Patents Examined by Muna A Techane
  • Patent number: 10957401
    Abstract: Methods for reducing read disturb using NAND strings with poly-silicon channels and p-type doped source lines are described. During a boosted read operation for a selected memory cell transistor in a NAND string, a back-gate bias or bit line voltage may be applied to a bit line connected to the NAND string and a source line voltage greater than the bit line voltage may be applied to a source line connected to the NAND string; with these bias conditions, electrons may be injected from the bit line and annihilated in the source line during the read operation. To avoid leakage currents through NAND strings in non-selected memory blocks, the threshold voltages of source-side select gate transistors of the NAND strings may be set to a negative threshold voltage that has an absolute voltage value greater than the source line voltage applied during the read operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES LLC
    Inventors: Kiyohiko Sakakibara, Ippei Yasuda, Ken Oowada, Masaaki Higashitani
  • Patent number: 10950614
    Abstract: A single poly non-volatile memory device that includes: a first type lower well; first and second wells separately formed in an upper portion of the first type lower well; a source electrode, a selection transistor, a sensing transistor, and a drain electrode sequentially disposed in an upper portion of the first well. A control gate is formed in an upper portion of the second well with separated on an opposite side of the source electrode from the first well and connected to the gate of the sensing transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Key Foundry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Su Jin Kim, Hye Jin Yoo
  • Patent number: 10950311
    Abstract: Methods for reducing read disturb using NAND strings with poly-silicon channels and p-type doped source lines are described. During a boosted read operation for a selected memory cell transistor in a NAND string, a back-gate bias or bit line voltage may be applied to a bit line connected to the NAND string and a source line voltage greater than the bit line voltage may be applied to a source line connected to the NAND string; with these bias conditions, electrons may be injected from the bit line and annihilated in the source line during the read operation. To avoid leakage currents through NAND strings in non-selected memory blocks, the threshold voltages of source-side select gate transistors of the NAND strings may be set to a negative threshold voltage that has an absolute voltage value greater than the source line voltage applied during the read operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES LLC
    Inventors: Kiyohiko Sakakibara, Ippei Yasuda, Ken Oowada, Masaaki Higashitani
  • Patent number: 10950288
    Abstract: A memory device with internal row hammer mitigation couples to a memory controller. The memory controller or host can assist with row hammer mitigation by sending additional refresh cycles or refresh commands. In response to an extra refresh command the memory device can perform refresh for row hammer mitigation instead of refresh for standard data integrity. The memory controller can keep track of the number of activate commands sent to the memory device, and in response to a threshold number of activate commands, the memory controller sends the additional refresh command. With the extra refresh command the memory device can refresh the potential victim rows of a potential aggressor row, instead of simply refreshing a row that has not been accessed for a period of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Bill Nale, Christopher E. Cox
  • Patent number: 10937512
    Abstract: A method of managing programming errors in a multilevel NAND flash memory is provided. The multilevel NAND flash memory uses a two-pass programming algorithm—e.g., a first programming pass and a second programming pass—for programming a memory block being organized in pages, sharing a word line. The method comprises performing the first programming pass for at least one memory page, reading the at least one memory page between the first programming pass and the second programming pass, determining an error count value for the at least one programmed memory page, and responsive to determining that the error count value is below a threshold value, performing the second programming pass with active data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Nikolaos Papandreou, Thomas Mittelholzer, Roman Alexander Pletka
  • Patent number: 10937510
    Abstract: A method for identifying cell coupling in a memory system includes generating a two-dimensional pseudorandom binary sequence array. The method also includes performing an erase operation on a plurality of cells of a memory block of the memory system. The method also includes performing a write operation on the plurality of cells using the two-dimensional pseudorandom binary sequence array. The method also includes performing a read operation on the plurality of cells to identify a voltage value for each cell of the plurality of cells. The method also includes identifying cell coupling between respective cells of the plurality of cells using the voltage value for each of the cells of the plurality of cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Galbraith, Jonas Goode, Henry Yip, Ravi Kumar, Niranjay Ravindran
  • Patent number: 10937494
    Abstract: Briefly, the disclosure relates to circuits utilized to perform writing operations to a memory array, in which elements of the array comprise resistive memory cells coupled in series with an access device. In one embodiment, a circuit may comprise a supply voltage coupled to a first side of the array and a current source coupled to a second side of the array. The access devices of the elements of the array may be body-biased, which may operate to reduce the turn-on voltage (VTH) of the access devices. Particular voltages may be applied to gate regions of the access devices to control leakage current to the resistive memory cells of the array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: Arm Limited
    Inventors: El Mehdi Boujamaa, Akshay Kumar
  • Patent number: 10923181
