Patents Examined by Gene N. Auduong
  • Patent number: 10635394
    Abstract: A circuit and method for performing a Binary-to-Gray conversion are disclosed. A first binary signal represents a target value and a second binary signal is stored in a register. A set of binary candidate values are determined where the respective Gray equivalent of each binary candidate value has a Hamming distance of one from the Gray equivalent of the second binary value. One of the binary candidate values is selected as a function of the first binary signal and the second binary signal. The selected binary candidate value is provided at input to the register. An encoded signal is generated by determining the Gray encoded equivalent of the selected binary candidate value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Salvatore Marco Rosselli, Giuseppe Guarnaccia
  • Patent number: 10636501
    Abstract: Techniques are described for reducing program disturb including neighbor word interference in a memory device. Voltages applied to the word lines adjacent to the selected word line WLn during program and read operations are adjusted. The adjacent word lines include WLn?1, a source-side adjacent word line of WLn, and WLn+1, a drain side adjacent word line of WLn. In one aspect, VWLn?1<VWLn+1 during the verify tests of the program operation for the data states above the lowest programmed data state and VWLn?1=VWLn+1 during the verify test for the lowest programmed data state. Also, VWLn?1<VWLn+1 during a read operation which distinguishes between the programmed data states and VWLn?1=VWLn+1 during a read operation which distinguishes between erased state and the lowest programmed data state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Han-Ping Chen, Ching-Huang Lu, Vinh Diep, Changyuan Chen
  • Patent number: 10636475
    Abstract: A memory device including: a memory cell array; a first data input/output pin through which a first signal is input or output, wherein the first signal includes first bits to be written in the memory cell array or output from the memory cell array; a second data input/output pin through which a second signal is input or output, wherein the second signal includes second bits to be written in the memory cell array or output from the memory cell array; a first receiver configured to receive first operation codes for the first signal through the first data input/output pin; a second receiver configured to receive second operation codes for the second signal through the second data input/output pin; a first mode register configured to store the first operation codes; and a second mode register configured to store the second operation codes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: In-Woo Jun
  • Patent number: 10636498
    Abstract: A non-volatile memory system comprises a plurality of word lines, a plurality of bit lines, non-volatile memory cells, and a sensing circuit. The sensing circuit is configured to sense a first set of the memory cells coupled to a contiguous set of the bit lines and a selected word line using a first bit line settling time. The sensing circuit is configured to sense a second set of the memory cells coupled to a non-contiguous set of the bit lines and the selected word line using a second bit line settling time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Yu-Chung Lien, Xiang Yang, Zhenming Zhou, Deepanshu Dutta
  • Patent number: 10622060
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, there is provided an integrated circuit. The integrated circuit includes a plurality of SRAMs including a first SRAM and a second SRAM, and a switching unit that enables switching between an electrically connected state where a first circuit portion on a source side of the first SRAM is electrically connected with a second circuit portion on a source side of the second SRAM and an electrically disconnected state where the first circuit portion is electrically disconnected from the second circuit portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation
    Inventor: Toshikazu Fukuda
  • Patent number: 10622054
    Abstract: A method and a related DRAM controller for refreshing a DRAM with an external multi-row, multi-bank refresh function based on optimized command sequences involves determining, at initialization time of the DRAM, inter-operation timing parameters for the external multi-row, multi-bank refresh function, determining optimized timing parameters for row-level activation (ACT) and pre-charge (PRE) commands, and applying the optimized timing parameters for the row-level ACT and PRE commands for refreshing the DRAM with the external multi-row multi-bank refresh function. The auto-refresh function of an SDRAM is replaced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: TU KAISERSLAUTERN
    Inventors: Deepak Molly Mathew, Matthias Jung, Christian Weis, Norbert Wehn
  • Patent number: 10614889
