Patents by Inventor Francesco La Rosa

Francesco La Rosa 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).

  • Publication number: 20250151269
    Abstract: An integrated circuit includes a semiconductor substrate and at least one memory cell provided with a vertical gate selection transistor buried in the substrate and a floating gate state transistor. The floating gate state transistor covers a first active region and a second active region of the substrate delimited by lateral isolation regions. The memory cell includes a lateral isolation region thickness (in breadth) dimension between a sidewall of the vertical gate of the buried transistor and the second active region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2024
    Publication date: May 8, 2025
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Madjid AKBAL, Franck MELUL, Arnaud REGNIER, Francesco LA ROSA
  • Publication number: 20250111876
    Abstract: Unclonable function circuitry includes a plurality of pairs of phase-change memory cells in a virgin state, and sensing circuitry coupled to the plurality of pairs of phase-change memory cells in the virgin state. The sensing circuitry identifies a subset of the plurality of pairs of phase-change memory cells in the virgin state based on a reliability mask. Signs of differences of effective resistance values of the identified subset of the plurality of pairs of phase-change memory cells in the virgin state are sensed by the sensing circuitry. The sensing circuitry generates a string of bits based on the sensed signs of differences in the effective resistance values of the identified subset of the plurality of pairs of phase-change memory cells in the virgin state. Processing circuitry coupled to the unclonable function circuitry, in operation, executes one or more operations using the generated string of bits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2024
    Publication date: April 3, 2025
    Applicants: STMICROELECTRONICS S.r.l., STMICROELECTRONICS (ROUSSET) SAS
    Inventors: Antonino CONTE, Francesco LA ROSA
  • Patent number: 12244228
    Abstract: In an embodiment a device includes a supply node configured to receive a supply voltage, an output node configured to provide an output voltage, a plurality of switching stages coupled to the supply node and to the output node, a sensing circuit coupled to the supply node and configured to provide at least one sensing signal based on the supply voltage and a driver circuit coupled to the sensing circuit and to the plurality of switching stages, wherein the driver circuit is configured to provide the drive signal based on at least one sensing signal exceeding or failing to exceed at least one reference voltage level and to selectively bypass a selected number of the plurality of switching stages based on the drive signal thereby varying an output voltage level at the output node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2025
    Assignees: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS, STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Francesca Grande, Francesco La Rosa, Maria Giaquinta, Alfredo Signorello
  • Patent number: 12230357
    Abstract: The present description concerns an electronic device including: a first input configured to receive a clock signal, coupled by a first input buffer to a first circuit; and at least an output coupled by an output buffer to the first circuit, the output buffer being synchronized on first edges of the clock signal, wherein the first input buffer includes a data input coupled to the first input and is configured to maintain the value on its output constant whatever the value on its data input during a duration following each first edge of the clock signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2025
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Francesco La Rosa, Thierry Giovinazzi
  • Patent number: 12205650
    Abstract: An integrated circuit comprises a memory device including a memory plane having non-volatile memory cells and being non-observable in read mode from outside the memory device, a controller, internal to the memory device, configured to detect the memorized content of the memory plane, and when the memorized content contains locking content, automatically lock any access to the memory plane from outside the memory device, the integrated circuit then being in a locked status, and authorize delivery outside the memory device of at least one sensitive datum stored in the memory plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2025
    Assignees: STMICROELECTRONICS (ROUSSET) SAS, STMICROELECTRONICS INTERNATIONAL N V
    Inventors: Francesco La Rosa, Marco Bildgen
  • Publication number: 20250023569
    Abstract: In an embodiment an integrated device includes a first physical unclonable function module configured to generate an initial data group and management module configured to generate an output data group from at least the initial data group, authorize only D successive deliveries of the output data group on a first output interface of the device, D being a non-zero positive integer, and prevent any new generation of the output data group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2024
    Publication date: January 16, 2025
    Inventors: Francesco La Rosa, Marco Bildgen
  • Patent number: 12198756