    Abstract: The semiconductor memory device including a data strobe signal input buffer configured to receive a data strobe signal and generate an input data strobe signal, a data input buffer configured to receive data delayed by a first delay time compared to the data strobe signal and generate input data, a latency control signal generator configured to generate and activate a first on-die termination control signal during a first period in which the data strobe signal is applied in response to receiving a write command, a first on-die termination control circuit configured to vary a first variable resistance code in response to the first on-die termination control signal, and a data strobe signal termination circuit configured to terminate the data strobe signal and including a first on-die termination resistor, a resistance value of which varies in response to the first variable resistance code may be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Ju Ho Jeon, Hun-Dae Choi
  • Patent number: 10923189
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a memory device includes a memory cell including a resistance change memory element and a selector element, a word line, a bit line connected to one end of the memory cell, an operational amplifier including a non-inverting input connected to the bit line, an output circuit including a first terminal connected to an output of the operational amplifier, a second terminal connected to the bit line, and a charge/discharge circuit including a capacitor, a charge circuit and a discharge circuit, each including one end connected to an inverting input of the operational amplifier. At the time of falling of a write voltage for the memory cell, a potential of the other end of the memory cell is set higher than a potential of the other end of the discharge circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryu Ogiwara, Daisaburo Takashima, Takahiko Iizuka
  • Patent number: 10923161
    Abstract: Various implementations described herein are directed to an integrated circuit. The integrated circuit may include a bitcell and multiple straps including a first strap, a second strap, and a third strap. The first strap may couple the bitcell to ground. The second strap may couple the bitcell to a bitline. The third strap may couple the bitcell to a wordline within a boundary of the bitcell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Arm Limited
    Inventors: Sumant Kumar Thapliyal, Sumeet Sawant, Avinash Merugu, Deeksha Anandani, Veera Raghavulu Marella, Srinath Gopinath, Abdullah Shahid
  • Patent number: 10923190
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a device includes: a memory cell between the first and second interconnects; a first circuit in a domain having a range of a first voltage to a second voltage higher than the first voltage, the first circuit controlling supply of the second voltage to the first interconnect; a second circuit in a domain having a range of a third voltage lower than the first voltage to the first voltage, the second circuit controlling supply of the third voltage to the second interconnect; and a third circuit in a domain having a range of a fourth voltage lower than the first voltage to a fifth voltage higher than the first voltage, the third circuit controlling supply of a sixth voltage to the first and second interconnects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yutaka Shirai
  • Patent number: 10910544
    Abstract: Superconducting circuits and memories that use a magnetic Josephson junction (MJJ) device as a pi inverter are disclosed. The MJJ device includes superconducting layers configured to allow a flow of a supercurrent through the MJJ device. The MJJ device further includes a magnetic layer arranged between the superconducting layers, where the magnetic layer has an associated magnetization direction, and where the first state of the MJJ device corresponds to a zero-phase of a supercurrent flowing through the MJJ device and the second state of the MJJ device corresponds to a ?-phase of the supercurrent flowing through the MJJ device. In response to an application of a magnetic field, without any change in the magnetization direction of the magnetic layer, the MJJ device is configured to switch from the first state to the second state responsive to a change in a phase of the supercurrent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas F. Ambrose, James M. Murduck
  • Patent number: 10910021
    Abstract: Disclosed is a semiconductor device in which an internal voltage fluctuation when a current jump occurs is restrained. The semiconductor device includes a plurality of blocks, each of which performs a given operation, and a current jump control circuit. The current jump control circuit monitors control signals in each of the blocks and calculates predicted values of consumption current of the blocks, based on results of monitoring at different timings, thereby controlling a fluctuation of consumption current of the blocks. The current jump control circuit controls operation of a subset or all of the blocks, if an increase of a predicted value of consumption current of the blocks is larger than a first value or a decrease of the predicted value is larger than a second value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Naoshi Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 10910029
    Abstract: A complementary magnetic memory cell includes: a heavy metal film or an antiferromagnetic film, a first magnetic tunnel junction, a second magnetic tunnel junction, a first electrode, a second electrode, a third electrode, a fourth electrode, and a fifth electrode; wherein the first magnetic tunnel junction and the second magnetic tunnel junction are fabricated above the heavy metal film or the antiferromagnetic film; the first electrode, the second electrode and the third electrode are fabricated under the heavy metal film or the antiferromagnetic film; the fourth electrode is fabricated above the first magnetic tunnel junction, and the fifth electrode is fabricated above the second magnetic tunnel junction; to store one bit of data, the first magnetic tunnel junction and the second magnetic tunnel junction are arranged in a pair of complementary resistance states, wherein one magnetic tunnel junction is set to a high resistance state and the other remains unchanged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: BEIHANG UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Weisheng Zhao, Zhaohao Wang, Erya Deng
  • Patent number: 10910079
    Abstract: A programming device (110) arranged to obtain and store a random bit string in a memory device (100), the memory device (100) comprising multiple one-time programmable memory cells (122), a memory cell having a programmed state and a not-programmed state, the memory cell being one-time programmable by changing the state from the not-programmed state to the programmed state through application of an electric programming energy to the memory cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: INTRINSIC ID B.V.
