Patents by Inventor Anna Rita Maria Lipani

Anna Rita Maria Lipani has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10658048
    Abstract: A sense structure includes: a sense amplifier core configured to compare a measurement current with a reference current; a cascode transistor coupled to the sense amplifier core and configured to be coupled to a load; a switch coupled between a bias voltage node and a control terminal of the cascode transistor; a local capacitor having a first terminal coupled to the control terminal of the cascode transistor; a first transistor coupled between a second terminal of the local capacitor and a reference terminal; and a control circuit coupled to a control terminal of the first transistor, the control circuit configured to disconnect the local capacitor from the reference terminal to produce a voltage overshoot in the control terminal of the cascode transistor, and after disconnecting the local capacitor from the reference terminal, limit or reduce the voltage overshoot by adjusting a voltage of the control terminal of the first transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.
    Inventors: Antonino Conte, Loredana Chiaramonte, Anna Rita Maria Lipani
  • Patent number: 10593410
    Abstract: A sense-amplifier circuit can be used with a non-volatile memory device having a memory array with memory cells arranged in word lines and bit lines and coupled to respective source lines. The circuit has a first circuit branch and a second circuit branch, which receive on a respective first comparison input and second comparison input, during a reading step of a datum stored in a memory cell, a cell current from the bit line associated to the memory cell and a reference current, from a reference bit line in a differential reading operation or from a current-reference generator in a single-ended reading operation. The first and second circuit branches generate, during the datum-reading step, a first output voltage and a second output voltage, as a function of the difference between the cell current and the reference current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Carmelo Paolino, Antonino Conte, Anna Rita Maria Lipani
  • Publication number: 20200058360
    Abstract: A sense structure includes: a sense amplifier core configured to compare a measurement current with a reference current; a cascode transistor coupled to the sense amplifier core and configured to be coupled to a load; a switch coupled between a bias voltage node and a control terminal of the cascode transistor; a local capacitor having a first terminal coupled to the control terminal of the cascode transistor; a first transistor coupled between a second terminal of the local capacitor and a reference terminal; and a control circuit coupled to a control terminal of the first transistor, the control circuit configured to disconnect the local capacitor from the reference terminal to produce a voltage overshoot in the control terminal of the cascode transistor, and after disconnecting the local capacitor from the reference terminal, limit or reduce the voltage overshoot by adjusting a voltage of the control terminal of the first transistor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2018
    Publication date: February 20, 2020
    Inventors: Antonino Conte, Loredana Chiaramonte, Anna Rita Maria Lipani
  • Publication number: 20190108886
    Abstract: A sense-amplifier circuit can be used with a non-volatile memory device having a memory array with memory cells arranged in word lines and bit lines and coupled to respective source lines. The circuit has a first circuit branch and a second circuit branch, which receive on a respective first comparison input and second comparison input, during a reading step of a datum stored in a memory cell, a cell current from the bit line associated to the memory cell and a reference current, from a reference bit line in a differential reading operation or from a current-reference generator in a single-ended reading operation. The first and second circuit branches generate, during the datum-reading step, a first output voltage and a second output voltage, as a function of the difference between the cell current and the reference current.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Publication date: April 11, 2019
    Inventors: Carmelo Paolino, Antonino Conte, Anna Rita Maria Lipani