Abstract: A low voltage DC/DC converter (LDC) control apparatus for controlling an LDC including a transformer and a PWM controller is provided. The low voltage DC/DC converter (LDC) control apparatus includes an input current calculating unit calculating an input current of the LDC by using magnetization inductance information on the transformer and effective duty information on the PWM controller; an output current calculating unit calculating the instantaneous value and average value of an output current based on the input current calculated by the input current calculating unit; and an LDC control unit generating a control signal for over current protection (OCP) or power limit based on the instantaneous value and average value of the output current calculated by the output current calculating unit, wherein the LDC control unit outputs the generated control signal to the PWM controller.

Abstract: At least one refresh without scrubbing is performed on a corresponding portion of the memory device with a first frequency. In addition, at least one refresh with scrubbing is performed on a corresponding portion of the memory device with a second frequency less than the first frequency. Accordingly, refresh operations with data scrubbing are performed to prevent data error accumulation. Furthermore, refresh operations without data scrubbing are also performed to reduce undue power consumption from the data scrubbing.

Abstract: A refresh method for a volatile memory device includes refreshing memory cells of a first set of rows of an array at a first refresh rate having a first refresh period, the first refresh rate being a lower rate having a longer refresh period than a second refresh rate having a second refresh period, wherein each memory cell in the first set of rows of the array has a retention time longer than the first refresh period; and refreshing memory cells of a second set of rows of the array at a third refresh rate having a third refresh period, the third refresh rate being a higher rate having a shorter refresh period than the second refresh rate having the second refresh period, wherein at least one memory cell of each row of the second set of rows has a retention time longer than the third refresh period and shorter than the first refresh period. The second refresh period corresponds to a refresh period defined in a standard for the volatile memory device.

Abstract: A non-volatile memory device including a cell array, which includes a plurality of memory cells, and a sense amplification circuit. The sense amplification circuit is configured to receive a data voltage of a memory cell, a first reference voltage and a second reference voltage during a data read operation of the memory cell, generate differential output signals based on a voltage level difference between the data voltage and the first and second reference voltages, and output the differential output signals as data read from the memory cell.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory device may include a cell array comprising a plurality of memory cells, each memory cell connected to a word line and a bit line, the cell array divided into a plurality of blocks, each block including a plurality of word lines, the plurality of blocks including at least a first defective block; a nonvolatile storage circuit configured to store address information of the first defective block, and to output the address information to an external device; and a fuse circuit configured to cut off an activation of word lines of the first defective block.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for rapid charging in an electronic device are provided. In a method for charging a battery of an electronic device, an operation environment of the electronic device is determined. A charging current corresponding to the operation environment of the electronic device is set. Battery charging is started using the set charging current. The battery is charged using a maximum allowed charging current, such that a battery charging time may be reduced.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for measuring airborne microorganisms in real time using a microorganism lysis system and ATP bioluminescence, the method including sampling the airborne microorganisms in a particle classification device to which an ATP-reactive luminescent agent is applied and, at the same time, lysing the microorganisms in a microorganism lysis system under continuous operation to extract adenosine triphosphate (ATP) of the microorganisms sampled in the particle classification device, thus inducing a luminescent reaction between the ATP-reactive luminescent agent and the ATP of the particle classification device in real time; and measuring the concentration of microorganisms using a light receiving device. According to the detection method using ATP organism illumination, the floating microorganisms in the gas phase can be readily detected and the detection can be automatically conducted in real time without manual labor.

Abstract: A memory device includes a repair circuit including a fail bit location information table configured to store row and column addresses of a defective cell in a normal area of a memory cell array. The repair circuit also includes a row address comparison unit configured to compare the row address of the defective cell with a row address of a first access cell received from the outside, and to output a first row match signal when the defective cell's row address matches the row address of the first access cell, and a column address comparison unit configured to compare the column address of the defective cell with a column address of the first access cell received from the outside, and to output a first column address replacement signal if the column address of the defective cell is the same as the column address of the first access cell.

Abstract: The semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array and an error correction code (ECC) circuit. The memory cell array is divided into a first memory region and a second memory region. Each of the first and second memory regions includes a plurality of pages each page including a plurality of memory cells connected to a word line. The ECC circuit corrects single-bit errors of the first memory region using parity bits. The first memory region provides a consecutive address space to an external device by correcting the single-bit errors using the ECC circuit and the second memory region is reserved for repairing at least one of a first failed page of the first memory region or a second failed page of the second memory region.

