Patents Examined by Son L. Mai
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Patent number: 12243600Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for voltage detection for managed memory systems are described. In some cases, a memory system may include circuitry to monitor one or more supply voltages to the memory system or voltages generated by the memory system to determine whether a voltage rises above an operational range. In some cases, an overvoltage detector may include an undervoltage detector that has been tuned or manufactured to have a higher threshold than an undervoltage detector used to determine whether a voltage has fallen below the operational range. Accordingly, the memory system may monitor a voltage using an undervoltage detector having a threshold corresponding to a lower bound or lower operation point of the operational range of the monitored voltage and an overvoltage detectors having a threshold corresponding to the upper bound or upper operational point of the operational range.Type: GrantFiled: February 21, 2024Date of Patent: March 4, 2025Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.Inventors: Yoav Weinberg, Evgeni Bassin
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Patent number: 12243621Abstract: Disclosed herein are related to operating a memory system including memory banks and buffers. Each buffer may perform a write process to write data to a corresponding memory bank. In one aspect, the memory system includes a buffer controller including a queue register, a first pointer register, a second pointer register, and a queue controller. In one aspect, the queue register includes entries, where each entry may store an address of a corresponding memory bank. The first pointer register may indicate a first entry storing an address of a memory bank, on which the write process is predicted to be completed next. The second pointer register may indicate a second entry to be updated. The queue controller may configure the queue register according to the first pointer register and the second pointer register, and configure one or more buffers to perform the write process, according to the entries.Type: GrantFiled: November 21, 2023Date of Patent: March 4, 2025Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.Inventor: Shih-Lien Linus Lu
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Patent number: 12236996Abstract: A memory device may include counters respectively corresponding to rows and each configured to count a number of accesses to a corresponding row, a refresh control circuit, a queue, and first flags respectively corresponding to the rows. The refresh control circuit may change a second flag set in a refresh period every refresh period, and determine whether to put an incoming row address into the queue based on a count value of a counter corresponding to a target row indicated by the incoming row address among the counters, a first flag value of a first flag corresponding to the target row among the first flags, and a second flag value of the second flag set in a current refresh period.Type: GrantFiled: May 14, 2023Date of Patent: February 25, 2025Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.Inventors: Eun Ae Lee, Sunghye Cho, Kijun Lee, Kyomin Sohn, Myungkyu Lee
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Patent number: 12237025Abstract: A memory device, a memory system, and a program operation method are disclosed. In one example, at an ith programming loop, in response to determining that index i is greater than or equal to a first preset value and less than an initial verification loop number corresponding to a target state of memory cells in the memory device, an ith programming inhibition operation may be performed on the memory cells of the target state. Index i may be a positive integer, and the initial verification loop number may indicate a programming loop number that starts a verification operation corresponding to the target state of the memory cells.Type: GrantFiled: February 23, 2023Date of Patent: February 25, 2025Assignee: YANGTZE MEMORY TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.Inventors: Yali Song, Xiangnan Zhao, Ying Cui
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Patent number: 12237040Abstract: A memory accessed by rows and/or by columns in which an array of bits can be physically stored in multi-bit wide columns in physically contiguous rows is provided. A multi-bit wide logical column is arranged diagonally across (M/multi-bits) physical rows and (M/multi-bits) physical columns with each of the plurality of multi-bit wide logical columns in the logical row stored in a different physical row and physical multi-bit column.Type: GrantFiled: September 7, 2021Date of Patent: February 25, 2025Assignee: Intel CorporationInventors: Sourabh Dongaonkar, Chetan Chauhan, Jawad B. Khan, Sandeep K. Guliani, William K. Waller
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Patent number: 12236995Abstract: A memory device includes a memory cell array having a plurality of memory cells connected to wordlines and bitlines, a target row refresh logic configured to perform a refresh operation on at least one of target rows of the memory cell array in response to a refresh management mode command, a weak pattern detector that is activated according to a register update bit value included in the refresh management mode command and that outputs a risk level for each of the target rows, and a mode register circuit that updates at least one mode register value according to the risk level.Type: GrantFiled: January 30, 2024Date of Patent: February 25, 2025Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.Inventors: Jungmin You, Seongjin Cho
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Patent number: 12237049Abstract: An integrated circuit memory device includes a serializer configured to convert a plurality of bits of parallel read data, which are synchronized with a corresponding plurality of clock signals that are out-of-phase relative to each other, into a serial stream of the read data. This conversion is performed using a Boolean logic circuit, which is configured to receive each of the plurality of bits of parallel read data and each of the plurality of out-of-phase clock signals at corresponding inputs thereof.Type: GrantFiled: November 7, 2022Date of Patent: February 25, 2025Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.Inventors: Sanguk Lee, Daehyun Kwon, Jang-Woo Ryu, Hangi Jung
