Patents Assigned to Spansion LLC
  • Publication number: 20140254288
    Abstract: A system including a memory cell array including a plurality of memory cells, and a writing device to generate multiple back-to-back write pulses to write to target memory cells from among the plurality of memory cells, the multiple back-to-back write pulses overlapping during an overlap duration, the overlap duration being adjustable based on a performance parameter of the memory cell array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2013
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Applicant: Spansion LLC
    Inventors: Michael ACHTER, Evrim BINBOGA, Marufa KANIZ, Murni MOHD-SALLEH
  • Patent number: 8828837
    Abstract: In a method of fabricating a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) device, initially, a first electrode is provided. An oxide layer is provided on the first electrode, and a protective layer is provided on the oxide layer. An opening through the protective layer is provided to expose a portion of the oxide layer, and a portion of the first electrode underlying the exposed portion of the oxide layer is oxidized. A second electrode is provided in contact with the exposed portion of the oxide layer. In alternative embodiments, the initially provided oxide layer may be eliminated, and spacers of insulating material may be provided in the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Spansion LLC
    Inventors: Steven Avanzino, Tzu-Ning Fang, Swaroop Kaza, Dongxiang Liao, Wai Lo, Christie Marrian, Sameer Haddad
  • Patent number: 8832408
    Abstract: A memory device is disclosed, and includes an array of memory cells and a partitioning system configured to address a first portion of the array in a single level cell mode, and a second portion of the array in a multi-level cell mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Spansion LLC
    Inventors: Hagop Nazarian, Ali Pourkeramati
  • Patent number: 8832460
    Abstract: There is provided an inter-bus communication interface device capable of efficiently performing transfer of data between a plurality of devices connected to different buses, respectively. When communication data is transmitted, a first device writes the communication data into a buffer, whereas when communication control information is transmitted, the first device writes the communication control information into a register. A control circuit passes the communication data stored in the buffer to a second device, and passes the communication control information stored in the register to a second device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Spansion LLC
    Inventors: Kenichi Iizuka, Kumiko Toshimori, Machiko Soejima
  • Patent number: 8830097
    Abstract: An arithmetic operation circuit provided in a delta-sigma modulator of a delta-sigma A/D converter includes two reference capacitors which are respectively provided at a positive side input node and a negative side input node of an operational amplifier. When a signal corresponding to an output of the modulator is added or subtracted to or from an input signal, the amount of charge added to the input node of the operational amplifier is made to be always the same regardless of the reference voltage by complementarily switching the connection of the reference capacitors at the positive side input node and the negative side input node, and thereby the potential of the input node of the operational amplifier is made to converge to the common mode potential of the circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Spansion LLC
    Inventors: Kenta Aruga, Takashi Miyazaki, Hiroyuki Tomura
  • Patent number: 8822289
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein generally relate to methods of manufacturing charge-trapping memory by patterning the high voltage gates before other gates are formed. One advantage of such an approach is that a thin poly layer may be used to form memory and low voltage gates while protecting high voltage gates from implant penetration. One approach to accomplishing this is to dispose the layer of poly, and then dispose a mask and a thick resist to pattern the high voltage gates. In this manner, the high voltage gates are formed before either the low voltage gates or the memory cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Spansion LLC
    Inventors: Shenqing Fang, Chun Chen
  • Patent number: 8824469
    Abstract: A packet communication device for communicating a packet to be transferred in constant cycle, comprising one of a logic inversion section configured to invert a logical value with respect to at least one bit included in a first string of bits included in a first packet; and a register section configured to store another string of bits having a logical value different from a given logical value of the first string of bits; and a selector section configured to select one of the first string of bits and a second string of bits that is output from one of the logic inversion section and the register section to designate any one of a plurality of devices, wherein the packet communication is performed when a selected string of bits selected by the selector section conforms to a setting value of a receiving side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Spansion LLC
    Inventor: Nobuhiro Taki
  • Patent number: 8823344
