tunnel junction. The apparatus comprises a permanent magnet for generating a magnetic flux; a flux concentrator made of a soft ferromagnetic material and having a base area in contact with the permanent magnet and an tip area that is smaller than the base area, thereby funneling and concentrating the magnetic flux to the tip area for emitting a magnetic field therefrom; and a means for supporting and conveying a substrate with an arrays of magnetic tunnel junctions formed therein to traverse the magnetic field in close proximity to the tip area. The apparatus may further include at least one of the following: a substrate heater, a flux containment structure coupled to the permanent magnet, and a magnetic imaging plate disposed in proximity to the substrate on the opposite side from the flux concentrator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: Avalanche Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Yuchen Zhou
  • Patent number: 9112051
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a memory device comprising a semiconductor block formed on a p-type semiconductor substrate with the semiconductor block having i number of n-type line regions extending along a first direction separated by i?1 number of p-type line regions along a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction; and a plurality of paired gate electrodes extending along the second direction with each pair of the paired gate electrodes formed adjacent to two opposite sides of the semiconductor block with a charge-trapping layer interposed therebetween, where i is an integer greater than or equal to two. The n-type line regions may function as sub-bit lines or sub-source lines or both. The p-type line regions may function as channel lines that allow current to flow vertically between two n-type line regions adjacent thereto. The memory device may further include a bit or source select unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: Avalanche Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Kimihiro Satoh
  • Patent number: 9105343
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method for reading and writing an STT-MRAM multi-level cell (MLC), which includes a plurality of memory elements coupled in series. The method detects the resistance states of individual memory elements in an MLC by sequentially writing at least one of the plurality of memory element to the low resistance state in order of ascending write current threshold. If a written element switches the resistance state thereof after the write step, then the written element was in the high resistance state prior to the write step. Otherwise, the written element was in the low resistance state prior to the write step. The switching of the resistance state can be ascertained by comparing the resistance or voltage values of the plurality of memory elements before and after writing each of the plurality of memory elements in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: Avalanche Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Yuchen Zhou, Bing K Yen, Parviz Keshtbod, Mehdi Asnaashari
  • Publication number: 20150212755
    Abstract: A method of writing to one or more solid state disks (SSDs) employed by a storage processor includes receiving a command, creating sub-commands from the command based on a granularity, and assigning the sub-commands to the one or more SSDs and creating a NVMe command structure for each sub-command.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2014
    Publication date: July 30, 2015
    Applicant: Avalanche Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Mehdi Asnaashari