Patents Examined by Connie Yoha
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Patent number: 9105333Abstract: A data storage device includes a memory die, where the memory die includes a NAND flash memory and a resistive random access memory (ReRAM). The memory die also includes an interface coupled to the ReRAM and the NAND flash memory. The interface is configured to support on-chip copying of data between the NAND flash memory and the ReRAM.Type: GrantFiled: July 3, 2014Date of Patent: August 11, 2015Assignee: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES INC.Inventors: Xinde Hu, Sergey Anatolievich Gorobets, Manuel Antonio D'Abreu
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Patent number: 9105318Abstract: A memory device operable to provide multi-port functionality, which may comprise a single-port memory having a first operating frequency that is at least twice of a second operation frequency of a multi-port memory, a read synchronization module that synchronizes a set of read signals from the second operation frequency to the first operating frequency, a write synchronization module that synchronizes a set of write signals from the second operation frequency to the first operating frequency, a read/write signal selector that integrates a set of synchronized read signals and a set of synchronized write signals into a set of input control signals of the single-port memory, and a read out data synchronization module configured to synchronize a set of read out data from the single-port memory with the second operation frequency of the multi-port memory.Type: GrantFiled: October 24, 2013Date of Patent: August 11, 2015Assignee: INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTEInventors: Chih-Yu Chang, Wei-Zheng Lu, Fu-Chiang Jan
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Patent number: 9105345Abstract: The present invention relates to a ferroelectric memory device having a multilevel polarization (MLP) state generated due to adjustment of a displacement current and to a method for manufacturing the ferroelectric memory device.Type: GrantFiled: August 31, 2012Date of Patent: August 11, 2015Assignee: Seoul National University R&DB FoundationInventors: Tae Won Noh, Daesu Lee, Jong-Gul Yoon
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Patent number: 9099203Abstract: A test method of a semiconductor device and a semiconductor test apparatus. The test method includes providing a semiconductor device including a substrate having an active region and an isolation region, a volatile device cell including a gate insulation layer and a gate on the active region, a junction region in the active region, a capacitor connected to the junction region, and a passing gate on the isolation region, providing a first test voltage to the gate and a second test voltage greater than the first test voltage to the passing gate to deteriorate interfacial defects of the gate insulation layer, and measuring retention characteristics of the volatile device cell.Type: GrantFiled: October 23, 2013Date of Patent: August 4, 2015Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.Inventors: Chiho Kim, Zhiliang Xia, Sung Hee Lee, Nara Kim, Dae Sin Kim
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Patent number: 9093125Abstract: In low power CPUs, the best way to reduce power is to reduce supply voltage. Most low voltage memory arrays use an 8T cell, which has read stability immunity, in order to operate at low voltages. An embodiment of the disclosure determines when a write wordline (WWL) rises. If the determination shows that the WWL has risen, at least one of the plurality of p-channel field effect transistors (pFETS) is disconnected from a voltage supply, and the at least one plurality of n-channel field effect transistors (nFET) passgate transistors are opened.Type: GrantFiled: January 22, 2013Date of Patent: July 28, 2015Assignee: QUALCOMM IncorporatedInventors: Joshua L. Puckett, Manish Garg, Harish Shankar
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Patent number: 9093136Abstract: It is an object to provide a signal processing circuit for which a complex manufacturing process is not necessary and whose power consumption can be suppressed. In particular, it is an object to provide a signal processing circuit whose power consumption can be suppressed by stopping the power supply for a short time. The signal processing circuit includes a control circuit, an arithmetic unit, and a buffer memory device. The buffer memory device stores data sent from the main memory device or the arithmetic unit in accordance with an instruction from the control unit; the buffer memory device comprises a plurality of memory cells; and the memory cells each include a transistor including an oxide semiconductor in a channel formation region and a memory element to which charge whose amount depends on a value of the data is supplied via the transistor.Type: GrantFiled: March 27, 2014Date of Patent: July 28, 2015Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.Inventor: Yoshiyuki Kurokawa
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Patent number: 9076531Abstract: A memory device includes at least one memory, a controller controlling the at least one memory and a connect unit. The at least one memory includes a memory region comprising a plurality of memory cells, a redundant memory region comprising a plurality of memory cells and a redundancy information memory unit. The redundancy information memory unit stores redundancy information of the memory cells of the memory region. The controller includes a control unit. The control unit controls data read-out from the at least one memory and data to be written-in to the at least one memory according to the redundancy information stored in the redundancy information memory unit.Type: GrantFiled: March 18, 2013Date of Patent: July 7, 2015Assignee: Winbond Electronics Corp.Inventor: Kenichi Arakawa