    Abstract: A control circuit arranged in a power supply including first and second switches to control an output voltage of the power supply. The control circuit includes a first control circuit that switches the first and second switches in a complementary manner in accordance with a comparison result of a first reference voltage and a feedback voltage corresponding to the output voltage of the power supply. A first comparison circuit compares the output voltage or feedback voltage with a second reference value. A second comparison circuit compares a coupling point current flowing through a coupling point between the first and second switches with a third reference value. A second control circuit disables complementary switching of the first and second switches in accordance with an output signal from the first comparison circuit and enables the complementary switching in accordance with an output signal of the second comparison circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Spansion LLC
    Inventors: Koichiro Kushida, Kazuyoshi Futamura, Masao Kumagai
  • Patent number: 8825920
    Abstract: An electronic device includes an input/output (I/O) interface and a plurality of memory elements comprising a non-volatile memory portion for storing a default firmware and a working memory portion having a firmware area. The device also includes a controller coupled to the I/O interface and the memory elements, where the controller is configured for operating the memory elements, according to the firmware area, and for monitoring the I/O interface. In the device, the controller is also configured for loading the default firmware into the firmware area when the controller is enabled and for granting access to the firmware area for loading an alternate firmware if a bypass code is detected at the I/O interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Spansion LLC
    Inventors: Sean Michael O'Mullan, Bradley E. Sundahl, Gregory Charles Yancey, Allan Parker, Arthur Benjamin Oliver, John Anthony Darilek
  • Publication number: 20140244914
    Abstract: A method of operating a memory system is provided. The method includes a controller that regulates read and write access to one or more FLASH memory devices that are employed for random access memory applications. A buffer component operates in conjunction with the controller to regulate read and write access to the one or more FLASH devices. Wear leveling components along with read and write processing components are provided to facilitate efficient operations of the FLASH memory devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 5, 2014
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: SPANSION LLC
    Inventor: Tzungren Tzeng
  • Patent number: 8815727
    Abstract: A method for forming an integrated circuit system is provided including forming a semi-conducting layer over a substrate, forming a spacer stack having a gap filler adjacent to the semi-conducting layer and a inter-layer dielectric over the gap filler, forming a transition layer having a recess over the semi-conducting layer and adjacent to the spacer stack, and forming a metal layer in the recess.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignees: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., Spansion LLC
    Inventors: Angela T. Hui, Mark S. Chang, Kuo-Tung Chang, Scott A. Bell
  • Patent number: 8819401
    Abstract: Reset request from external are held at a reset request holding unit having holding units connected in series; a reset switching unit performs a logical product operation of all of outputs of the holding units to set it as an asynchronous reset request, setting an output of the holding unit at a final stage of the holding units as a synchronous reset request, performing a logical product operation of the asynchronous reset request and the synchronous reset request, and outputs an operation result; the asynchronous reset request is masked in a synchronous reset mode; and a reset signal is output from a reset output unit based on the operation result at the reset switching unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Spansion LLC
    Inventor: Yuichiro Shimizu
  • Patent number: 8818802
    Abstract: A method for real-time data-pattern analysis. The method includes receiving and queuing at least one data-pattern analysis request by a data-pattern analysis unit controller. At least one data stream portion is also received and stored by the data-pattern analysis unit controller, each data stream portion corresponding to a received data-pattern analysis request. Next, a received data-pattern analysis request is selected by the data-pattern analysis unit controller along with a corresponding data stream portion. A data-pattern analysis is performed based on the selected data-pattern analysis request and the corresponding data stream portion, wherein the data-pattern analysis is performed by one of a plurality of data-pattern analysis units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Spansion LLC
    Inventors: Richard Fastow, Qamrul Hasan
  • Patent number: 8819326
