Patents by Inventor Joel E. Drewes

Joel E. Drewes 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: 7046547
    Abstract: The invention relates to methods and apparatus that allow data to be stored in a magnetic memory cell, such as a giant magneto-resistance (GMR) cell, of a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM). Embodiments of the invention advantageously wind a word line around a magnetic memory cell to increase the magnetic field induced by the word line. The word line can be formed by connecting a segment in a first layer to a segment in a second layer with the memory cell disposed between the first layer and the second layer. Advantageously, embodiments of the invention can include relatively narrow magnetic memory cells, and/or bit lines, have relatively high write selectivity, and can use relatively low word currents to store data. In one MRAM, current is passed through a word line by allowing current to flow through a corresponding word row line and a corresponding word column line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2006
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: William Frank Witcraft, Hongyue Liu, Joel E. Drewes
  • Patent number: 6961265
    Abstract: The invention relates to methods and apparatus that allow data to be stored in a magnetic memory cell, such as a giant magneto-resistance (GMR) cell, of a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM). Embodiments of the invention advantageously wind a word line around a magnetic memory cell to increase the magnetic field induced by the word line. The word line can be formed by connecting a segment in a first layer to a segment in a second layer with the memory cell disposed between the first layer and the second layer. Advantageously, embodiments of the invention can include relatively narrow magnetic memory cells, and/or bit lines, have relatively high write selectivity, and can use relatively low word currents to store data. In one MRAM, current is passed through a word line by allowing current to flow through a corresponding word row line and a corresponding word column line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2005
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: William Frank Witcraft, Hongyue Liu, Joel E. Drewes
  • Patent number: 6845036
    Abstract: The invention relates to methods and apparatus that allow data to be stored in a magnetic memory cell, such as a giant magneto-resistance (GMR) cell, of a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM). Embodiments of the invention advantageously wind a word line around a magnetic memory cell to increase the magnetic field induced by the word line. The word line can be formed by connecting a segment in a first layer to a segment in a second layer with the memory cell disposed between the first layer and the second layer. Advantageously, embodiments of the invention can include relatively narrow magnetic memory cells, and/or bit lines, have relatively high write selectivity, and can use relatively low word currents to store data. In one MRAM, current is passed through a word line by allowing current to flow through a corresponding word row line and a corresponding word column line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2005
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: William Frank Witcraft, Hongyue Liu, Joel E. Drewes
  • Patent number: 6771533
    Abstract: The invention relates to methods and apparatus that allow data to be stored in a magnetic memory cell, such as a giant magneto-resistance (GMR) cell, of a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM). Embodiments of the invention advantageously wind a word line around a magnetic memory cell to increase the magnetic field induced by the word line. The word line can be formed by connecting a segment in a first layer to a segment in a second layer with the memory cell disposed between the first layer and the second layer. Advantageously, embodiments of the invention can include relatively narrow magnetic memory cells, and/or bit lines, have relatively high write selectivity, and can use relatively low word currents to store data. In one MRAM, current is passed through a word line by allowing current to flow through a corresponding word row line and a corresponding word column line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2004
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: William Frank Witcraft, Hongyue Liu, Joel E. Drewes