Patents by Inventor Hernan A. Castro

Hernan A. Castro 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: 10803937
    Abstract: Methods, a memory device, and a system are disclosed. One such method includes providing a first pulse to one of multiple bit lines of a variable resistance memory structure at a first time using a first transistor, a second pulse to the one of the multiple bit lines at a second time later than the first time using the first transistor, and a third pulse to the one of the multiple bit lines at a third time later than the second time using a second transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Hernan A. Castro, Jeremy M. Hirst, Eric S. Carman
  • Publication number: 20200323083
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for buried lines and related fabrication techniques are described. An electronic device (e.g., an integrated circuit) may include multiple buried lines at multiple layers of a stack. For example, a first layer of the stack may include multiple buried lines formed based on a pattern of vias formed at an upper layer of the stack. The pattern of vias may be formed in a wide variety of spatial configurations, and may allow for conductive material to be deposited at a buried target layer. In some cases, buried lines may be formed at multiple layers of the stack concurrently.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2020
    Publication date: October 8, 2020
    Inventors: Hernan Castro, Stephen W. Russell, Stephen H. Tang
  • Patent number: 10796765
    Abstract: In an example, a plurality of signal pulses is applied across a plurality of memory cells concurrently until each respective memory cell reaches a desired state. Each respective memory cell is commonly coupled to a first signal line and is coupled to a different respective second signal line. Each signal pulse causes each respective memory cell to move toward the desired state by causing each respective memory cell to snap back. Current to a respective second signal line is turned off in response to each time the respective memory cell coupled thereto snaps back.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Hernan A. Castro
  • Patent number: 10777275
    Abstract: Reset refresh techniques are described, which can enable reducing or canceling the drift of threshold voltage distributions exhibited by memory cells. In one example a memory device includes an array of memory cells. The memory cells include a chalcogenide storage material. The memory device includes hardware logic to program the memory cells, including logic to detect whether a memory cell is selectable with a first voltage having a first polarity. In response to detection that a memory cell is not selectable with the first voltage, the memory cell is refreshed the memory cell with a second voltage that has a polarity opposite to the first voltage. After the refresh with the second voltage, the memory cell can be programmed with the first voltage having the first polarity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Agostino Pirovano, Hernan A. Castro, Innocenzo Tortorelli, Andrea Redaelli
  • Publication number: 20200258552
    Abstract: Row and/or column electrode lines for a memory device are staggered such that gaps are formed between terminated lines. Vertical interconnection to central points along adjacent lines that are not terminated are made in the gap, and vertical interconnection through can additionally be made through the gap without contacting the lines of that level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2020
    Publication date: August 13, 2020
    Inventors: Hernan A. Castro, Everardo Torres Flores, Stephen H.S. Tang
  • Patent number: 10729012
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for buried lines and related fabrication techniques are described. An electronic device (e.g., an integrated circuit) may include multiple buried lines at multiple layers of a stack. For example, a first layer of the stack may include multiple buried lines formed based on a pattern of vias formed at an upper layer of the stack. The pattern of vias may be formed in a wide variety of spatial configurations, and may allow for conductive material to be deposited at a buried target layer. In some cases, buried lines may be formed at multiple layers of the stack concurrently.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Hernan A. Castro, Stephen W. Russell, Stephen H. Tang
  • Publication number: 20200219562
    Abstract: Example subject matter disclosed herein relates to apparatuses and/or devices, and/or various methods for use therein, in which an application of an electric potential to a circuit may be initiated and subsequently changed in response to a determination that a snapback event has occurred in a circuit. For example, a circuit may comprise a memory cell that may experience a snapback event as a result of an applied electric potential. In certain example implementations, a sense circuit may be provided which is responsive to a snapback event occurring in a memory cell to generate a feed back signal to initiate a change in an electric potential applied to the memory cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2020
    Publication date: July 9, 2020
    Inventors: Jeremy Miles Hirst, Hernan A. Castro, Stephen Tang
  • Publication number: 20200194431
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for thin film transistors and related fabrication techniques are described. The thin film transistors may access two or more decks of memory cells disposed in a cross-point architecture. The fabrication techniques may use one or more patterns of vias formed at a top layer of a composite stack, which may facilitate building the thin film transistors within the composite stack while using a reduced number of processing steps. Different configurations of the thin film transistors may be built using the fabrication techniques by utilizing different groups of the vias. Further, circuits and components of a memory device (e.g., decoder circuitry, interconnects between aspects of one or more memory arrays) may be constructed using the thin film transistors as described herein along with related via-based fabrication techniques.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2018
    Publication date: June 18, 2020
    Inventors: Hernan A. Castro, Stephen W. Russell, Stephen H. Tang
  • Publication number: 20200194038
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for thin film transistors and related fabrication techniques are described. The thin film transistors may access two or more decks of memory cells disposed in a cross-point architecture. The fabrication techniques may use one or more patterns of vias formed at a top layer of a composite stack, which may facilitate building the thin film transistors within the composite stack while using a reduced number of processing steps. Different configurations of the thin film transistors may be built using the fabrication techniques by utilizing different groups of the vias. Further, circuits and components of a memory device (e.g., decoder circuitry, interconnects between aspects of one or more memory arrays) may be constructed using the thin film transistors as described herein along with related via-based fabrication techniques.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2018
