Patents Examined by J. H. Hur
  • Patent number: 11972812
    Abstract: A memory system identifies memory cells connected to a common word line that have had their threshold voltage unintentionally drift lower than programmed by determining whether memory cells meet two criteria: (1) the memory cells have threshold voltages within an offset of a read compare voltage of a data state; and (2) adjacent memory cells (connected to word lines that are adjacent to the common word line) are in one or more low data states. For those memory cells meeting the two criteria, the memory system performs some amount of programming on the memory cells to refresh the data stored in those memory cells to be as originally intended.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Yi Song, Jiahui Yuan, Jun Wan, Deepanshu Dutta
  • Patent number: 11972788
    Abstract: Apparatuses, systems, and methods for controller directed targeted refresh operations. A memory may be coupled to a controller. The memory may identify aggressor addresses based on sampled addresses. The addresses may be sampled based on internal timing logic of the memory and also based on a sampling command received from the controller. The memory may also receive a controller identified aggressor address from the controller. The memory may refresh one or more victim word lines of the identified (either by the memory or the controller) aggressor addresses as part of a targeted refresh operation. Victims of controller identified aggressor addresses may be refreshed before memory identified aggressor addresses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Nathaniel J. Meier, Michael A. Shore
  • Patent number: 11961555
    Abstract: A resistive memory device includes a first bit line group including a first edge bit line, a second bit line group including a second edge bit line, and a first boundary transistor configured to apply a non-selection voltage to the second edge bit line according to a selection of the first edge bit line. The first edge bit line of the first bit line group is disposed closest to the second bit line group, and the second edge bit line of the second bit line group is disposed closest to the first bit line group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Makoto Hirano
  • Patent number: 11961558
    Abstract: An integrated circuit (IC) device includes a non-volatile memory device with an array of non-volatile memory cells, and an isolation circuit configured to conduct voltage from an internal voltage supply to one of the memory cells during a hidden write operation to the one of the memory cells, and conduct voltage from an external voltage supply to the one of the memory cells during a non-hidden write operation to the one of the memory cells. Current at the external voltage supply can be monitored external to the IC device during the non-hidden write operation, and current of the internal voltage supply is provided by a capacitor that cannot be monitored external to the IC device during the hidden write operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: NXP USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Tahmina Akhter, Gilles Joseph Maurice Muller
  • Patent number: 11935591
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a memory device includes a first wiring line, a second wiring line, a memory cell connected between the first and second wiring lines, including a resistance change memory element having first and second resistance states, and a two-terminal switching element connected in series to the resistance change memory element, and a voltage application circuit which applies a write voltage signal having a first polarity and setting a desired resistance state to the resistance change memory element, to the memory cell, and applies, after the write voltage signal is applied to the memory cell, a second polarity voltage signal having a magnitude that prevents the two-terminal switching element from being set to the on-state, to the memory cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Kioxia Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Takahashi, Hiroshi Ito, Ryousuke Takizawa
  • Patent number: 11923028
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for tracking read reference voltages used for reading data in a non-volatile storage device. A method may comprise collecting pre-decoding state information for a read reference voltage by reading data stored in a non-volatile storage device using the read reference voltage, collecting post-decoding state information for the read reference voltage after decoding the data, generating a comparison of probability of state errors for the read reference voltage based on the pre-decoding state information and post-decoding state information, obtaining an adjustment amount to the read reference voltage based on the comparison of probability of state errors; and adjusting the read reference voltage by applying the adjustment amount to the read reference voltage to obtain an adjusted read reference voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Inventors: Chenrong Xiong, Jie Chen
  • Patent number: 11923043
    Abstract: A memory includes: a clock generation circuit, configured to generate a first oscillation signal and a second oscillation signal. The first oscillation signal and the second oscillation signal have a same frequency but opposite phases, and a duty cycle of the first oscillation signal and a duty cycle of the second oscillation signal are both within a first preset range. The memory further includes a differential input circuit, which is configured to receive a first external signal and a second external signal, and generate a first internal signal and a second internal signal. The clock generation circuit is configured to monitor the duty cycle of the first internal signal or the duty cycle of the second internal signal, and enable the duty cycle of the first internal signal or the duty cycle of the second internal signal to be within a second preset range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: CHANGXIN MEMORY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Kai Tian, Yuxia Wang
  • Patent number: 11887687
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for read operations for a memory array and register are described. In some examples, a memory device may include one or more memory arrays and one or more registers (e.g., one or more mode registers). The memory device may include circuitry that allows for a command to access a memory array and a command to access a register to be received consecutively (e.g., during consecutive sets of clock cycles). Because the commands may be received during consecutive sets of clock cycles, the corresponding data may also be output from the memory array and register during consecutive clock cycles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Vijayakrishna J. Vankayala
  • Patent number: 11881243
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a memory cell array including a plurality of memory cells coupled between a multiplicity of word lines and one or more bit lines; and an operation circuit configured to perform a multiplication and accumulation (MAC) operation with one or more first multi-bit data provided from the one or more bit lines and one or more second multi-bit data, wherein a plurality of memory cells coupled to a bit line store a plurality of bits included in a corresponding one of the one or more first multi-bit data, and wherein the memory cell array sequentially provides the plurality of bits included in the corresponding first multi-bit data to the operation circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignees: SK hynix Inc., Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
