Patents by Inventor Anthony Fai

Anthony Fai 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: 10359949
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for obtaining and using nonvolatile memory (“NVM”) health information. Health information can include a variety of information associated with the performance and reliability of portions of an NVM device, such as the number of errors detected in a portion of NVM or the amount of time required to read from or program a portion of nonvolatile memory. During operation, address specific health information may be stored passively on a host device and provided as part of a command to a memory controller. The memory controller may extract the health information from the command and use the information to execute access requests. After an access request is completed, the memory controller can update the health information and transmit the information back to the host device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas Seroff, Anthony Fai, Nir Jacob Wakrat
  • Patent number: 9853016
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for stacked semiconductor memory packages. Each package can include an integrated circuit (“IC”) package substrate capable of transmitting data to memory dies stacked within the package over two channels. Each channel can be located on one side of the IC package substrate, and signals from each channel can be routed to the memory dies from their respective sides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Anthony Fai, Evan R. Boyle, Zhiping Yang, Zhonghua Wu
  • Publication number: 20170162546
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for stacked semiconductor memory packages. Each package can include an integrated circuit (“IC”) package substrate capable of transmitting data to memory dies stacked within the package over two channels. Each channel can be located on one side of the IC package substrate, and signals from each channel can be routed to the memory dies from their respective sides.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2017
    Publication date: June 8, 2017
    Inventors: Anthony Fai, Evan R. Boyle, Zhiping Yang, Zhonghua Wu
  • Patent number: 9583452
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for stacked semiconductor memory packages. Each package can include an integrated circuit (“IC”) package substrate capable of transmitting data to memory dies stacked within the package over two channels. Each channel can be located on one side of the IC package substrate, and signals from each channel can be routed to the memory dies from their respective sides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Anthony Fai, Evan R. Boyle, Zhiping Yang, Zhonghua Wu
  • Publication number: 20170005056
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for stacked semiconductor memory packages. Each package can include an integrated circuit (“IC”) package substrate capable of transmitting data to memory dies stacked within the package over two channels. Each channel can be located on one side of the IC package substrate, and signals from each channel can be routed to the memory dies from their respective sides.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2016
    Publication date: January 5, 2017
    Inventors: Anthony Fai, Evan R. Boyle, Zhiping Yang, Zhonghua Wu
  • Patent number: 9472243
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for stacked semiconductor memory devices. The stacked semiconductor memory devices can include a nonvolatile memory controller, a number of nonvolatile memory dies arranged in a stacked configuration, and a package substrate. The memory controller and the memory dies can be coupled to each other with vias that extend through the package substrate. A vertical interconnect process may be used to electrically connect the nonvolatile memory dies to each other, as well as other system components. The memory controller may be flip-chip bonded to external circuitry, such as another semiconductor device or a printed circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony Fai, Nicholas C. Seroff
  • Patent number: 9466571
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for stacked semiconductor memory packages. Each package can include an integrated circuit (“IC”) package substrate capable of transmitting data to memory dies stacked within the package over two channels. Each channel can be located on one side of the IC package substrate, and signals from each channel can be routed to the memory dies from their respective sides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Anthony Fai, Evan R. Boyle, Zhiping Yang, Zhonghua Wu
  • Patent number: 9384089
    Abstract: System and methods for proactively refreshing portions of a nonvolatile memory including a memory system that proactively refreshes a portion of nonvolatile memory based on data associated with the portion. The data may include the time elapsed since the portion was last refreshed, the number of times the portion has been cycled, and the average operating temperature of the nonvolatile memory. A portion of nonvolatile memory, when meeting certain criteria determined from the data, may be proactively refreshed during a downtime when the nonvolatile memory is not otherwise being accessed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventor: Anthony Fai
  • Patent number: 9355024
    Abstract: Systems and methods for nonvolatile memory (“NVM”) performance throttling are disclosed. Performance of an NVM system may be throttled to achieve particular data retention requirements. In particular, because higher storage temperatures tend to reduce the amount of time that data may be reliably stored in an NVM system, performance of the NVM system may be throttled to reduce system temperatures and increase data retention time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Kevin M. Nguyen, David J. Yeh, Cheng P. Tan, Anthony Fai
  • Patent number: 9268681
    Abstract: A nonvolatile memory (“NVM”) buffer is incorporated into an NVM system between a volatile memory buffer and an NVM to decrease the size of the volatile memory buffer and organize data for programming to the NVM. Heterogeneous data paths may be are used for write and read operations such that the nonvolatile memory buffer is used only in certain situations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventor: Anthony Fai
  • Publication number: 20150325560
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for stacked semiconductor memory packages. Each package can include an integrated circuit (“IC”) package substrate capable of transmitting data to memory dies stacked within the package over two channels. Each channel can be located on one side of the IC package substrate, and signals from each channel can be routed to the memory dies from their respective sides.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2015