    Publication date: June 18, 2020
    Inventors: Hernan A. Castro, Stephen W. Russell, Stephen H. Tang
  • Patent number: 10686015
    Abstract: Subject matter disclosed herein relates to an integrated circuit device having a socket interconnect region for connecting a plurality of conductive lines at a first vertical level to interconnect structures formed at a second vertical level different from the first vertical level. The conductive lines include a plurality of contacted lines that are vertically connected to the interconnect structures at the socket interconnect region, a plurality of terminating lines terminating at the socket interconnect region, and a plurality of pass-through lines that pass through the socket interconnect region without being vertically connected and without being terminated at the socket interconnect region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Hernan A. Castro
  • Publication number: 20200152263
    Abstract: Row electrode drivers and column electrode drivers for a memory device are distributed within a footprint share by a memory cell array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Publication date: May 14, 2020
    Inventors: Hernan A. Castro, Everardo Torres Flores, Jeremy M. Hirst
  • Patent number: 10636483
    Abstract: Example subject matter disclosed herein relates to apparatuses and/or devices, and/or various methods for use therein, in which an application of an electric potential to a circuit may be initiated and subsequently changed in response to a determination that a snapback event has occurred in a circuit. For example, a circuit may comprise a memory cell that may experience a snapback event as a result of an applied electric potential. In certain example implementations, a sense circuit may be provided which is responsive to a snapback event occurring in a memory cell to generate a feed back signal to initiate a change in an electric potential applied to the memory cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeremy Miles Hirst, Hernan A. Castro, Stephen Tang
  • Patent number: 10607675
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for operating a ferroelectric memory cell or cells are described. Before reading a memory cell, the voltage on an access line of the memory cell may be initialized to a value associated with the threshold voltage of a switching component in electronic communication with the memory cell. The voltage may be initialized by reducing the existing voltage on the access line to the value. The switching component or an additional pull down device, or both, may be used to reduce the voltage of the access line. After the access line has been initialized to the value, the read operation may be triggered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Aswin Thiruvengadam, Hernan A. Castro
  • Patent number: 10600452
    Abstract: Row and/or column electrode lines for a memory device are staggered such that gaps are formed between terminated lines. Vertical interconnection to central points along adjacent lines that are not terminated are made in the gap, and vertical interconnection through can additionally be made through the gap without contacting the lines of that level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Hernan A. Castro, Everardo Torres Flores, Stephen H. S. Tang
  • Publication number: 20200066343
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for programming a self-selecting memory cell that stores a first logic state. To program the memory cell, a pulse having a first polarity may be applied to the cell, which may result in the memory cell having a reduced threshold voltage. During a duration in which the threshold voltage of the memory cell may be reduced (e.g., during a selection time), a second pulse having a second polarity (e.g., a different polarity) may be applied to the memory cell. Applying the second pulse to the memory cell may result in the memory cell storing a second logic state different than the first logic state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2018
    Publication date: February 27, 2020
    Inventors: Hernan A. Castro, Innocenzo Tortorelli, Agostino Pirovano, Fabio Pellizzer
  • Publication number: 20200051625
    Abstract: The disclosed technology generally relates to apparatuses and methods of operating the same, and more particularly to cross point memory arrays and methods of accessing memory cells in a cross point memory array. In one aspect, an apparatus comprises a memory array. The apparatus further comprises a memory controller configured to cause an access operation, where the access operation includes application of a first bias across a memory cell of the memory array for a selection phase of the access operation and application of a second bias, lower in magnitude than the first bias, across the memory cell for an access phase of the access operation. The memory controller is further configured to cause a direction of current flowing through the memory cell to be reversed between the selection phase and the access phase.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2019
    Publication date: February 13, 2020
    Inventor: Hernan A. Castro
  • Patent number: 10535404
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure describe techniques and configurations for word-line path isolation in a phase change memory (PCM) device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventor: Hernan A. Castro
  • Publication number: 20200012606
    Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus, such as a memory device, is disclosed. The apparatus includes multiple memory tiles and selection circuitry. Each memory tile has an array of storage components at intersections of a plurality of digit line conductors and a plurality of access line conductors. The selection circuitry includes line drivers that select a storage component of a memory tile based on a corresponding digit line conductor and a corresponding access line conductor to the storage component. The selection circuitry may select two or more storage components of a memory tile in a consecutive manner before selecting the storage components of a different memory tile.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2019
    Publication date: January 9, 2020
    Inventors: Hernan A. Castro, Kerry Dean Tedrow, Jack Chinho Wu
  • Publication number: 20200013461
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for a pulsed integrator and memory techniques are described. A first device may facilitate discharging a memory cell using at least one current pulse until a voltage associated with the memory cell reaches a reference voltage. The discharge time of the memory cell may be determined based at least in part on a duration of at least one current pulse. In some examples, a state of the memory cell may be determined based at least in part on a discharge time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2019
    Publication date: January 9, 2020
    Inventors: Hernan A. Castro, Jeremy M. Hirst
  • Patent number: 10504589
    Abstract: Row electrode drivers and column electrode drivers for a memory device are distributed within a footprint share by a memory cell array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Hernan A. Castro, Everardo Torres Flores, Jeremy M. Hirst