    Inventors: Kyunghyun Kim, Jino Seo, Hyukjin Lee, SeongHwan Cho
  • Patent number: 11869572
    Abstract: Various implementations described herein are directed to device having a memory array that operates with an applied core voltage. The device includes a power gating switch that receives a core supply voltage and provides the applied core voltage to the memory array. The device includes a biasing stage that selectively activates the power gating switch based on sensing a changing voltage level of the applied core voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Arm Limited
    Inventor: Prashant Dubey
  • Patent number: 11854645
    Abstract: A memory system and storage device are provided, including: an auxiliary power device having at least one capacitor, wherein the at least one capacitor has a first path for leakage current; a charging circuit including a switch connected to the auxiliary power device; and a state determining circuit connected to the auxiliary power device, wherein the state determining circuit includes a path circuit connected in parallel with the at least one capacitor to form a second path having at least one of a resistance lower than a resistance of the first path or a current source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Woosung Lee, Chunghyun Ryu, Hyoungtaek Lim
  • Patent number: 11854592
    Abstract: A control circuit is configured to connect to a cross-point memory array in which each conductive line, such as a bit line or word line, is connected to a transistor pair comprising a pMOSFET in parallel with an nMOSFET. When selecting a memory cell to be read, a voltage of a first conductive line may be pulled up using the pMOSFET in a conductive state while the nMOSFET is in a non-conductive state. Further, when reading the selected memory cell, the parallel nMOSFET of the first conductive line may be in a conductive state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Ward Parkinson, James O'Toole, Nathan Franklin, Thomas Trent
  • Patent number: 11854591
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a nonvolatile memory device that includes one or more memory sectors and a read circuit for sensing the resistance state of a magnetic memory cell in the memory sectors. The read circuit includes first and second input nodes; a sense amplifier having first and second input terminals; a reference resistor connected to the first input node at one end and the first input terminal at the other end; a multiplexer having a first input, a second input, and an output, with the first input being connected to the second input node and the output being connected to the second input terminal; a first target resistor and an offset resistor connected in series between the second input node and the second input; and first and second current sources connected to the first and second input terminals, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Avalanche Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Thinh Tran, Ebrahim Abedifard
  • Patent number: 11842758
    Abstract: According to an aspect there is provided a memory cell. The memory cell comprises: a first and a second electrode; a spin-orbit-torque, SOT, layer comprising a first and a second electrode contact portion arranged in contact with the first and the second electrode, respectively, and an intermediate portion between the first and second electrode contact portions; a first magnetic tunnel junction, MTJ, layer stack arranged in contact with the intermediate portion; and a second MTJ layer stack arranged in contact with the second electrode contact portion and directly above the second electrode. A memory device comprising such a memory cell and a method for writing to such a memory cell are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignees: IMEC VZW, KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN
    Inventors: Mohit Gupta, Kevin Garello, Manu Komalan Perumkunnil
  • Patent number: 11838020
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a first circuit having a first power gating structure, a second circuit, and a third circuit having a second power gating structure that is different from the first power gating structure, and suitable for isolating the second circuit from the first circuit during a particular period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventors: Woongrae Kim, Yoo-Jong Lee, A-Ram Rim
  • Patent number: 11817143
    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: October 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Inventor: Joosang Lee
  • Patent number: 11810642
    Abstract: A memory device includes: a memory cell array; a first latch; a second latch; a first circuit; and a second circuit. The memory cell array includes first, second, and third columns associated with first, second, and third addresses, respectively. The first latch stores the first address and is associated with a fourth address. The second latch stores the second address and is associated with a fifth address. The fourth address and the fifth address are in an ascending order. The first circuit selects the third column in place of the first column based on the first address. The second circuit determines whether or not the first address and the second address are in an ascending order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: Kioxia Corporation
    Inventor: Osamu Nagao
  • Patent number: 11809721
    Abstract: A method includes determining, by a first component of a memory sub-system controller, a first temperature value of the memory subsystem controller. The method can further include determining, by a second component of a non-volatile memory device, a second temperature value of the non-volatile memory device coupled to the memory sub-system controller. The method can further include modifying a data parameter in response to at least one of the first temperature value or the second temperature value exceeding a threshold temperature value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Jacob Sloat
  • Patent number: 11798621
    Abstract: A resistive memory device includes a resistive memory cell, a source line connected to one end of the resistive memory cell, a bit line connected to another end of the resistive memory cell, and a sensing circuit connected to the source line and the bit line. The sensing circuit is configured to generate a pull-up signal that is pulled up from a first voltage level to a second voltage level, based on a read current flowing through the resistive memory cell, generate a pull-down signal that is pulled down from a third voltage level to a fourth voltage level, based on the read current, and determine data that is stored in the resistive memory cell, based on a difference between the generated pull-up signal and the generated pull-down signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Chan Kyung Kim
  • Patent number: 11783878
    Abstract: Systems and methods for an optical ternary content addressable memory (TCAM) are provided. The optical TCAM implements a time-division multiplexing (TDM) based encoding scheme to encode each bit position of a search word in the time domain. Each bit position is associated with at least two time slots. The encoded optical signal comprising the search word is routed through one or more modulators configured to represent a respective TCAM stored word. If a mismatch between at least one bit position of the search word and at least one TCAM stored word occurs, a photodetector or photodetector array will detect light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
    Inventors: Thomas Van Vaerenbergh, Can Li, Catherine Graves