Patents Examined by Harry W Byrne
  • Patent number: 10854634
    Abstract: A memory structure, includes active columns of polysilicon formed above a semiconductor substrate, each active column includes one or more vertical NOR strings, with each NOR string having thin-film storage transistors sharing a local source line and a local bit line, the local bit line is connected by one segment of a segmented global bit line to a sense amplifier provided in the semiconductor substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: SUNRISE MEMORY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Eli Harari, Tianhong Yan
  • Patent number: 10854279
    Abstract: A SRAM array is provided, including a first bit cell array and a second bit cell array arranged along a first direction; a strap cell arranged in a second direction and positioned between the first bit cell array and the second bit cell array along the first direction. The strap cell includes a first strap column, a second strap column, a doped P-type region, a doped N-type region, and a deep N-type well region. The first strap column includes a first P-type well region and two first N-type well regions adjacent opposite sides of the first P-type well region along the first direction. The second strap column is adjacent to the first strap column along the second direction. The second strap column includes a second N-type well region and two second P-type well regions adjacent opposite sides of the second N-type well region along the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Chia-Hao Pao, Kian-Long Lim, Feng-Ming Chang, Lien-Jung Hung
  • Patent number: 10854261
    Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods for improving the performance of magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM). MRAM is one of the promising potential replacements for existing DRAM and SRAM memory devices due to the many advantages of the technology which include non-volatility, fast read and write speeds, improved read and write endurance, and low operating voltage. In one embodiment, the processing rates or other activity of circuits nearby an MRAM cell subject to write operations can be increased to increase the temperature of the MRAM cell. The increased temperature lowers the write field required during a write operation, which in turn lowers the power requirement and the switching time of the MRAM cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: Vathys, Inc.
    Inventor: Tapabrata Ghosh
  • Patent number: 10847717
    Abstract: A memory device including a template layer is disclosed. The memory device also includes a memory layer connected to the template layer, where the memory layer has a variable resistance, and where the crystalline structure of the memory layer matches the crystalline structure of the template layer. The memory device also includes a conductive top electrode on the memory layer, where the top electrode and the memory layer cooperatively form a heterojunction memory structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: 4DS MEMORY, LIMITED
    Inventor: Seshubabu Desu
  • Patent number: 10839873
    Abstract: Methods, apparatuses, and systems related to a memory device are described. The memory device may include a sense amplifier that is configured to simultaneously precharge sensing nodes therein and compensate for threshold voltage mismatches between any transistors therein. The sense amplifier may be configured to charge gut nodes therein without connecting to a separate precharging voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Kyuseok Lee
  • Patent number: 10839932
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes: a non-volatile memory including a normal region, a self-repair region and a redundancy region, each having a plurality of cells; a first boot-up control block suitable for controlling a first boot-up operation to detect defective cells of the normal region and store a defective address in a first latch unit; a self-program control block suitable for controlling a self-program operation to program the defective address stored in the first latch unit into the self-repair region; and a second boot-up control block suitable for controlling a second boot-up operation to read out data of the normal region based on an input address while reading out data of the redundancy region instead of the data of the normal region when data of the self-repair region coincides with the input address.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Young-Bo Shim
  • Patent number: 10839919
    Abstract: A memory system includes a semiconductor memory device including a memory block; and a scrambler and ECC block configured to generate program data using data received from a host, generate one or more data sets using the program data and page information data, and output the one or more data sets, during a write operation; and a memory controller configured to output the one or more data sets to the semiconductor memory device and to control the semiconductor memory device, wherein the semiconductor memory device is configured to read the page information data stored in each of the plurality of pages and detect, from among the plurality of pages, an erased page or a program-interrupted page in which a sudden power-off (SPO) has occurred during a boot operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Byoung Sung You
  • Patent number: 10831678
    Abstract: Storage of data in a cache system is controlled by a cache monitor. A cache line is filled in response to a memory instruction from a cache client. The cache monitor includes a predictor table and update logic. An entry in the predictor table comprises an instruction identifier that associates the entry with a memory instruction and, for each cache in the system, a reuse counter. The update logic is configured to update a reuse counter table dependent upon cache behavior in response to memory instructions. Storage of data a first data address in cache in response to a memory instruction having a first instruction identifier, is dependent upon reuse counter values in an entry of the predictor table associated with first instruction identifier. Reuse counters are updated dependent upon cache behavior. A Bloom filter or other data structure may be used to associate data addresses with a memory instruction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Arm Limited
    Inventors: Jiajun Wang, Prakash S. Ramrakhyani, Wei Wang, Wendy Arnott Elsasser
  • Patent number: 10832787
    Abstract: Integrated circuits with memory interface circuitry may be provided. Prior to calibration, a number of samples may be determined by computing probability density function curves as a function of timing window edge asymmetry for different degrees of oversampling. During calibration, duty cycle distortion in data strobe signals may be corrected by selectively delaying the data strobe rising or falling edges. A data clock signal that is used for generating data signals may also suffer from duty cycle distortion. The rising and falling edges of the data clock signal may be selectively delayed to correct for duty cycle distortion. The data path through which the data signals are routed may be adjusted to equalize rising and falling transitions to minimize data path duty cycle distortion. Multi-rank calibration may be performed by calibrating to an intersection of successful settings that allow each memory rank to pass memory operation tests.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Altera Corporation
    Inventors: Ryan Fung, Valavan Manohararajah
  • Patent number: 10833103
    Abstract: A semiconductor memory device includes: a substrate; a plurality of first semiconductor portions arranged in a first direction intersecting a surface of the substrate; a first gate electrode extending in the first direction, the first gate electrode facing the plurality of first semiconductor portions from a second direction intersecting the first direction; a first insulating portion provided between the first semiconductor portions and the first gate electrode; a first wiring separated from the first gate electrode in the first direction; a second semiconductor portion connected to one end in the first direction of the first gate electrode and to the first wiring; a second gate electrode facing the second semiconductor portion; and a second insulating portion provided between the second semiconductor portion and the second gate electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Haruka Sakuma, Hidenori Miyagawa, Shosuke Fujii, Kiwamu Sakuma, Fumitaka Arai
