Patents Examined by Thao H Bui
  • Patent number: 8921175
    Abstract: An electronic device can include a tunnel structure that includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and tunnel dielectric layer disposed between the electrodes. In a particular embodiment, the tunnel structure may or may not include an intermediate doped region that is at the primary surface, abuts a lightly doped region, and has a second conductivity type opposite from and a dopant concentration greater than the lightly doped region. In another embodiment, the electrodes have opposite conductivity types. In a further embodiment, an electrode can be formed from a portion of a substrate or well region, and the other electrode can be formed over such portion of the substrate or well region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC
    Inventors: Thierry Coffi Herve Yao, Gregory James Scott
  • Patent number: 8897078
    Abstract: Various embodiments include methods, apparatus, and systems for reading an adjacent cell of a memory array in an electronic device to determine a threshold voltage value of the adjacent cell, the adjacent cell being adjacent a target cell, and reading the target cell of the memory array using a wordline voltage value based on the threshold voltage value of the adjacent cell. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Seiichi Aritome
  • Patent number: 8861264
    Abstract: A pre-charge controlling method and device are provided. The pre-charge controlling method includes pre-charging a first global bit line with a first pre-charge voltage by using at least a first pre-charge circuit located between a plurality of sub arrays included in a memory cell array and pre-charging the first global bit line with a second pre-charge voltage by using a second pre-charge circuit located outside the memory cell array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ick Hyun Song, Ki Whan Song, Jin-Young Kim
  • Patent number: 8767442
    Abstract: A semiconductor device in which stored data can be held even when power is not supplied and there is no limitation on the number of writing operations is provided. A semiconductor device is formed using a material which can sufficiently reduce the off-state current of a transistor, such as an oxide semiconductor material that is a wide-gap semiconductor. When a semiconductor material which can sufficiently reduce the off-state current of a transistor is used, the semiconductor device can hold data for a long period. In addition, by providing a capacitor or a noise removal circuit electrically connected to a write word line, a signal such as a short pulse or a noise input to a memory cell can be reduced or removed. Accordingly, a malfunction in which data written into the memory cell is erased when a transistor in the memory cell is instantaneously turned on can be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takanori Matsuzaki, Shuhei Nagatsuka, Hiroki Inoue
  • Patent number: 8767470
    Abstract: Bit lines of a memory segment are read at substantially the same time by coupling a selected memory segment and, at some of the data lines of any intervening segments, to respective data caches. The bit lines of the unselected memory segments that are not used to couple the selected segment to the data caches can be coupled to their respective source lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Tomoharu Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8755243
    Abstract: A method of managing the charge stored by a series arrangement of capacitor stages, each stage including a single capacitor or a plurality of capacitors in parallel, involves supplying each capacitor stage with charge current via a common charging terminal; separately measuring a stored potential of each capacitor stage in the series arrangement; selectively removing a controlled amount of charge from each of the capacitor stages individually) while the series arrangement is receiving the charge current from the common charging terminal; and maintaining each capacitor stage at a substantially equal stored potential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: AgigA Tech Inc.
    Inventor: Lane Hauck
  • Patent number: 8743581
    Abstract: A representative memory device includes a cell array, at least one break cell that subdivides the cell array into bit cell arrays, and one or more power switches that are electrically coupled to the bit cell. In one embodiment, the break cell separates a connectivity of a first voltage and a second voltage between at least two bit cell arrays so that the bit cell arrays can be selectively coupled to either the first voltage or the second voltage using the power switches. The power switches control the connection of each separated bit cell array of the cell array to either the first voltage or second voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukit Tang, Kuoyuan Hsu, Derek Tao
  • Patent number: 8743604
    Abstract: Memory systems include at least one nonvolatile memory array having a plurality of rows of nonvolatile multi-bit (e.g., N-bit, where N>2) memory cells therein. A control circuit is also provided, which is electrically coupled to the nonvolatile memory array. The control circuit is configured to program at least two pages of data into a first row of nonvolatile multi-bit memory cells in the nonvolatile memory array using a first sequence of read voltages to verify accuracy of the data stored within the first row. The control circuit is also configured to read the at least two pages of data from the first row using a second sequence of read voltages that is different from the first sequence of read voltages. Each of the read voltages in the first sequence of read voltages may be equivalent in magnitude to a corresponding read voltage in the second sequence of read voltages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Donghyuk Chae
  • Patent number: 8743638
    Abstract: A method and circuit for testing a multi-chip package is provided. The multi-chip package includes at least a memory chip, and the memory chip includes a number of memory cells. The method includes performing a normal read operation on the memory cells to check if data read from the memory cells is the same with preset data in the memory cells; and performing a special read operation on the memory cells to check if data read from the memory cells is the same with an expected value, wherein the expected value is independent from data stored in the memory cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Macronix International Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chun-Hsiung Hung, Wen-Chiao Ho, Kuen-Long Chang
  • Patent number: 8743615
    Abstract: Read compensation for partially programmed blocks of non-volatile storage is provided. In partially programmed blocks, the threshold voltage distributions may be shifted down relative to their final positions. Upon receiving a request to read a page that is stored in a block, a determination may be made whether the block is partially programmed. If so, then a suitable compensation may be made when reading the requested page. This compensation may compensate for the non-volatile storage elements (or pages) in the block that have not yet been programmed. The amount of compensation may be based on the amount of interference that would be caused to the requested page by later programming of the other pages. The compensation may compensate for shifts in threshold voltage distributions of the requested page that would occur from later programming of other pages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Dana Lee, Ken Oowada
  • Patent number: 8743616
    Abstract: A system including an interference module and a programming module. The interference module is configured to generate interference values based on (i) a state to which a memory cell is to be programmed and (ii) states of one or more memory cells located near the memory cell, and store the interference values. The interference values indicate effects of the states of the one or more memory cells on the state to which the memory cell is to be programmed. The programming module is configured to determine a programming value to program the memory cell to the state based on one or more of the interference values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Marvell International Ltd.
    Inventors: Zining Wu, Xueshi Yang, Pantas Sutardja
  • Patent number: 8724401
    Abstract: Data stripes and addressing for flash memory devices are provided. Flash memory devices illustratively have a plurality of programmable devices that are capable of simultaneously storing data. A plurality of erasure blocks are within each of the programmable devices, and each erasure block has pages of transistors. The flash memory devices are logically organized as a plurality of stripes. Each stripe has a height and a width. In an embodiment, the stripe height is greater than one page. In another embodiment, the stripe width is less than all of the programmable devices within the flash memory device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Luke William Friendshuh, Mark Allen Gaertner, Jonathan Williams Haines, Timothy Richard Feldman