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Patent number: 12223995Abstract: Described apparatuses and methods relate to adaptive memory registers for a memory system that may support a nondeterministic protocol. To help manage power-delivery networks in a memory system, a device includes logic that can write values to memory registers associated with memory blocks of a memory array. The values indicate whether an associated memory block has been refreshed within a refresh interval. Other logic can read the registers to determine whether a block has been refreshed. The device also includes logic that can access data indicating a row address that was most recently, or is next to be, refreshed and write values representing the address to another register. The register can be read by other logic to determine whether a wordline potentially affected by an activation-based disturb event is near to being refreshed. These techniques can reduce the number of refresh operations performed, saving power and reducing costs.Type: GrantFiled: August 30, 2022Date of Patent: February 11, 2025Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.Inventors: John Christopher Sancon, Kang-Yong Kim, Yang Lu, Hyun Yoo Lee
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Patent number: 12217784Abstract: The dynamic memory array of a DRAM device is operated using at least two voltages. The first voltage, which is used to power the sense amplifiers during sense (i.e., read) operations and most other column operations (e.g., precharge, activate, write), is the operating (i.e., switching) voltage of a majority of the digital logic circuitry of the DRAM device. The second voltage, which determines the voltage written to the capacitor of the DRAM cells (i.e., bitline voltage) is greater than the operating (i.e., switching) voltage of a majority of the digital logic circuitry of the DRAM device. The digital logic circuitry is operated using a supply voltage that is lower than the voltage written to the capacitors of the DRAM array. This allows lower voltage swing digital logic to be used for a majority of the logic on the DRAM device while writing a larger voltage to the DRAM cells.Type: GrantFiled: March 8, 2021Date of Patent: February 4, 2025Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Thomas Vogelsang, Brent S. Haukness
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Patent number: 12211541Abstract: In a memory controller, at least one of a plurality of refresh methods varying in refresh target area of a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) is a refresh method of refreshing an entire area of the DRAM, and a specific event that disables access to the entire area of the DRAM occurs in a cycle longer than a refresh execution cycle using the refresh method of refreshing the entire area of the DRAM. The memory controller includes a selection unit configured to select one refresh method from among the plurality of refresh methods, depending on whether the specific event that disables the access to the entire area of the DRAM is to occur in a refresh execution period.Type: GrantFiled: November 1, 2022Date of Patent: January 28, 2025Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Daisuke Shiraishi
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Patent number: 12211574Abstract: Various aspects include methods and devices for implementing the methods for error checking a memory system. Aspects may include receiving, from a row buffer of a memory, access data corresponding to a column address of a memory access, in which the row buffer has data of an activation unit of the memory corresponding to a row address of the memory access, determining multiple error correction codes (ECCs) for the access data using the column address, and checking the access data for an error utilizing at least one of the multiple ECCs. In some aspects, the multiple ECCs may include a first ECC having data from an access unit of the memory corresponding with the column address, and at least one second ECC having data from the access unit and data from the activation unit other than from the access unit.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 2023Date of Patent: January 28, 2025Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company LimitedInventor: Katherine H. Chiang
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Patent number: 12211577Abstract: A memory stick configured for use with a processor in a computer is provided. The memory stick includes a printed circuit board with first and second sides, each of the first and second sides including eighteen memory chips, each of the memory chips being an ×8 DRAM chip; the eighteen memory chips being distributed into first, second, third and fourth rows, the first row and the second row being on a left half of the printed circuit board and the third and fourth row being on a right half of the printed circuit board; and the printed circuit board including at least 400 pins including at least 16 pins for ECC bits and at least 128 pins for data bits; wherein at least the memory chips and the 128 pins for data bits establish a 128-bit data width to communicate.Type: GrantFiled: October 24, 2022Date of Patent: January 28, 2025Assignee: TACHYUM LTD.Inventors: Radoslav Danilak, Rodney Mullendore, William Radke, Chi To
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Patent number: 12211564Abstract: A memory device, a method for programming the memory device, a program verification method, and a memory system are provided. In the program verification method, an ith verification result of an ith program verification operation is obtained, where programming states verified by the ith program verification operation range from an nth state to an (n+k)th state, i and n are positive integers, k is a natural number, and the (n+k)th state is less than or equal to a highest programming state of the memory device; a range of programming states to be verified by an (i+1)th program verification operation is determined according to a verification sub-result for the nth state and a verification sub-result for the (n+k)th state in the ith verification result; and the (i+1)th program verification operation is executed according to the determined range of the programming states to be verified by the (i+1)th program verification operation.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 2022Date of Patent: January 28, 2025Assignee: YANGTZE MEMORY TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.Inventor: Xiaojiang Guo
