Patents Examined by Trong Phan
  • Patent number: 8699280
    Abstract: A semiconductor apparatus includes a normal data line, an auxiliary data line and a data line selection unit. The normal data line is connected with a data selection unit. The auxiliary data line is connected with the data selection unit. The data line selection unit outputs data to one of the normal data line and the auxiliary data line in response to a command signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Sang Jin Byeon
  • Patent number: 8693248
    Abstract: Provided are methods of programming a nonvolatile data storage device including memory blocks sharing a block word line. The methods may include selecting the memory blocks, and the selected memory blocks may include a first memory block that is to be programmed and a second memory block that is to be program-inhibited. The methods may also include applying a program voltage to a selected word line of the first memory block. The methods may further include applying a bipolar prohibition voltage to word lines of the second memory block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Ohsuk Kwon
  • Patent number: 8693276
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a power supply. The power supply may comprise an input power terminal, a capacitor module, a first converter module and a second converter module. The first converter module may have a first terminal and a second terminal, wherein the first terminal is coupled to the input power terminal and the second terminal is coupled to the capacitor module. The second converter module may comprise an input and an output, wherein the input of the second converter module is coupled to the input power terminal, and the output of the second converter module is configured to supply a load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Monolithic Power Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Pengjie Lai, Jian Jiang
  • Patent number: 8687422
    Abstract: A method and device are provided for operating in a special mode using a special mode enable register. In one example, a memory device includes registers in volatile memory and a memory array. At least one of the registers may include a special mode bit that controls a special mode of operation of the memory device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Micron Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Theodore T. Pekny, Victor Y. Tsai
  • Patent number: 8681544
    Abstract: A method of operating a semiconductor memory device includes applying a program pass voltage to unselected word lines, applying a program voltage of a third level to a selected word line in order to raise threshold voltages of third memory cells, decreasing a level of the program voltage from the third level to a second level and discharging channel regions of second cell strings including second memory cells in order to raise threshold voltages of second memory cells, and decreasing a level of the program voltage from the second level to a first level and discharging channel regions of first cell strings including first memory cells in order to raise threshold voltages of first memory cells. The cell strings are disconnected from a bit line while a voltage level of the unselected word lines rises to a level of the program pass voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Min Kyu Lee
  • Patent number: 8681534
    Abstract: A memory cell is formed by storage latch having a true node and a complement node. The cell includes a write port operable in response to a write signal on a write word line to write data from write bit lines into the latch, and a separate read port operable in response to a read signal on a read word line to read data from the latch to a read bit line. The circuitry of the memory cell is configured to address voltage bounce at the complement node during reading of the memory (where the voltage bounce arises from a simultaneous write to another memory cell in a same row).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Nishu Kohli, Hiten Advani
  • Patent number: 8675413
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices are disclosed, including an electronic device that includes a first data location, a quantizing circuit, and a reference current source, all coupled to an electrical conductor. The reference current source may include a current mirror with a side coupled to the electrical conductor and a second data location coupled to another side of the current mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: R. Jacob Baker
  • Patent number: 8674265
    Abstract: A heating device is formed from an electrically conducting, flexible resistance material of carbon fibers arranged between at least two electrodes provided for electrical contacting. The carbon fibers are stretch-broken carbon fiber yarns with a titer of 30 tex to 800 tex and a resistivity of 100 to 600 ?/m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: SGL Carbon SE
    Inventor: Reiner Bode
  • Patent number: 8670282
    Abstract: A memory circuit includes a group of memory arrays and at least one redundancy bit line. The group of memory arrays includes a first memory array coupled with a first input/output (IO) interface and a second memory array coupled with a second IO interface. The at least one redundancy bit line is configured to selectively repair the group of memory arrays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tien-Chun Yang, Yue-Der Chih, Shang-Hsuan Liu
  • Patent number: 8664565
    Abstract: Embodiments of a pendant associated with a multi-process welding power supply that allows a user to switch processes and reverse an output polarity while located remotely from a power supply unit are provided. Certain embodiments include a pendant with a wire spool and wire feeder drive circuitry that is configured to activate spooling during MIG welding. Control circuitry that may include processing circuitry and memory is provided. The control system may disable redundant controls on the power supply unit user interface when the power supply unit is connected to the pendant via a supply cable. Additionally, the control system may set the process, set the polarity, enable or disable a wire feed, and enable or disable gas flow according to inputs received via a user interface on either the power supply unit or the pendant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventors: James Francis Rappl, Thomas D. Lahti, Jeffery R. Ihde, Joseph Edward Feldhausen
  • Patent number: 8659932
    Abstract: A memory device includes diode plus resistivity switching element memory cells coupled between bit and word lines, single device bit line drivers with gates coupled to a bit line decoder control lead, sources/drains coupled to a bit line driver, and drains/sources coupled to bit lines, single device word line drivers with gates coupled to a word line decoder control lead, sources/drains coupled to a word line driver output, and drains/sources coupled to word lines, a first bleeder diode coupled between a bit line and a first bleeder diode controller, and a second bleeder diode coupled between a word line and a second bleeder diode controller. The first bleeder diode controller connects the first bleeder diode to low voltage in response to a bit line decoder signal. The second bleeder diode controller connects the second bleeder diode to high voltage in response to a word line decoder signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: SanDisk 3D LLC