    Abstract: According to one exemplary embodiment, a host/client system includes a host module, which includes a CPU coupled to a system bridge. The host/client system further includes at least one client having an integrated interface, where the integrated interface is coupled to the system bridge through a scalable serial bus. The system bridge and the integrated interface enable high bandwidth communication between the CPU and the at least one client through the scalable serial bus, thereby allowing control of bus width between the host module and the client.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Spansion LLC
    Inventors: Stephan Rosner, Qamrul Hasan, Jeremy Mah
  • Patent number: 8815652
    Abstract: The present invention is a manufacturing method for a semiconductor device having steps of; aligning a program head 80 having a program dot array corresponding to each OTP-ROM cell array 21 provided in areas 12 to be a plurality of semiconductor chips arranged in a semiconductor wafer to the OTP-ROM cell array 21 in one of the areas to be the plurality of semiconductor chips 12; and programming the OTP-ROM cell array 21 with a different pattern for each of the areas to be the plurality of semiconductor chips 12 by using the program head 80.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Spansion LLC
    Inventors: Fumihiko Inoue, Kentaro Sera
  • Patent number: 8816438
    Abstract: A semiconductor device and method of making such device is presented herein. The semiconductor device includes a plurality of memory cells, a plurality of p-n junctions, and a metal trace of a first metal layer. Each of the plurality of memory cells includes a first gate disposed over a first dielectric, a second gate disposed over a second dielectric and adjacent to a sidewall of the first gate, a first doped region in the substrate adjacent to the first gate, and a second doped region in the substrate adjacent to the second gate. The plurality of p-n junctions are electrically isolated from the doped regions of each memory cell. The metal trace extends along a single plane between a via to the second gate of at least one memory cell in the plurality of memory cells, and a via to a p-n junction within the plurality of p-n junctions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Spansion LLC
    Inventors: Chun Chen, Sameer Haddad, Kuo Tung Chang, Mark Ramsbey, Unsoon Kim, Shenqing Fang
  • Publication number: 20140233339
    Abstract: A non-volatile memory device comprising a memory cell array including a plurality of non-volatile memory cells arranged in rows and columns, wherein memory cells arranged in a same row share a word line and memory cells arranged in a same column share a bit line; and at least an address decoder to provide a negative voltage to at least one non-accessed word line in said array when a programming or erasure voltage is provided along a shared bit line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2013
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Applicant: SPANSION LLC.
    Inventors: Amichai GIVANT, Ilan BLOOM, Mark RANDOLPH, Zhizheng LIU
  • Publication number: 20140235106
    Abstract: An electronic structure (for example a reliability board or a cycling control module) has a body including a body portion insertable into a connector. A plurality of contact structures are provided on a side of the body portion, each contact structure comprising a first contact and a second contact spaced from the first contact, with the first and second contacts of each contact structure being aligned in the direction of insertion of the body portion into the connector. A corresponding second plurality of contact structures is provided on a side of the body portion opposite the first—mentioned side. These contacts connect with respective corresponding contacts of the connector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2014
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Applicant: Spansion LLC
    Inventors: Che Seong LEE, Kaseasan EDUMBAN
  • Patent number: 8809936
    Abstract: A memory cell system is provided including forming a first insulator layer over a semiconductor substrate, forming a charge trap layer over the first insulator layer, forming a second insulator layer over the charge trap layer, forming a top blocking intermediate layer over the second insulator layer, and forming a contact layer over the top blocking intermediate layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignees: Globalfoundries Inc., Spansion LLC
    Inventors: Lei Xue, Rinji Sugino, YouSeok Suh, Hidehiko Shiraiwa, Meng Ding, Shenqing Fang, Joong Jeon
  • Patent number: 8811107
    Abstract: Memory cell regions as units of erasing operation are sectors S, and units of reading operation and/or writing operation are blocks B0 to B3 in a sector, in which a block address BA for selecting one of blocks B0 to B3 is held in block address buffer (BAB) 3. Holding operation is executed prior to reading or writing operation, and hence in subsequent reading operation or writing operation, re-input is not needed. Depending on the held block address BA, any one of selection signals YDn (n=0 to 3) is selected, and any one block is selected depending on the selection signal YDn. This state is maintained until the block address BA held in the block address buffer (BAB) 3 is rewritten, and therefore it is not required to enter or decode the block address BA on every occasion of reading and/or writing operation, so that the access operation can be executed promptly and at low current consumption.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Spansion LLC
    Inventor: Masahiro Niimi