    Publication date: November 12, 2015
    Inventors: Anthony Fai, Evan R. Boyle, Zhiping Yang, Zhonghua Wu
  • Patent number: 9164680
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for improved communications in a nonvolatile memory (“NVM”) system. The system can toggle between multiple communications channels to provide point-to-point communications between a host device and NVM dies included in the system. The host device can toggle between multiple communications channels that extend to one or more memory controllers of the system, and the memory controllers can toggle between multiple communications channels that extend to the NVM dies. Power islands may be incorporated into the system to electrically isolate system components associated with inactive communications channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas C. Seroff, Anthony Fai, Nir Jacob Wakrat
  • Patent number: 9087846
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for stacked semiconductor memory packages. Each package can include an integrated circuit (“IC”) package substrate capable of transmitting data to memory dies stacked within the package over two channels. Each channel can be located on one side of the IC package substrate, and signals from each channel can be routed to the memory dies from their respective sides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Anthony Fai, Evan R. Boyle, Zhiping Yang, Zhonghua Wu
  • Patent number: 8966319
    Abstract: This document generally describes systems, devices, methods, and techniques for obtaining debug information from a memory device. Debug information can include a variety of information associated with a memory device that can be used for debugging the device, such as a sequence of operations performed by the memory device and information regarding errors that have occurred (e.g., type of error, component of memory device associated with error). A memory device can be instructed by a host to obtain and provide debug information to the host. A memory device can be configured to obtain particular debug information using a variety of features, such as triggers. For instance, a memory device can use a trigger to collect debug information related to failed erase operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony Fai, Nir Jacob Wakrat, Nicholas Seroff
  • Patent number: 8880779
    Abstract: In one implementation, a memory subsystem includes non-volatile memory, a memory controller that is communicatively connected to the non-volatile memory over a first bus, a host interface through which the memory controller communicates with a host controller over a second bus, and a joint test action group (JTAG) interface that provides the host controller with access to state information associated with the memory controller. The memory subsystem can be configured to be coupled to a board-level memory device that includes the host controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony Fai, Nir Jacob Wakrat, Nicholas Seroff
  • Publication number: 20140321189
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for stacked semiconductor memory devices. The stacked semiconductor memory devices can include a nonvolatile memory controller, a number of nonvolatile memory dies arranged in a stacked configuration, and a package substrate. The memory controller and the memory dies can be coupled to each other with vias that extend through the package substrate. A vertical interconnect process may be used to electrically connect the nonvolatile memory dies to each other, as well as other system components. The memory controller may be flip-chip bonded to external circuitry, such as another semiconductor device or a printed circuit board.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2014
    Publication date: October 30, 2014
    Inventors: Anthony Fai, Nicholas C. Seroff
  • Patent number: 8874828
    Abstract: Systems and methods for providing early hinting to nonvolatile memory charge pumps are disclosed. Charge pumps associated with one or more nonvolatile memory dies can be proactively activated based on a determination that a command queue of access requests contains at least a threshold number of consecutive access requests of the same type. Based on analysis of the command queue, the memory controller can transmit an early hint command to a nonvolatile memory die to proactively activate its charge pump to provide a voltage suitable for executing the consecutive access requests of the same type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony Fai, Nicholas C. Seroff
  • Patent number: 8862851
    Abstract: The disclosed architecture uses address mapping to map a block address on a host interface to an internal block address of a non-volatile memory (NVM) device. The block address is mapped to an internal chip select for selecting a Concurrently Addressable Unit (CAU) identified by the block address. The disclosed architecture supports generic NVM commands for read, write, erase and get status operations. The architecture also supports an extended command set for supporting read and write operations that leverage a multiple CAU architecture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Tahoma Toelkes, Nir Jacob Wakrat, Kenneth L Herman, Barry Corlett, Vadim Khmelnitsky, Anthony Fai, Daniel Jeffrey Post, Hsiao Thio
  • Publication number: 20140264906
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for stacked semiconductor memory packages. Each package can include an integrated circuit (“IC”) package substrate capable of transmitting data to memory dies stacked within the package over two channels. Each channel can be located on one side of the IC package substrate, and signals from each channel can be routed to the memory dies from their respective sides.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Anthony Fai, Evan R. Boyle, Zhiping Yang, Zhonghua Wu
  • Publication number: 20140264904
    Abstract: Memory systems and methods for creating the same are disclosed. The memory systems can include pairs of IC packages mounted on either side of a system substrate. Contacts formed on the IC packages can be communicatively coupled with contacts of a paired IC package using vias that extend through the system substrate. The IC packages can further communicate with a controller mounted on one side of the system substrate using the vias as well as conductive traces formed in the system substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Inventors: Anthony Fai, Evan R. Boyle, Zhiping Yang, Zhonghua Wu