    Inventors: Pim Theo Tuyls, Geert Jan Schrijen, Vincent Van Der Leest
  • Patent number: 10910082
    Abstract: Apparatus comprises memory circuitry having a plurality of addressable memory entries storing respective data items and associated error protection codes; memory error protection circuitry to generate the error protection code for a data item stored to the memory circuitry, the error protection code for a given data item stored to the memory circuitry depending upon at least the given data item and a memory address defining a memory entry to which the given data item is stored, and to perform a check operation to check for consistency between a retrieved data item, the memory address defining a memory entry from which the given data item is retrieved and the error protection code associated with the retrieved data item; memory built-in self-test circuitry to test the memory and memory error protection circuitry; and access circuitry to provide an indirect access path between the memory built-in self-test circuitry a memory which accesses the memory circuitry via the memory error protection circuitry and a dir
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: Arm Limited
    Inventors: Alan Jeremy Becker, Loïc Pierron
  • Patent number: 10910056
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a plural search memory cells, a plural match lines, a plural sub-ground lines, and a plural amplifiers. The search memory cells are disposed in a matrix form. The match lines are disposed in association with respective memory cell rows and used to determine whether search data matches data stored in the search memory cells. The sub-ground lines are disposed in association with respective memory cell rows. The amplifiers are disposed in association with respective memory cell rows to amplify the potentials of the match lines. The match lines and the sub-ground lines are respectively precharged to a first potential and a second potential before a data search. When the search data is mismatched, the match lines are electrically coupled to associated sub-ground lines through the search memory cells and set to an intermediate potential that is intermediate between the first potential and the second potential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Makoto Yabuuchi
  • Patent number: 10897248
    Abstract: A MOS transistor is allowed to recover from BTI degradation even when an operation mode signal is inactive. A semiconductor device includes a drive circuit coupled to a controlled circuit via a delay element. The drive circuit includes first and second MOS transistors coupled in series to each other. The first MOS transistor is controlled to be in an OFF state when the operation mode signal is active. When the operation mode signal is inactive, the first MOS transistor is controlled to be in the OFF state at least temporarily while the second MOS transistor is controlled to be in the OFF.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshisato Yokoyama, Toshiaki Sano
  • Patent number: 10896368
    Abstract: Numerous embodiments are disclosed for an analog neuromorphic memory system for use in a deep learning neural network. In one embodiment, the analog neuromorphic memory system comprises a plurality of vector-by-matrix multiplication systems, each vector-by-matrix multiplication system comprising an array of memory cells, a low voltage row decoder, a high voltage row decoder, and a low voltage column decoder; a plurality of output blocks, each output block providing an output in response to at least one of the plurality of vector-by-matrix multiplication systems; and a shared verify block configured to concurrently perform a verify operation after a program operation on two or more of the plurality of vector-by-matrix systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Hieu Van Tran, Thuan Vu, Stanley Hong, Anh Ly
  • Patent number: 10886417
    Abstract: Techniques and mechanisms for changing a consistency with which a cell circuit (“cell”) settles into a given state. In one embodiment, a cell settles into a preferred state based on a relative polarity between respective voltages of a first rail and a second rail. Based on the preferred state, a hot carrier injection (HCl) stress is applied to change a likelihood of the cell settling into the preferred state. Applying the HCl stress includes driving off-currents of two PMOS transistors of the cell while the relative polarity is reversed. In another embodiment, a cell array comprises multiple cells which are each classified as being a respective one of a physically unclonable function (PUF) type or a random number generator (RNG) type. A cell is selected for biasing, and a stress is applied, based on each of: that cell's preferred state, that cell's classification, and another cell's classification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Kuan-Yueh Shen, Rachael Parker, Stephen Ramey