Patents Examined by Alexander Sofocleous
  • Patent number: 9502109
    Abstract: Provided is a non-volatile semiconductor memory device capable of reliably preventing a malfunction of a read transistor without increasing the number of bit lines. In a non-volatile semi conductor memory device (1), program transistors (5a, 5b) and erase transistors (3a, 3b) serving as charge transfer paths during data programming and erasure are provided while a second bit line (BLN1) connected to the program transistor (5a) in a first cell (2a) for performing data programming also serves as a reading bit line in the other second cell (2b) by switching switch transistors (SWa, SWb) so that malfunctions of read transistors (4a, 4b) that occur because the read transistors are used for data programming and erasure can be reliably prevented without the number of bit lines being increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: FLOADIA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Taniguchi, Hideo Kasai, Yutaka Shinagawa, Kosuke Okuyama
  • Patent number: 9496025
    Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for implementing write assist with boost attenuation for static random access memory (SRAM) arrays. The apparatus includes a memory array comprising a plurality of SRAM cells. The apparatus further includes a write driver connected to each of a differential pair of bit lines in each of the plurality of SRAM cells of the memory array. The apparatus further includes a write assist attenuation circuit connected to the write driver, the write assist attenuation circuit comprising a clamping device configured to modify a control signal as a function of supply voltage and process to attenuate an amount of boost applied to pull one of the bit lines below ground in an active phase of a write cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Dinesh Chandra, Eswararao Potladhurthi, Dhani Reddy Sreenivasula Reddy, Krishnan S. Rengarajan
  • Patent number: 9496039
    Abstract: A storage device includes a flash memory and a buffer memory. A method of controlling interrupts includes: receiving data to be written to the storage device from an information processing device; writing the received data to be written to the storage device to the buffer memory; fetching the data in the buffer memory and writing the data to the flash memory; in which, after writing the received data to be written to the storage device to the buffer memory, if the amount of data in the buffer memory is less than the predetermined threshold, then sending a message indicating the completion of the write operation to the information processing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: MEMBLAZE TECHNOLOGY (BEIJING) CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Xuebing Yin, Yilei Wang
  • Patent number: 9478307
    Abstract: A memory device includes a memory cell which has one cell selection section and a storage section which is connected in series with respect to the cell selection section and which is selected as an access target for writing or reading by the cell selection section, in which the storage section is provided with a plurality of memory elements which are able to be written one time only and where information is held by changing resistance values in a non-written state and a written state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventor: Yuki Yanagisawa
  • Patent number: 9467050
    Abstract: A semiconductor apparatus includes a voltage supply circuit suitable for outputting a high voltage, a transfer circuit coupled between the voltage supply circuit and a peripheral circuit and suitable for transferring the high voltage to the peripheral circuit and a transfer control circuit suitable for outputting a transfer control signal to the transfer circuit to control the transfer of the high voltage to the peripheral circuit, wherein the transfer control circuit outputs the transfer control signal having a first positive voltage level to a gate of a transistor included in the transfer circuit when the voltage supply circuit outputs the high voltage to the transfer circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.
    Inventors: Yeonghun Lee, Hyun Heo, Min Gyu Koo, Dong Hwan Lee
  • Patent number: 9460779
    Abstract: A memory sensing method is provided. The memory sensing method comprises the following steps: sensing a first memory unit to obtain a first sensing result; sensing a second memory unit to obtain a second sensing result; and looking up a one-time sensing table according to the first and second sensing results to obtain an output data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: MACRONIX INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kin-Chu Ho, Hsiang-Pang Li
  • Patent number: 9447767
    Abstract: Aspects of the invention are directed to a single chip igniter such that it is possible to realize a reduction in operating voltage, an increase in noise tolerance, a reduction in size, and a reduction in cost. By reducing the gate threshold voltage of a MOS transistor, and reducing the operating voltages of a current limiter circuit, an overheat detector circuit, a timer circuit, an overvoltage protection circuit, an input hysteresis circuit, and the like, it is possible to reduce the operating voltage of a single chip igniter. In some aspects of the invention, the effective gate voltage of the MOS transistor is 1V or more, and the channel length of the MOS transistor is 4 ?m or less. Also, in some aspects of the invention, the thickness of a gate oxide film of the MOS transistor is 5 nm or more, 25 nm or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kenichi Ishii
  • Patent number: 9437329
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes: a first block, which is initialized during an initialization mode; and a second block, which is initialized while the first block latches first signals during a boot-up mode. Herein, the second block may latch second signals after being initialized during the boot-up mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Ga-Ram Park
  • Patent number: 9437289
    Abstract: Provided an electronic device including a semiconductor memory unit. The semiconductor memory unit includes: a plurality of storage cells each including a variable resistance element of which resistance is changed in response to a current flowing across the variable resistance element and a selecting element coupled to one end of the variable resistance element; a plurality of word lines corresponding to the respective storage cells and each coupled to a selecting element of a corresponding storage cell; a first line coupled to one ends of the plurality of storage cells; a second line coupled to the other ends of the plurality of storage cells; a voltage adjuster configured to adjust the voltage levels of back bias voltages of the selecting elements of the plurality of storage cells; and an access control unit electrically coupled to the first and second lines and passing an access current to a selected storage cell among the plurality of storage cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventors: Byoung-Chan Oh, Yoon-Jae Shin
  • Patent number: 9431072
    Abstract: A trimmable sense amplifier for use in a memory device is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignee: SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Yao Zhou, Xiaozhou Qian
  • Patent number: 9401192
