Patents by Inventor Dumitru Cioaca

Dumitru Cioaca 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: 9165666
    Abstract: A power supply, and a method of controlling the power supply, in which more or less power capacity of the power supply is activated depending on the state of a digital data signal on a data bus. The power supply has a control circuit which detects the number of “zero” bits present on the data bus, and responsively activates one or more of a plurality of power supply circuits such as charge pump circuits. The outputs of the charge pump circuits are mutually connected to a driver adapted to program memory cells of a flash memory circuit. A charge pump apparatus and a memory integrated circuit are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventor: Dumitru Cioaca
  • Publication number: 20120084577
    Abstract: A power supply, and a method of controlling the power supply, in which more or less power capacity of the power supply is activated depending on the state of a digital data signal on a data bus. The power supply has a control circuit which detects the number of “zero” bits present on the data bus, and responsively activates one or more of a plurality of power supply circuits such as charge pump circuits. The outputs of the charge pump circuits are mutually connected to a driver adapted to program memory cells of a flash memory circuit. A charge pump apparatus and a memory integrated circuit are also described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2011
    Publication date: April 5, 2012
    Inventor: Dumitru Cioaca
  • Patent number: 8082456
    Abstract: A power supply, and a method of controlling the power supply, in which more or less power capacity of the power supply is activated depending on the state of a digital data signal on a data bus. The power supply has a control circuit which detects the number of “zero” bits present on the data bus, and responsively activates one or more of a plurality of power supply circuits such as charge pump circuits. The outputs of the charge pump circuits are mutually connected to a driver adapted to program memory cells of a flash memory circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2011
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Dumitru Cioaca
  • Publication number: 20080313392
    Abstract: A power supply, and a method of controlling the power supply, in which more or less power capacity of the power supply is activated depending on the state of a digital data signal on a data bus. The power supply has a control circuit which detects the number of “zero” bits present on the data bus, and responsively activates one or more of a plurality of power supply circuits such as charge pump circuits. The outputs of the charge pump circuits are mutually connected to a driver adapted to program memory cells of a flash memory circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2008
    Publication date: December 18, 2008
    Inventor: Dumitru Cioaca
  • Patent number: 7424629
    Abstract: A power supply, and a method of controlling the power supply, in which more or less power capacity of the power supply is activated depending on the state of a digital data signal on a data bus. The power supply has a control circuit which detects the number of “zero” bits present on the data bus, and responsively activates one or more of a plurality of power supply circuits such as charge pump circuits. The outputs of the charge pump circuits are mutually connected to a driver adapted to program memory cells of a flash memory circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2008
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Dumitru Cioaca
  • Patent number: 7240147
    Abstract: Memory device is described that utilizes a reduced number of sense amplifiers to sense the data bits of a selected column page. The sense amplifiers are multiplexed and the read data values latched, allowing the sense amplifiers to sense the next set of data lines from the selected column page before the currently latched values have been read out. A specialized decoder and a latch control circuit allows there to be no gaps or latencies while reading data from the memory due to reloading the read latches or in multiplexing the sense amplifiers. The design allows there to be no gaps or latencies while reading data from the memory due to reloading the read latches or multiplexing the sense amplifiers to sense a following set of data bit lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2007
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Dumitru Cioaca
  • Publication number: 20070050651
    Abstract: A power supply, and a method of controlling the power supply, in which more or less power capacity of the power supply is activated depending on the state of a digital data signal on a data bus. The power supply has a control circuit which detects the number of “zero” bits present on the data bus, and responsively activates one or more of a plurality of power supply circuits such as charge pump circuits. The outputs of the charge pump circuits are mutually connected to a driver adapted to program memory cells of a flash memory circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2006
    Publication date: March 1, 2007
    Inventor: Dumitru Cioaca
  • Patent number: 7149143
    Abstract: Memory device is described that utilizes a reduced number of sense amplifiers to sense the data bits of a selected column page. The sense amplifiers are multiplexed and the read data values latched, allowing the sense amplifiers to sense the next set of data lines from the selected column page before the currently latched values have been read out. A specialized decoder and a latch control circuit allows there to be no gaps or latencies while reading data from the memory due to reloading the read latches or in multiplexing the sense amplifiers. The design allows there to be no gaps or latencies while reading data from the memory due to reloading the read latches or multiplexing the sense amplifiers to sense a following set of data bit lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2006
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Dumitru Cioaca
  • Patent number: 7114084
    Abstract: A power supply, and a method of controlling the power supply, in which more or less power capacity of the power supply is activated depending on the state of a digital data signal on a data bus. The power supply has a control circuit which detects the number of “zero” bits present on the data bus, and responsively activates one or more of a plurality of power supply circuits such as charge pump circuits. The outputs of the charge pump circuits are mutually connected to a driver adapted to program memory cells of a flash memory circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2006
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Dumitru Cioaca
  • Publication number: 20060198212
    Abstract: Memory device is described that utilizes a reduced number of sense amplifiers to sense the data bits of a selected column page. The sense amplifiers are multiplexed and the read data values latched, allowing the sense amplifiers to sense the next set of data lines from the selected column page before the currently latched values have been read out. A specialized decoder and a latch control circuit allows there to be no gaps or latencies while reading data from the memory due to reloading the read latches or in multiplexing the sense amplifiers. The design allows there to be no gaps or latencies while reading data from the memory due to reloading the read latches or multiplexing the sense amplifiers to sense a following set of data bit lines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2006
    Publication date: September 7, 2006
    Inventor: Dumitru Cioaca
  • Patent number: 7095658