    Abstract: An erase voltage is applied to channels of a selected string group to erase only the selected string group. A size and a number of the spare blocks for storing meta data are reduced and thus a size of the nonvolatile memory device is reduced by reducing unit capacity of the erase operation through grouping of the cell strings. Lifetime of the nonvolatile memory device is extended by having control over erasing some cell strings and not others. Control of cell strings for erasure includes allowing some control lines to float, in some embodiments. In some embodiments, ground select transistors with different thresholds and appropriately applied voltages are used to control erasure of particular cell strings. In some embodiments, biasing of word lines is applied differently to portions of a particular cell string to only erase a portion of the particular cell string.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kui-Han Ko, Jin-Young Kim, Bong-Soon Lim, Il-Han Park
  • Patent number: 10607659
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods, systems and devices for operation of memory device. In one aspect, volatile memory bitcells and non-volatile memory bitcells may be integrated to facilitate copying of memory states between the volatile and non-volatile memory bitcells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Arm Limited
    Inventors: Mudit Bhargava, Shidhartha Das, George McNeil Lattimore, Brian Tracy Cline
  • Patent number: 10599562
    Abstract: A nonvolatile memory device includes multiple memory blocks. A first memory block stores first data. A reference memory block stores an indicator indicating the first memory block as an indication in response to a first direct access command received from the outside. A first physical area of the first memory block is accessed according to a page address received from the outside together with the first direct access command, and the indication of the indicator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Ohchul Kwon
  • Patent number: 10600463
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a magnetic device includes a first memory cell including a magnetoresistive effect element and a selector, the selector including titanium (Ti), germanium (Ge) and tellurium (Te).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Junya Matsunami
  • Patent number: 10600485
    Abstract: A memory system includes a semiconductor memory device having memory cells arranged in rows and columns, and a controller configured to issue a write command with or without a partial page program command to the semiconductor memory device. The semiconductor memory device, in response to the write command issued without the partial page command, executes a first program operation on a page of memory cells and then a first verify operation on the memory cells of the page using a first verify voltage for all of the memory cells of the page, and in response to the write command issued with the partial page command, executes a second program operation on a subset of the memory cells of the page and then a second verify operation on the memory cells of the subset using one of several different second verify voltages corresponding to the subset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masanobu Shirakawa, Kenta Yasufuku, Akira Yamaga
  • Patent number: 10586600
    Abstract: Discussed herein are systems and methods for protecting against transistor degradation in a high-voltage (HV) shifter to transfer an input voltage to an access line, such as a global wordline. An embodiment of a memory device comprises memory cells and a HV shifter circuit that includes a signal transfer circuit, and first and second HV control circuits. The signal transfer circuit includes a P-channel transistor to transfer a high-voltage input to an access line. The first HV control circuit couples a bias voltage to the P-channel transistor for a first time period, and the second HV control circuit couples a stress-relief signal to the P-channel transistor for a second time period, after the first time period, to reduce degradation of the P-channel transistor. The transferred high voltage can be used to charge the access line to selectively read, program, or erase memory cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Shigekazu Yamada
  • Patent number: 10586832
    Abstract: An One-Time Programmable (OTP) memory is built in at least one of nano-wire structures. The OTP memory has a plurality of OTP cells. At least one of the OTP cells can have at least one resistive element and at least one nano-wires. The at least one resistive element can be built by an extended source/drain or a MOS gate. The at least one nano-wires can be built on a common well or on an isolated structure that has at least one MOS gate dividing nano-wires into at least one first active region and a second active region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: Attopsemi Technology Co., LTD
    Inventor: Shine C. Chung
  • Patent number: 10580489
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods, systems and devices for operation of memory device. In one aspect, a bitcell may represent a binary value, symbol, parameter or condition based on complementary impedance states of first and second memory elements. In one aspect, a first bitline and a second bitline may be coupled to terminals of the first and second memory elements. A circuit may detect the complementary impedance states responsive to a difference in a rates of charging of the first and second bitlines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: ARM Ltd.