    Abstract: A semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array, a word line decoder, a time determination signal generation circuit, and a timing circuit. The memory cell array is configured to include a plurality of memory cells, and the word line decoder is configured to control selection and a voltage level of a word line connected to each of the memory cells. The time determination signal generation circuit is configured to generate a time determination signal indicating a determination time, the determination time being a reference by which a change in a command is determined, and the timing circuit is configured to determine the change in the command from the time determination signal and generate a control signal which controls whether or not a selected word line is pre-charged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignee: FUJITSU SEMICONDUCTOR LIMITED
    Inventors: Masaki Okuda, Keizo Morita, Tomohisa Hirayama
  • Patent number: 9390814
    Abstract: A circuit, configured to detect faults in an array of data storage elements, comprises: a resistor network; a switching network for selectively coupling a specified portion of the resistor network to the array of data storage elements; a current monitoring module, where the current monitoring module is operable to monitor current flow through the specified portion of the resistor network; and a control module coupled to the switching network and the current monitoring module. The control module is operable to control the switching network, so as to couple the specified portion of the resistor network to the array of data storage elements, and to determine whether one or more predefined characteristics of the output of the current monitoring module meet predetermined fault criteria. The control module is further operable to initiate one or more remedial actions, when the one or more predefined characteristics meet the predetermined fault criteria.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES LLC
    Inventor: Robert W. Ellis
  • Patent number: 9390785
    Abstract: Techniques and mechanisms for determining a write recovery time of a memory device. In an embodiment, thermal detection logic detects a signal from a thermal sensor indicating a temperature state of a resource of the memory device. A value of a write recovery parameter is set based on the signal from the thermal sensor. In another embodiment, command logic generates a signal to precharge one or more cells of the memory device. The write recovery parameter is used by timer logic to control a timing of the signal to precharge the one or more cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: John B. Halbert, Kuljit S. Bains
  • Patent number: 9368193
    Abstract: A method for refreshing static random access memory comprises providing at least one six-transistor static random access memory cell disposed on a substrate and providing a light source emitting light. The six-transistor static random access memory cell comprises two storage nodes, two pass transistors, two load transistors, and two driver transistors, the drain diffusion regions of the load transistors forming pn-junctions with the substrate. A portion of the light emitted by the light source is absorbed and converted to minority carriers in the substrate, The minority carriers diffuse through the substrate, and a portion of the minority carriers reach the pn-junctions and cause the pn-junctions to generate electrical current. The electrical current generated charges the storage nodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Inventor: Goran Krilic
  • Patent number: 9349423
    Abstract: Some embodiments include apparatuses and methods having a node to couple to a plurality of memory devices, memory cells, and a module to perform an operation on the memory cells, to cause at least one change in a level of a signal at the node in order to make a request to perform a particular stage of the operation such that the request is detectable by the memory devices, and to perform the particular stage of the operation after the request is acknowledged. Other embodiments are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Mauro Castelli, Luca De Santis, Luigi Pilolli, Maria Luisa Gallese
  • Patent number: 9343163
    Abstract: A semiconductor memory device and an operating method of the semiconductor memory device change a read voltage used in a read operation by performing a moving read operation, a randomize operation, and a program/erase compensation operation independently or in combination, thereby stably performing the read operation without an error and reducing a time for the read operation even when distribution of threshold voltages of the memory cells is changed according to a program/erase cycling effect or a retention effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: SK HYNIX INC.
    Inventor: Won Kyung Kang
  • Patent number: 9343120
    Abstract: A semiconductor device in which the power consumption of a register is low is provided. Further, a processing unit whose operation speed is high and whose power consumption is low is provided. In the semiconductor device, a register operating at high speed and a nonvolatile FILO (first-in-last-out) register capable of reading and writing data from/to the register are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yutaka Shionoiri, Hidetomo Kobayashi, Yoshiyuki Kurokawa
  • Patent number: 9343643
    Abstract: A light emitting device has: a first lead which is mounted a light emitting element, a second lead separated by an interval from the first lead, an insulating member configured to fix the first lead and the second lead, a wavelength conversion portion configured to cover the light emitting element, and a lens portion configured to cover the wavelength conversion portion, a thickness of the insulating member is equal to the thickness of the first lead and the second lead, a groove or a recessed portion is provided to retain the wavelength conversion portion in a specific region is formed in the first lead, and a lower surface of the first lead that forms an opposite side of a region formed on the wavelength conversion portion is not covered by the insulating member and is exposed to the outside.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: NICHIA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaki Hayashi, Yuki Shiota
  • Patent number: 9337420
    Abstract: A variable resistance memory device and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The variable resistance memory device may include a multi-layered insulating layer formed on a semiconductor substrate, on which a lower electrode is formed. The multi-layered insulating layer may include a first hole and a second hole, concentrically formed therein, to expose the lower electrode, wherein a diameter of the first hole is larger than a diameter of the second hole. A variable resistance material layer may be formed in the second hole to contact the lower electrode and an upper electrode may be formed in the first hole to contact the variable resistance material layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.
    Inventors: Min Seok Kim, Hyo Seob Yoon
  • Patent number: 9336857
    Abstract: A semiconductor memory device includes: a master chip suitable for generating a plurality of first control signals and a second control signal based on a read command; and a plurality of slave chips each suitable for latching data read from a plurality of memory cells included in a corresponding slave chip and transmitting the latched data to the master chip based on a correspond control signal of the first control signals, wherein the master chip latches the data transmitted from the slave chips based on the first control signals and outputs the data latched in the master chip based on the second control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.
    Inventors: Min-Su Park, Young-Jun Ku