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Patent number: 9076675Abstract: A semiconductor memory device comprises: a semiconductor substrate; a plurality of memory units provided on the semiconductor substrate and each including a plurality of memory cells that are stacked; and a plurality of bit lines formed above each of a plurality of the memory units aligned in a column direction, an alignment pitch in a row direction of the plurality of bit lines being less than an alignment pitch in the row direction of the memory units, and an end of each of the memory units aligned in the column direction being connected to one of the plurality of bit lines formed above the plurality of the memory units aligned in the column direction.Type: GrantFiled: June 17, 2014Date of Patent: July 7, 2015Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBAInventors: Tomoo Hishida, Yoshihisa Iwata
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Patent number: 9076546Abstract: A nonvolatile memory cell array is divided into first and second cell arrays, the page buffer circuit is arranged between the first and second cell arrays, a second latch circuit is arranged by the outside edge section of the first cell array, and the page buffer circuit is connected to the second latch circuit via a global bit line of the first cell array. The data writing to the first or second cell array is controlled by transmitting the writing data to the page buffer circuit via the global bit line from the second latch circuit, after the writing data is latched in the second latch circuit. The data reading of outputting the data read from the first or second cell array to the external circuit is controlled by transmitting data to the second latch circuit from the page buffer circuit via the global bit line.Type: GrantFiled: February 18, 2014Date of Patent: July 7, 2015Assignee: POWERCHIP TECHNOLOGY CORP.Inventors: Akitomo Nakayama, Hideki Arakawa
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Patent number: 9070462Abstract: A memory element has a layered structure, including a memory layer that has magnetization perpendicular to a film face in which a magnetization direction is changed depending on information, and includes a Co—Fe—B magnetic layer, the magnetization direction being changed by applying a current in a lamination direction of the layered structure to record the information in the memory layer, a magnetization-fixed layer having magnetization perpendicular to a film face that becomes a base of the information stored in the memory layer, and an intermediate layer that is formed of a non-magnetic material and is provided between the memory layer and the magnetization-fixed layer, a first oxide layer and a second oxide layer.Type: GrantFiled: February 20, 2014Date of Patent: June 30, 2015Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Kazutaka Yamane, Masanori Hosomi, Hiroyuki Ohmori, Kazuhiro Bessho, Yutaka Higo, Tetsuya Asayama, Hiroyuki Uchida
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Patent number: 9053769Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a memory array including memory cells, page buffers suitable for reading data from the memory cells, cache latch circuits suitable for latching read data from the page buffers, and transmitting latched data to data lines in response to a column selection signal, a column selector suitable for outputting the column selection signal to the cache latch circuits through column selection lines in response to a column address, and sense amplifiers suitable for outputting transmitted data of the data lines by sensing voltages of the data lines, in which the cache latch circuits are connected to the column selector and the sense amplifiers through the column selection lines and the data lines, respectively, and have inverse relationship between the column selection lines and the data lines in length.Type: GrantFiled: January 22, 2014Date of Patent: June 9, 2015Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.Inventor: Sang Oh Lim
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Patent number: 9053765Abstract: A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array having multiple blocks each with a plurality of memory strings. Each memory string has multiple memory cells connected in series between first and second selection transistors. The device further includes a row decoder, a block decoder, first and second signal line groups, and a switch circuit. The row decoder has transfer transistors through which voltages are supplied to the selection transistors. The block decoder supplies a selection signal that indicates whether the first group or the second group has been selected. The first and second signal line groups are connected to the selection transistors of the memory strings that are in the respective first and second memory blocks of the first and second groups. The switch circuit connects the first and second signal line groups to the respective first and second memory blocks of the selected group.Type: GrantFiled: March 4, 2013Date of Patent: June 9, 2015Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha ToshibaInventor: Gou Fukano
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Patent number: 9036418Abstract: A read voltage generation circuit includes a register unit configured to store an initial read voltage code, a counter circuit configured to change a read voltage code in every read-retry operation, wherein an initial value of the read voltage code is the initial read voltage code; and a voltage generation circuit configured to generate a read voltage corresponding to a read voltage code produced by the counter circuit.Type: GrantFiled: January 18, 2013Date of Patent: May 19, 2015Assignee: SK hynix Inc.Inventor: Seung-Min Oh
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Patent number: 9030897Abstract: A memory may comprise a first bank configured to include first to Nth word lines and first to Mth redundancy word lines to replace M number of word lines among the first to Nth word lines, a second bank configured to include first to Nth word lines and first to Mth redundancy word lines to replace M number of word lines among the first to Nth word lines, and a control circuit configured to activate, in the case where a word line corresponding to an inputted address among the first to Nth word lines in a bank selected between the first bank and the second bank is replaced with a Kth (1?K?M) redundancy word line among the first to Mth redundancy word lines during an operation in a first mode, at least one adjacent word line adjacent to the Kth redundancy word line of the selected bank.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2013Date of Patent: May 12, 2015Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.Inventor: Choung-Ki Song