    Abstract: Memory device is described that utilizes a reduced number of sense amplifiers to sense the data bits of a selected column page. The sense amplifiers are multiplexed and the read data values latched, allowing the sense amplifiers to sense the next set of data lines from the selected column page before the currently latched values have been read out. A specialized decoder and a latch control circuit allows there to be no gaps or latencies while reading data from the memory due to reloading the read latches or in multiplexing the sense amplifiers. The design allows there to be no gaps or latencies while reading data from the memory due to reloading the read latches or multiplexing the sense amplifiers to sense a following set of data bit lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2006
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Dumitru Cioaca
  • Patent number: 7093062
    Abstract: Memory device is described that utilizes a reduced number of sense amplifiers to sense the data bits of a selected column page. The sense amplifiers are multiplexed and the read data values latched, allowing the sense amplifiers to sense the next set of data lines from the selected column page before the currently latched values have been read out. A specialized decoder and a latch control circuit allows there to be no gaps or latencies while reading data from the memory due to reloading the read latches or in multiplexing the sense amplifiers. The design allows there to be no gaps or latencies while reading data from the memory due to reloading the read latches or multiplexing the sense amplifiers to sense a following set of data bit lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Dumitru Cioaca
  • Publication number: 20060098522
    Abstract: Memory device is described that utilizes a reduced number of sense amplifiers to sense the data bits of a selected column page. The sense amplifiers are multiplexed and the read data values latched, allowing the sense amplifiers to sense the next set of data lines from the selected column page before the currently latched values have been read out. A specialized decoder and a latch control circuit allows there to be no gaps or latencies while reading data from the memory due to reloading the read latches or in multiplexing the sense amplifiers. The design allows there to be no gaps or latencies while reading data from the memory due to reloading the read latches or multiplexing the sense amplifiers to sense a following set of data bit lines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2005
    Publication date: May 11, 2006
    Inventor: Dumitru Cioaca
  • Publication number: 20060092718
    Abstract: Memory device is described that utilizes a reduced number of sense amplifiers to sense the data bits of a selected column page. The sense amplifiers are multiplexed and the read data values latched, allowing the sense amplifiers to sense the next set of data lines from the selected column page before the currently latched values have been read out. A specialized decoder and a latch control circuit allows there to be no gaps or latencies while reading data from the memory due to reloading the read latches or in multiplexing the sense amplifiers. The design allows there to be no gaps or latencies while reading data from the memory due to reloading the read latches or multiplexing the sense amplifiers to sense a following set of data bit lines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2005
    Publication date: May 4, 2006
    Inventor: Dumitru Cioaca
  • Patent number: 6949953
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing a preselected voltage to test or repair a semiconductor device. The apparatus includes a one-stage pump and a transfer device. The one-stage pump is adapted to access a first voltage and provide a second voltage using the first voltage. The transfer device is capable of providing the first voltage to a node using the second voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2005
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Dumitru Cioaca
  • Patent number: 6906965
    Abstract: An output buffer circuit that compensates for ambient temperature changes facilitates more consistent current drive capacity across a range of ambient temperatures. The number of output buffer stages utilized to generate the data output signal is varied in response to changes in ambient temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2005
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Dumitru Cioaca
  • Patent number: 6900625
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for compensating for a decreasing internal voltage that is generated from a higher external voltage. In response to the internal voltage decreasing in excess of a voltage margin, the amount by which the higher external voltage is reduced in generating the internal voltage is adjusted to raise the internal voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2005
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Christophe J. Chevallier, Dumitru Cioaca
  • Patent number: 6885589
    Abstract: A symmetrical divide-by-2 circuit has a master latch made up of two inverters. The circuit has an inverter on each output. The capacitance of these inverters forms a dynamic slave latch that is connected to the master latch through a transmission gate on each master latch output. The data is transferred from the master latch to the dynamic slave latch every clock cycle by an enable clock and an inverse of the enable clock. Capacitance leakage is reduced by the transmission gates until the next clock cycle. The circuit is clocked by a one-shot clock that is self-aligning to the latest transition of either the enable clock or inverse enable clock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2005
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Dumitru Cioaca
  • Patent number: 6842385
    Abstract: A transition of an external enable signal generates a reset pulse to a counter to set the counter into a known state. The counter, clocked by the external clock signal, generates a clock signal that is decoded by a fuse decoder circuit. The fuse decoder circuit outputs a selection signal to a trim circuit. The trim circuit produces a voltage selection signal, such as a resistance value, that is indicated by the selection signal for use by an internal reference voltage generation circuit. The output of the internal reference voltage generation circuit is compared to the external reference voltage. The counter circuit continues counting until the internal reference voltage is equal to or greater than the external reference voltage. The counter is disabled and the final count that produced the proper internal reference voltage is stored in non-volatile memory cells for future use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2005
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Dumitru Cioaca, Christophe Chevallier, Al Vahidimowlavi, Frankie Fariborz Roohparvar
  • Publication number: 20040264251
    Abstract: A symmetrical divide-by-2 circuit has a master latch made up of two inverters. The circuit has an inverter on each output. The capacitance of these inverters forms a dynamic slave latch that is connected to the master latch through a transmission gate on each master latch output. The data is transferred from the master latch to the dynamic slave latch every clock cycle by an enable clock and an inverse of the enable clock. Capacitance leakage is reduced by the transmission gates until the next clock cycle. The circuit is clocked by a one-shot clock that is self-aligning to the latest transition of either the enable clock or inverse enable clock.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2004
    Publication date: December 30, 2004
    Applicant: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Dumitru Cioaca