    Abstract: Unclonable function circuitry includes a plurality of pairs of phase-change memory cells in a virgin state, and sensing circuitry coupled to the plurality of pairs of phase-change memory cells in the virgin state. The sensing circuitry identifies a subset of the plurality of pairs of phase-change memory cells in the virgin state based on a reliability mask. Signs of differences of effective resistance values of the identified subset of the plurality of pairs of phase-change memory cells in the virgin state are sensed by the sensing circuitry. The sensing circuitry generates a string of bits based on the sensed signs of differences in the effective resistance values of the identified subset of the plurality of pairs of phase-change memory cells in the virgin state. Processing circuitry coupled to the unclonable function circuitry, in operation, executes one or more operations using the generated string of bits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignees: STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L., STMICROELECTRONICS (ROUSSET) SAS
    Inventors: Antonino Conte, Francesco La Rosa
  • Patent number: 12174909
    Abstract: In an embodiment a method programming floating gate transistors belonging to non-volatile memory cells to multilevel threshold voltages respectively corresponding to the weight factors, performing a sensing operation of the programmed floating gate transistors with a control signal adapted to make the corresponding memory cells become conductive at an instant determined by a respective programmed threshold voltage, performing the convolutional computation by using the input values during an elapsed time for each memory cell to become conductive and outputting output values resulting from the convolutional computation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignees: STMicroelectronics S.r.l., STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Francesco La Rosa, Antonino Conte
  • Publication number: 20240404596
    Abstract: First, second input terminals of a sense amplifier are coupled to first, second memory sensing nodes. A first input transistor has a channel arranged between a first comparator input and a first comparator output, and a control terminal at a bias node. A second input transistor has a channel arranged between a second comparator input and a second comparator output, and a control terminal at a bias node. The first and second comparator inputs are selectively couplable to each other, in response to compensation signal assertion, or to the first and second input terminals, in response to compensation signal de-assertion. The bias node is selectively couplable to a comparator biasing node in response to bias enable assertion, or is floating in response to the bias enable de-assertion. A sensing circuit produces a read signal as a function of a difference between first, second currents at the comparator outputs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2024
    Publication date: December 5, 2024
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Antonino CONTE, Francesco LA ROSA
  • Publication number: 20240404595
    Abstract: A sense amplifier circuit includes first, second inputs coupled to first, second memory sensing nodes, respectively. A sensing circuit operates to sense a differential signal between the first, second inputs. A first boosting capacitor has a first terminal coupled to the first input and a second terminal coupled to a switchable node. A second boosting capacitor has a first terminal coupled to the second input and a second terminal coupled to the switchable node. Control circuitry operates, responsive to a bitline boost activation signal having a first value, to couple the first terminals of the first, second boosting capacitors to a regulated supply voltage and drive the switchable node to ground. Responsive to the bitline boost activation signal having a second value, the first terminals of the first, second boosting capacitors are decoupled from the regulated supply voltage and the switchable node is driven to the regulated supply voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2024
    Publication date: December 5, 2024
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Antonino CONTE, Francesco LA ROSA
  • Patent number: 12143108
    Abstract: In an embodiment an integrated device includes a first physical unclonable function module configured to generate an initial data group and management module configured to generate an output data group from at least the initial data group, authorize only D successive deliveries of the output data group on a first output interface of the device, D being a non-zero positive integer, and prevent any new generation of the output data group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignees: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS, STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Francesco La Rosa, Marco Bildgen
  • Patent number: 12125533
    Abstract: In an embodiment a non-volatile memory device includes a memory plane including at least one memory area including an array of memory cells having two rows and N columns, wherein each memory cell comprises a state transistor having a control gate and a floating gate selectable by a vertical selection transistor buried in a substrate and including a buried selection gate, and wherein each column of memory cells includes a pair of twin memory cells, two selection transistors of the pair of twin memory cells having a common selection gate and a processing device configured to store in the memory area information including a succession of N bits so that, with exception of the last bit of the succession, a current bit of the succession is stored in two memory cells located on the same row and on two adjacent columns and a current bit and the following bit are respectively stored in two twin cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignees: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS, STMicroelectronics International N. V.