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Patent number: 9025375Abstract: Technology is described that supports reduced program disturb of nonvolatile memory. A three/two dimensional NAND array includes a plurality of pages, which are divided into a plurality of page groups. Access is allowed to memory cells within a first page group of a plurality of page groups in an erase block of the three dimensional NAND array, while access is minimized to memory cells within a second page group of the plurality of page groups in the erase block of the three/two dimensional NAND array. Pages in the same page group are physically nonadjacent with each other in the three/two dimensional NAND array.Type: GrantFiled: October 22, 2013Date of Patent: May 5, 2015Assignee: Macronix International Co., Ltd.Inventors: Yu-Ming Chang, Yung-Chun Li, Hsing-Chen Lu, Hsiang-Pang Li, Cheng-Yuan Wang, Yuan-Hao Chang, Tei-Wei Kuo
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Patent number: 9025388Abstract: This disclosure concerns memory kink compensation. One method embodiment includes applying a number of sequentially incrementing programming pulses to a memory cell, with the sequential programming pulses incrementing by a first programming pulse step voltage magnitude. A seeding voltage is applied after applying the number of sequentially incrementing programming pulses. A next programming pulse is applied after applying the seeding voltage, with the next programming pulse being adjusted relative to a preceding one of the sequentially incrementing programming pulses by a second programming pulse step voltage magnitude. The second programming pulse step voltage magnitude can be less than the first programming pulse step voltage magnitude.Type: GrantFiled: October 3, 2013Date of Patent: May 5, 2015Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.Inventors: Violante Moschiano, Frankie Roohparvar, Giovanni Santin, Vishal Sarin, Allahyar Vahidimowlavi, Tommaso Vali
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Patent number: 9025397Abstract: A data write circuit of a semiconductor apparatus includes a data path configured to receive a pattern signal and generate a first delayed pattern signal; a data strobe signal path configured to receive the pattern signal and generate a second delayed pattern signal; a data latch block configured to latch the first delayed pattern signal in response to the second delayed pattern signal, and output a resultant signal; and a control block configured to generate the pattern signal, and vary a delay time of the data path according to a result of comparing phases of a latched signal of the data latch block and the pattern signal.Type: GrantFiled: March 18, 2013Date of Patent: May 5, 2015Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.Inventor: Jae Il Kim
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Patent number: 9025410Abstract: A semiconductor memory device may be effectively evaluated by a test that compares the phase of an internally generated control signal with the phase of an internally generated clock signal. Specifically, if the phase of the internal data strobe signal IDQS is synchronized with the phase of the internal clock signal ICLK through the test, the data strobe signal DQS may also be synchronized with the external clock signal CLK. Thus, the test may prevent certain critical parameters, for example, AC parameter tDQSCK, from being out of an allowable range over PVT (process, voltage, and temperature variation). The test helps ensure that the semiconductor memory device will operate properly in read mode.Type: GrantFiled: March 18, 2013Date of Patent: May 5, 2015Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.Inventor: Shin Ho Chu
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Patent number: 9019746Abstract: A resistive memory device includes a plurality of memory cells, each of which is configured to store a normal data, a first reference data corresponding to a first resistance state and a second reference data corresponding to a second resistance state, a data copy unit configured to temporarily store the normal data read from a selected memory cell and generate a copied cell current based on the stored normal data, a mirroring block configured to temporarily store the first and second reference data read from the selected memory cell, and to generate a first reference current and a second reference current based on the stored first and second reference data, respectively, and a sensing unit configured to sense the stored normal data based on the copied cell current and the first reference current and the second reference current.Type: GrantFiled: March 16, 2013Date of Patent: April 28, 2015Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.Inventors: Hyuck-Sang Yim, Taek Sang Song
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Patent number: 9019764Abstract: A low-current FN channel for Erase, Program, Program-Inhibit and Read operations is disclosed for any non-volatile memory using FN-tunneling scheme for program and erase operation, regardless NAND, NOR, and EEPROM and regardless PMOS or NMOS non-volatile cell type. As a result, all above NMV memories can use the disclosed LV, compact PGM buffer to replace the traditional HV PGM buffer for saving in the silicon area and power consumption. The page buffer is used to store new loaded data for new writing and to convert the stored data into the required BL HV voltage for either Erase or Program operations according to the stored data. In addition, the simpler on-chip State-machine design can be achieved with the superior quality of NVMs of this disclosure.Type: GrantFiled: November 19, 2012Date of Patent: April 28, 2015Assignee: Aplus Flash Technology, Inc.Inventors: Peter Wung Lee, Hsing-Ya Tsao