    Inventor: Roy E. Scheuerlein
  • Patent number: 8661184
    Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed to manage non-volatile media. A media characteristic module is configured to determine media characteristics for non-volatile media. A configuration parameter module is configured to determine different configuration parameters for different storage cell abodes and/or for different groups of pages of the non-volatile media based on the determined media characteristics. A cell configuration module is configured to use the different configuration parameters for the different storage cell abodes and/or the different groups of pages of the non-volatile media.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Fusion-io, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Wood, Jea Hyun, Hairong Sun
  • Patent number: 8654563
    Abstract: Various embodiments comprise apparatuses and methods including a memory controller to control a non-volatile memory array. The memory controller includes a memory array interface coupled to the non-volatile memory array to perform reads and writes on the non-volatile memory array. An overwrite module is configured to write a desired bit value to a specific memory cell within the non-volatile memory array, after receiving the desired bit value and a logical address, regardless of an original value of the memory cell Additional apparatuses and methods are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Emanuele Confalonieri, Manuela Scognamiglio, Federico Tiziani
  • Patent number: 8634239
    Abstract: A memory device implements hybrid programming sequences for writing data to multiple level cells (MLCs). The memory device obtains specified data to write to the MLC and selects among multiple different programming techniques to write the specified data. Each of the programming techniques establishes a charge configuration in the MLC that represents multiple data bits. The memory device writes the specified data to the MLC using the selected programming technique. In one implementation, the programming techniques include a robust programming technique that preserves previously written data in the MLC in the event of a write abort of the specified data and an additional programming technique that has higher average performance than the robust programming technique. The selection may be made based on a wide variety of criteria, including whether data has been previously written to a block that includes the MLC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Steven Sprouse, Chris Avila, Sergey Anatolievich Gorobets
  • Patent number: 8634262
    Abstract: A word line driving signal control circuit of a semiconductor memory apparatus provided with a sub-redundancy cell array includes a fuse unit configured to generate a redundancy enable signal in response to a bank active signal and an address signal, and a repair determination unit configured to activate one of a normal word line driving signal, a redundancy word line driving signal, and a sub-redundancy word line driving signal in response to the bank active signal and the redundancy enable signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.
    Inventor: In Pyo Lee
  • Patent number: 8619462
    Abstract: Some embodiments regard a circuit comprising a memory cell, a first data line, a second data line, a sensing circuit coupled to the first data line and the second data line, a node selectively coupled to at least three voltage sources via at least three respective switches, a fourth switch, and a fifth switch. A first voltage source is configured to supply a retention voltage to the node via a first switch. A second voltage source is configured to supply a ground reference voltage to the node via a second switch, and a third voltage source is configured to supply a reference voltage to the node via a third switch. The fourth switch and fifth switch are configured to receive a respective first control signal and second control signal and to pass a voltage at the node to the respective first data line and second data line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Atul Katoch, Cormac Michael O'Connell
  • Patent number: 8619463
    Abstract: A memory including a capacitor coupled to a write bit line or a word line and an initializer configured to initialize a voltage level at a first node between the capacitor and the write bit line or the word line. The memory further includes a controllable initial level adjuster configured to adjust a voltage level of a second node at one terminal of the capacitor in response to a pulse. The capacitor is configured to receive a boost signal at a third node at a terminal opposite the first node. The boost signal configured to change a voltage level of the write bit line or the word line in response to the boost signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hank Cheng, Ming-Zhang Kuo, Chung-Cheng Chou
  • Patent number: 8619487
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a memory core with a plurality of memory cells, an internal voltage generator and a low power entry circuit. The low power entry circuit receives a plurality of control signals which are provided to a command decoder, and generates a low power signal indicating a low power consumption mode where a refresh operation is prohibited. The internal voltage generator includes a detector and at least one of booster circuits. The internal voltage generator, coupled to the memory core via an internal power supply line, generates a boosted internal voltage based on an external voltage and supplies the boosted internal voltage to the memory core via the internal power supply line. The internal voltage generator stops supplying the boosted internal voltage to the internal power supply line in response to the low power signal while the external voltage is supplied to the semiconductor device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited
    Inventors: Shinya Fujioka, Tomohiro Kawakubo, Koichi Nishimura, Kotoku Sato
  • Patent number: 8610471
    Abstract: A delay locked loop includes a closed loop circuit configured to generate preliminary delay information, a control unit configured to update the preliminary delay information into delay information in response to a control signal, and a first delay unit configured to delay an input clock signal by a first delay value determined by the delay information and generate an output clock signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.
    Inventors: Yong-Hoon Kim, Hyun-Woo Lee
  • Patent number: 8611144
    Abstract: Read and write operations of a non-volatile memory (NVM) bitcell have different optimum parameters resulting in a conflict during design of the NVM bitcell. A single bitline in the NVM bitcell prevents optimum read performance. Read performance may be improved by splitting the read path and the write path in a NVM bitcell between two bitlines. A read bitline of the NVM bitcell has a low capacitance for improved read operation speed and decreased power consumption. A write bitline of the NVM bitcell has a low resistance to handle large currents present during write operations. A memory element of the NVM bitcell may be a fuse, anti-fuse, eFUSE, or magnetic tunnel junction. Read performance may be further enhanced with differential sensing read operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventor: Esin Terzioglu