Abstract: In a method of operating a memory device, a command and a first address from a memory controller are received. A read code word including a first set of data corresponding to the first address, a second set of data corresponding to a second address and a read parity data is read from a memory cell array of the memory device. Corrected data are generated by operating error checking and correction (ECC) using an ECC circuit based on the read cord word.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a first memory region including a plurality of memory cells; a test unit configured to test the first memory region, and detect a weak bit from among the plurality of memory cells; and a second memory region configured to store a weak bit address (WBA) of the first memory region, and data intended to be stored in the weak bit, wherein the first memory region and the second memory region include different types of memory cells.

Abstract: Provided is a memory module including a buffer chip controlling refresh operations. The buffer chip issues a hidden refresh command controlling refresh operations for the memory chips, and outputs a wait signal indicating that the memory chips are in refresh.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory device is provided which includes a memory cell group and a fuse cell group including at least one fuse cell to store a failed address corresponding to a defective memory cell in the memory cell group; a spare cell group including a spare memory cell configured to replace the defective memory cell included in the memory cell group; a data sensing/selection circuit configured to read data stored in the memory cell group and the spare cell group in response to an activation of the word line; a fuse sense amplifier configured to read the failed address in response to the activation of the word line; and a repair logic circuit configured to control the data sensing/selection circuit in response to the failed address such that the defective memory cell in the memory cell group is replaced by the spare memory cell.

Abstract: A memory device used with a relaxed timing requirement specification according to temperatures, an operation method thereof, and a memory controller and a memory system using the memory device are provided. The memory device has a first timing characteristic at a first temperature and a second timing characteristic that is longer than the first timing characteristic at a second temperature. If a temperature of the memory device is higher than a reference temperature, the memory controller controls the first timing characteristic as a timing requirement specification of the memory device. If the temperature of the memory device is lower than the reference temperature, the memory controller controls the second timing characteristic as the timing requirement specification of the memory device.

Abstract: Provided is a refresh method of a volatile memory device. The method includes: detecting a number of disturbances that affect a second memory area as the number of accesses to a first memory area is increased; outputting an alert signal from the volatile memory device to an outside of the volatile memory device when the detected number of disturbances reach a reference value; and performing a refresh operation on the second memory area in response to the alert signal.

Abstract: A refresh address is generated with a refresh period for refreshing a memory device with refresh leveraging. A respective refresh is performed on a weak cell having a first address when the refresh address is a second address instead of on a first strong cell having the second address. A respective refresh is performed on one of the first strong cell or a second strong cell having a third address when the refresh address is the third address. Address information is stored for only one of the first, second, and third addresses such that memory capacity may be reduced. In alternative aspects, a respective refresh is performed on one of a weak cell, a first strong cell, or a second strong cell depending on a flag when the refresh address is any of at least one predetermined address to result in refresh leveraging.

Abstract: Provided are a memory device and a memory module, which perform both an ECC operation and a redundancy repair operation. The memory device repairs a single-bit error due to a ‘fail’ cell by using an error correction code (ECC) operation, and also repairs the ‘fail’ cell by using a redundancy repair operation when the ‘fail’ cell is not repairable by the ECC operation. The redundancy repair operation includes a data line repair and a block repair. The ECC operation may change a codeword corresponding to data per one unit of memory cells including the ‘fail’ cell, and may also change the size of parity bits regarding the changed codeword.

Abstract: A memory system includes a memory controller to control a first memory device and a second memory device. The first and second memory devices are different in terms of at least one of physical distance from the memory controller, a manner of connection to the memory controller, error correction capability, or memory supply voltage. The first and second memory devices also have different latencies.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory device is disclosed. The semiconductor memory device includes a memory array block, a first word line and a second word line. The memory array block includes a plurality of adjacent columns of memory cells, each column of memory cells including a plurality of consecutive memory cells having a plurality of respective consecutive cell transistors that comprise at least a first group of cell transistors and a second group of cell transistors. The first word line is disposed above the plurality of respective consecutive cell transistors and electrically connected to the first group of cell transistors, and the second word line is disposed below the plurality of respective consecutive cell transistors and electrically connected to the second group of cell transistors.

Abstract: A method of accessing a semiconductor memory is disclosed which includes outputting a row address and an active command to the semiconductor memory; outputting a column address and a read or write command to the semiconductor memory; and outputting a spare access command to the semiconductor memory to access data from a spare memory cell at a timing based on an additive latency of the semiconductor memory. Related devices and systems are also disclosed.