  • Patent number: 10832764
    Abstract: A memory is provided that includes a current mirror that controls the amount of current conducted by a head-switch transistor for a memory power supply rail during a core-power-lowering write assist period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
    Inventors: Adithya Bhaskaran, Mukund Narasimhan, Shiba Narayan Mohanty
  • Patent number: 10825503
    Abstract: A memory device includes memory banks that each has multiple rows with row addresses. The memory device also includes a counter that stores and increments a first row address of a first row of a first set of memory banks to a second row address of a second row of the first set of memory banks in response to a first refresh operation when the memory device is operating in a first mode. The memory device further includes circuitry that blocks incrementing the second row address to a third row address of a third row of the first set of memory banks when the memory device transitions from the first mode to a second mode and the first refresh operation is not paired with a second refresh operation that is performed when the memory device is operating in the first mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Joosang Lee
  • Patent number: 10825520
    Abstract: Semiconductor memory having both volatile and non-volatile modes and methods of operation. A semiconductor storage device includes a plurality of memory cells each having a floating body for storing, reading and writing data as volatile memory. The device includes a floating gate or trapping layer for storing data as non-volatile memory, the device operating as volatile memory when power is applied to the device, and the device storing data from the volatile memory as non-volatile memory when power to the device is interrupted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: Zeno Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventor: Yuniarto Widjaja
  • Patent number: 10825515
    Abstract: A resistance variable memory device may include a plurality of tiles in which memory cells are arranged. The first to third level of the word lines may be sequentially stacked on the plurality of tile regions with the decoding circuits along rows of the tile regions. A first level of the bit lines may be interposed between the first level of the word lines and the second level of the word lines. A first level of the bit lines may be extended along columns of the tile regions. The second level of the bit lines may be interposed between the second level of the word lines and the third level of the word lines. The second level of the bit lines may be extended along the columns of the tile regions. The first and third levels of the word lines at a selected row of a selected tile region among the tile regions and the second level of the bit lines at a selected column of the selected tile region may be controlled by a decoding circuit of the selected tile region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Dong Keun Kim
  • Patent number: 10817442
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes apparatuses and methods for in data path compute operations. An example apparatus includes an array of memory cells. Sensing circuitry is selectably coupled to the array. A plurality of shared input/output (I/O) lines provides a data path. The plurality of shared I/O lines selectably couples a first subrow of a row of the array via the sensing circuitry to a first compute component in the data path to move a first data value from the first subrow to the first compute component and a second subrow of the respective row via the sensing circuitry to a second compute component to move a second data value from the second subrow to the second compute component. An operation is performed on the first data value from the first subrow using the first compute component substantially simultaneously with movement of the second data value from the second subrow to the second compute component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Perry V. Lea
  • Patent number: 10820199
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates generally to systems, methods and tools for coordinating the activities of a contractor and a user during a setup process of a building control system. In some instances, an application program for a mobile device may provide contractors and users with different user experiences when configuring a building device, where the contractor is provided with additional features and functionality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Ademco Inc.
    Inventors: Riley Gerszewski, Preston Gilmer, David Quam, George Mcleod, Sriharsha Putrevu
  • Patent number: 10818376
    Abstract: A testing method for a semiconductor memory includes determining which memory blocks are defective based on the number of defective cells in the block. The method includes determining whether the number of defective blocks exceeds a first threshold value and judging the semiconductor memory to be defective if the number of defective blocks is equal to or greater than the first threshold value. The method also includes comparing the number of defective blocks with a second threshold value equal to or less than the first threshold value and repeating the process of measuring and judging of the memory cells and memory blocks until the number of defective blocks is at least equal to the second threshold value, and then managing access to the defective blocks in a different manner from accesses to other blocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: LAPIS SEMICONDUCTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Toshiharu Okada
  • Patent number: 10818338
    Abstract: Provided herein are memory devices, systems including memory devices, and methods of operating memory devices in which multiple counters are provided to permit memory refresh commands greater freedom in targeting subsets of the memory device for data refresh operations. In one embodiment, a memory device is provided, comprising a plurality of memory banks, and circuitry configured to (i) store a plurality of values, each of the plurality of values corresponding to one of the plurality of memory banks; (ii) refresh first data stored in a first one of the plurality of memory banks; and (iii) update a first one of the plurality of values corresponding to the first one of the plurality of memory banks based at least in part on refreshing the first data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: George B. Raad, Jonathan S. Parry, James S. Rehmeyer, Timothy B. Cowles
  • Patent number: 10811063
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes an information signal generation circuit configured to store the register information depending on an input control signal generated based on the mode register read command, and output the stored register information depending on an output control signal generated based on the mode register read command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Woongrae Kim
  • Patent number: 10812285
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates generally to systems, methods and tools for coordinating the activities of a contractor and a user during a setup process of a building control system. In some instances, a contractor may install a building device and then partially configure the building device. The contractor may then send an invite, such as an electronic invite, to a customer that invites the customer to complete the configuration of the installed building device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: Ademco Inc.
    Inventors: Riley Gerszewski, David Quam, George Mcleod, Sriharsha Putrevu, Preston Gilmer