    Inventors: Shidhartha Das, Glen Arnold Rosendale
  • Patent number: 10580505
    Abstract: An erasing method used in a flash memory having memory blocks is illustrated, each of the memory blocks is divided into a plurality of memory sectors, and steps of the erasing method is illustrated as follows. An erasing and verifying process is performed sequentially on the memory blocks or the memory sectors of the memory block according to a memory sector enable signal. An over-erased correcting and verifying process is performed sequentially on the memory blocks or the memory sectors of the memory block according to the memory sector enable signal, wherein the memory sector enable signal is set to be asserted if an over-erased correction is performed on at least one of the memory blocks or at least one of the memory sectors of the memory block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: ELITE SEMICONDUCTOR MEMORY TECHNOLOGY INC.
    Inventor: Chih-Hao Chen
  • Patent number: 10580486
    Abstract: A method of operating a memory device to read data may include determining, in a first read interval associated with a first read operation, a threshold voltage distribution of a most significant program state of a target logical memory page included in a first physical memory page among a plurality of physical memory pages, the first read operation being an operation of reading the target logical memory page of the first physical memory page; transmitting, to a memory controller, a distribution determination result, the distribution determination result being related to the threshold voltage distribution; receiving, from the memory controller, offset levels corrected based on the distribution determination result; and adjusting a read voltage based on offset levels prior to performing a second read operation on a second physical memory page among the plurality of physical memory pages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ji-su Kim, Dae-seok Byeon
  • Patent number: 10573397
    Abstract: On a non-volatile memory circuit, peripheral circuitry generates programming voltages based on parameter values. If parameter values are incorrectly translated into programming voltages, data may be over-programmed, resulting in high bit error rates (BERs). The memory system can monitor the error rates using memory cell voltage distributions for different portions of the memory and look for signatures of such incorrect implementation. For example, by monitoring the BER along word lines that are most prone to error due to incorrectly implemented programming parameters, the memory system can determine if the programming parameters for the corresponding portion of a memory device indicate such anomalous behavior. If such a signature is found, the memory system checks to see whether the programming parameters should be adjusted, such as by comparing the programming parameters used on one die to programming parameters used on another die of the memory system, and adjust the programming parameters accordingly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Rohit Sehgal, Sahil Sharma, Philip Reusswig, Nian Niles Yang
  • Patent number: 10566060
    Abstract: A memory device is provided and includes a status register, a memory array, a memory controller, an interface control circuit, and a write control logic circuit. The status register stores a plurality of status bits and a first threshold. The interface control circuit is controlled by the memory controller to perform a data program/erase operation on the memory array and re-program/re-erase the memory array in a retry mode when the data program/erase operation is not complete. The write control logic circuit counts the number of times the memory array is re-programmed/re-erased in the retry mode to generate a retry counting value, compares the retry counting value with the first threshold to generate a result signal. The status register updates a result bit included in the status bits according to the result signal. The memory controller determines whether the data program/erase operation is successful according to the result bit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: Winbond Electronics Corp.
    Inventor: Jun-Lin Yeh
  • Patent number: 10559342
    Abstract: A dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and an operation method thereof are provided. The DRAM includes a temperature sensor, a dynamic memory cell array, a control circuit, a plurality of power supply circuits and a power control circuit. The temperature sensor senses an operating temperature of the DRAM. The control circuit is coupled to a dynamic memory cell array, and accesses and manages the dynamic memory cell array. The power supply circuits powers the dynamic memory cell array and the control circuit. The power control circuit controls power outputs of the power supply circuits. When the DRAM enters the self-refresh mode, the power control circuit selectively switches between a low power control state and a normal power control state according to the operating temperature of the DRAM.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: Windbond Electronics Corp.
    Inventors: Shinya Fujioka, Hitoshi Ikeda
  • Patent number: 10551367
    Abstract: A first wellhead fluid sample is collected from a petroleum well. Multiple geochemical water analysis (GWA) tests are preformed to form GWA water analysis data. The GWA tests determine physical properties of, and one or more geochemical water element (GWE) concentration values associated with, the first wellhead fluid sample. Correlation data associated with the GWA water analysis data is determined. A second wellhead fluid sample is collected from the petroleum well and only a water conductivity analysis is performed on the second wellhead fluid sample to determine water conductivity data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Ibrahim Mohamed El-Zefzafy, Mohammed Hassan Al Hanabi