    Inventors: Francesco La Rosa, Marco Bildgen
  • Publication number: 20240296253
    Abstract: An embodiment system comprises a physical unclonable function device, wherein the device comprises a first assembly of non-volatile memory cells each having a selection transistor embedded in a semiconductor substrate and a depletion-type state transistor having a control gate and a floating gate that are electrically connected, the state transistors having respective effective threshold voltages belonging to a common random distribution, and a processing circuit configured to deliver, to an output interface of the device, a group of output data based on a reading of the effective threshold voltages of the state transistors of the memory cells of the first assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2024
    Publication date: September 5, 2024
    Inventor: Francesco La Rosa
  • Patent number: 12057180
    Abstract: In an embodiment a non-volatile memory device includes a memory array having a plurality of memory cells, a control unit operatively coupled to the memory array, a biasing stage controllable by the control unit and configured to apply a biasing configuration to the memory cells to perform a memory operation and a reading stage coupled to the memory array and controllable by the control unit, the reading stage configured to verify whether the memory operation has been successful based on a verify level, wherein the control unit is configured to adaptively modify a value of the verify level based on an ageing of the memory cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2024
    Assignees: STMicroelectronics S.r.l., STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Francesco La Rosa, Antonino Conte, Francois Maugain
  • Patent number: 12001593
    Abstract: An embodiment system comprises a physical unclonable function device, wherein the device comprises a first assembly of non-volatile memory cells each having a selection transistor embedded in a semiconductor substrate and a depletion-type state transistor having a control gate and a floating gate that are electrically connected, the state transistors having respective effective threshold voltages belonging to a common random distribution, and a processing circuit configured to deliver, to an output interface of the device, a group of output data based on a reading of the effective threshold voltages of the state transistors of the memory cells of the first assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2024
    Assignee: STMICROELECTRONICS (ROUSSET) SAS
    Inventor: Francesco La Rosa
  • Publication number: 20230318450
    Abstract: In an embodiment a device includes a supply node configured to receive a supply voltage, an output node configured to provide an output voltage, a plurality of switching stages coupled to the supply node and to the output node, a sensing circuit coupled to the supply node and configured to provide at least one sensing signal based on the supply voltage and a driver circuit coupled to the sensing circuit and to the plurality of switching stages, wherein the driver circuit is configured to provide the drive signal based on at least one sensing signal exceeding or failing to exceed at least one reference voltage level and to selectively bypass a selected number of the plurality of switching stages based on the drive signal thereby varying an output voltage level at the output node.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2023
    Publication date: October 5, 2023
    Inventors: Francesca Grande, Francesco La Rosa, Maria Giaquinta, Alfredo Signorello
  • Publication number: 20230282286
    Abstract: An integrated circuit comprises a memory device including a memory plane having non-volatile memory cells and being non-observable in read mode from outside the memory device, a controller, internal to the memory device, configured to detect the memorized content of the memory plane, and when the memorized content contains locking content, automatically lock any access to the memory plane from outside the memory device, the integrated circuit then being in a locked status, and authorize delivery outside the memory device of at least one sensitive datum stored in the memory plane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2023
    Publication date: September 7, 2023
    Inventors: Francesco La Rosa, Marco Bildgen
  • Publication number: 20230238060
    Abstract: Unclonable function circuitry includes a plurality of pairs of phase-change memory cells in a virgin state, and sensing circuitry coupled to the plurality of pairs of phase-change memory cells in the virgin state. The sensing circuitry identifies a subset of the plurality of pairs of phase-change memory cells in the virgin state based on a reliability mask. Signs of differences of effective resistance values of the identified subset of the plurality of pairs of phase-change memory cells in the virgin state are sensed by the sensing circuitry. The sensing circuitry generates a string of bits based on the sensed signs of differences in the effective resistance values of the identified subset of the plurality of pairs of phase-change memory cells in the virgin state. Processing circuitry coupled to the unclonable function circuitry, in operation, executes one or more operations using the generated string of bits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2023
    Publication date: July 27, 2023
    Applicants: STMICROELECTRONICS S.r.l., STMICROELECTRONICS (ROUSSET) SAS
    Inventors: Antonino CONTE, Francesco LA ROSA
  • Patent number: 11615857
    Abstract: A semiconductor well of a non-volatile memory houses memory cells. The memory cells each have a floating gate and a control gate. Erasing of the memory cells includes biasing the semiconductor well with a first erase voltage having an absolute value greater than a breakdown voltage level of bipolar junctions of a control gate switching circuit of the memory. An absolute value of the first erase voltage is based on a comparison of a value of an indication of wear of the memory cells to a wear threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignees: STMICROELECTRONICS S.r.l., STMICROELECTRONICS (ROUSSET) SAS
    Inventors: Francesco La Rosa, Enrico Castaldo, Francesca Grande, Santi Nunzio Antonino Pagano, Giuseppe Nastasi, Franco Italiano
  • Publication number: 20230091464
    Abstract: In an embodiment a non-volatile memory device includes a memory array having a plurality of memory cells, a control unit operatively coupled to the memory array, a biasing stage controllable by the control unit and configured to apply a biasing configuration to the memory cells to perform a memory operation and a reading stage coupled to the memory array and controllable by the control unit, the reading stage configured to verify whether the memory operation has been successful based on a verify level, wherein the control unit is configured to adaptively modify a value of the verify level based on an ageing of the memory cells.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2022
    Publication date: March 23, 2023
    Inventors: Francesco La Rosa, Antonino Conte, Francois Maugain