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Patent number: 12207561Abstract: A semiconductor device including a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) stack and an upper word line of the MTJ stack surrounding vertical side surfaces of the MTJ stack. A semiconductor device including a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) stack and an upper word line for the MTJ stack surrounding vertical side surfaces and an upper surface of a reference layer of the MTJ stack. A method including forming a forming a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) stack and forming a dielectric encapsulation layer surrounding vertical side surfaces of a top electrode, a free layer, a tunneling barrier, a reference layer and a bottom electrode of the MTJ stack.Type: GrantFiled: December 5, 2022Date of Patent: January 21, 2025Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Shravana Kumar Katakam, Ashim Dutta, Chih-Chao Yang
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Patent number: 12205659Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide a system, method, or computer readable medium for programming a target analog voltage range of an analog content addressable memory (aCAM) row. The method may comprise calculating a threshold current sufficient to switch a sense amplifier (SA) on and discharge a match line (ML) connected to a cell of the aCAM; and based on calculating the threshold current, programming a match threshold value by setting a memristor conductance in association with the target analog voltage range applied to a data line (DL) input. The target analog voltage range may comprise a target analog voltage range vector.Type: GrantFiled: October 9, 2023Date of Patent: January 21, 2025Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LPInventors: Giacomo Pedretti, John Paul Strachan, Catherine Graves
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Patent number: 12197739Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatuses include receiving a command directed to a portion of memory. A cycle number for the portion of memory is determined. A group to which the portion of memory belongs is determined. A bitline voltage is determined using the cycle number and the group. The command is executed using the bitline voltage.Type: GrantFiled: August 15, 2022Date of Patent: January 14, 2025Assignee: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.Inventors: Yu-Chung Lien, Ching-Huang Lu, Zhenming Zhou
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Patent number: 12198750Abstract: The present disclosure provides a three-dimensional NAND memory device, comprising memory cells coupled to a plurality of word lines and configured to store data, a row decoder configured to decode an address of a word line from the plurality of word lines, and a controller coupled to the array of memory cells. The controller includes a first multiplexer configured to receive a first plurality of trim selections, while each of the first plurality of trim selections is associated with a first trim parameter and each of the first plurality of trim selections corresponds to each of the plurality of word lines, respectively. The controller also includes a second multiplexer configured to receive a first plurality of trim settings, while each of the first plurality of trim settings corresponds to a value associated with the first trim parameter.Type: GrantFiled: November 4, 2022Date of Patent: January 14, 2025Assignee: Yangtze Memory Technologies Co., Ltd.Inventor: Daesik Song
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Patent number: 12183415Abstract: A memory device that operates at high speed is provided. The memory device includes first and second memory cells, first and second bit lines, first and second switches, and a sense amplifier. The sense amplifier comprises a first node and a second node. The first memory cell is electrically connected to the first node through the first bit line and the first switch, and the second memory cell is electrically connected to the second node through the second bit line and the second switch. The sense amplifier amplifies the potential difference between the first node and the second node. The first memory cell and the second memory cell include an oxide semiconductor in a channel formation region.Type: GrantFiled: May 31, 2023Date of Patent: December 31, 2024Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.Inventors: Tatsuya Onuki, Shuhei Nagatsuka
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Patent number: 12178148Abstract: A storage device includes a memory cell including a variable resistance element and a switching element having snapback current-voltage characteristics. The switching element includes a first conductive layer in contact with the variable resistance element, a second conductive layer, and a switching layer provided between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer. The switching layer includes at least one switching member and a first insulating layer having a thermal conductivity higher than 1.4 W/m/K. A cross-sectional area of the switching member at a connection surface between the switching layer and the first conductive layer and a cross-sectional area of the switching member at a connection surface between the switching layer and the second conductive layer are each smaller than a cross-sectional area at a connection surface between the first conductive layer and the variable resistance element.Type: GrantFiled: August 31, 2022Date of Patent: December 24, 2024Assignee: Kioxia CorporationInventors: Kenji Fukuda, Rina Nomoto, Hiroyuki Kanaya, Masahiko Nakayama, Hideyuki Sugiyama
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Patent number: 12176048Abstract: A one-time programmable (OTP) fuse includes a fuse link including a thin film resistor (TFR) layer between a first insulator layer and a second insulator layer. A first terminal of the OTP fuse includes a first conductive pillar through one of the first and second insulator layers and in contact with the TFR layer; and a second terminal of the OTP fuse includes a second conductive pillar through one of the first and second insulator layers and in contact with the TFR layer. The second conductive pillar and the TFR layer have a lateral contact interface having a same shape as an outer portion of the second conductive pillar. The second conductive pillar does not simply land on the TFR layer, but extends through it. Application of a current to the OTP fuse results in programming via rupture of the lateral contact interface (not electromigration in the fuse link).Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2022Date of Patent: December 24, 2024Assignee: GLOBALFOUNDRIES Singapore Pte. Ltd.Inventors: Siow Lee Chwa, Handoko Linewih, Yudi Setiawan, Qiying Wong