Patents by Inventor Bruce L. Prickett

Bruce L. Prickett 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: 7788551
    Abstract: A method and system for repairing a memory. A test and repair wrapper is operable to be integrated with input/output (I/O) circuitry of a memory instance to form a wrapper I/O (WIO) block that is operable to receive test and repair information from a built-in self-test and repair (BISTR) processor. Logic circuitry associated with the WIO block is operable generate a current error signal that is used locally by the BISTR processor for providing a repair enable control signal in order to repair a faulty memory portion using a redundant memory portion without having to access a post-processing environment for repair signature generation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: Virage Logic Corp.
    Inventors: Niranjan Behera, Bruce L. Prickett, Jr., Yervant Zorian
  • Patent number: 7539590
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for testing a memory at speed. A test and repair wrapper integrated with a memory instance is operable to receive test information scanned in from a built-in self-test and repair (BISTR) processor. Logic circuitry associated with the test and repair wrapper is operable to generate address, data and command signals based on the scanned test information, wherein the signals are used for effectuating one or more tests with respect to the memory instance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2009
    Assignee: Virage Logic Corp.
    Inventors: Niranjan Behera, Bruce L. Prickett, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20080301507
    Abstract: A method and system for repairing a memory. A test and repair wrapper is operable to be integrated with input/output (I/O) circuitry of a memory instance to form a wrapper I/O (WIO) block that is operable to receive test and repair information from a built-in self-test and repair (BISTR) processor. Logic circuitry associated with the WIO block is operable generate a current error signal that is used locally by the BISTR processor for providing a repair enable control signal in order to repair a faulty memory portion using a redundant memory portion without having to access a post-processing environment for repair signature generation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2008
    Publication date: December 4, 2008
    Applicant: Virage Logic Corp.
    Inventors: Niranjan Behera, Bruce L. Prickett, JR., Yervant Zorian
  • Patent number: 7415641
    Abstract: A method and system for repairing a memory. A test and repair wrapper is operable to be integrated with input/output (I/O) circuitry of a memory instance to form a wrapper I/O (WIO) block that is operable to receive test and repair information from a built-in self-test and repair (BISTR) processor. Logic circuitry associated with the WIO block is operable generate a current error signal that is used locally by the BISTR processor for providing a repair enable control signal in order to repair a faulty memory portion using a redundant memory portion without having to access a post-processing environment for repair signature generation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2008
    Assignee: Virage Logic Corp.
    Inventors: Niranjan Behera, Bruce L. Prickett, Jr., Yervant Zorian
  • Patent number: 7031866
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for testing a memory at speed. A test and repair wrapper integrated with a memory instance is operable to receive test information scanned in from a built-in self-test and repair (BISTR) processor. Logic circuitry associated with the test and repair wrapper is operable to generate address, data and command signals based on the scanned test information, wherein the signals are used for effectuating one or more tests with respect to the memory instance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Virage Logic Corp.
    Inventors: Niranjan Behera, Bruce L. Prickett, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6867645
    Abstract: A pulse width modulation scheme allows the creation of a unipolar pulse width modulated output signal. Two switching circuits (104, 204), preferably different legs of an inverter circuit, can operate to not only modulate an input voltage but also to reverse the polarity of the PWM output signal. Both switching circuits can be configured to accomplish both features, thus the switching load is spread out across all four switches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2005
    Assignee: Daydreams LLC
    Inventors: Zahid Ansari, Bruce L. Prickett, Jonathan Andrew Guy
  • Patent number: 5856944
    Abstract: A method of repairing over-erased flash EPROM cells (10) includes erasing the cells (12) and repairing the cells by a self-converging repair with a control gate bias (14), on a column by column basis. The self-converging repair includes grounding the sources (104) of the cells in a column, applying a pulsed bias voltage to the control gates of the cells (110), and a pulsed positive voltage to the drains of the cells (106). By varying the bias voltage at the control gate, the resulting threshold voltage of the cells after repair can be modulated to be greater than or less than an inherent steady state convergence value. Once one column of cells is repaired, the process is repeated on a subsequent column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1999
    Assignee: Alliance Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Bruce L. Prickett, Jr., Ritu Shrivastava
  • Patent number: 5513147
    Abstract: A row driving circuit (10) having a reduced number of transistors provides range of row deselect voltages, and eliminates the need for an NMOS pull-down device. The row driving circuit (10) has a-level shifter (14) formed by a PMOS input pull transistor P1 that is drain coupled at node V 10 to an NMOS input transistor N1. N1 functions as passgate for a row select signal and inverted row select signal applied to its gate and source respectively. A PMOS row pull-up transistor P2 has its gate coupled to V 10, its source coupled to a variable positive supply voltage (12), and its drain coupled to the source of a PMOS row select transistor P3. The drain and gate of P3 are coupled to switching circuits S 11 and S 12 respectively. S 11 and S 12 provide gate and drain voltages to quickly deselect the row by pulling the row to a negative deselect voltage. A PMOS erase transistor is also source coupled to the row with its gate coupled to switching circuit S 13 and its drain coupled to switching circuit S14.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 30, 1996
    Assignee: Alliance Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventor: Bruce L. Prickett, Jr.