Patents by Inventor Kazushige Kanda

Kazushige Kanda 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: 20080205148
    Abstract: A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device having a plurality of word lines and a plurality of bit lines and a plurality of sense amplifiers, each amplifier being connected to one of the plurality of bit lines respectively and a memory cell array including a memory cell region including a plurality of memory strings having a plurality of electrically reprogrammable memory cells connected in series, each of the memory cells having two or more storage states, said plurality of memory cells being connected to a corresponding word line of the plurality of word lines respectively, the plurality of memory strings being connected to a corresponding bit line of the plurality of bit lines respectively, and at the time of programming all of the plurality of bit lines are selected, the number of the storage states being different in two of the memory cells which are adjacent on the same bit line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2008
    Publication date: August 28, 2008
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventor: Kazushige KANDA
  • Patent number: 7382675
    Abstract: According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a semiconductor memory device including a first power source which generates a first power supply voltage, a second power source which generates a second power supply voltage, a generation circuit which generates a third power supply voltage from the first power supply voltage, a switching circuit which selects one of the second power supply voltage and the third power supply voltage, and a fuse circuit connected to the switching circuit and equipped with a fuse element to carry out a fuse reading operation, wherein the third power supply voltage is supplied from the switching circuit to the fuse circuit during the fuse reading operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Kazushige Kanda
  • Patent number: 7372761
    Abstract: The object is to avoid an erroneous operation during a term in which an initialization is performed when a command is input. After a power source is turned on, a low level of a power-on-reset signal PWONRSTn is output until it reaches a power-on detect level. It is inverted by an inverter IN11, and input to a NOR circuit NR 11 likewise commands 1 and 2, so that a status is set to a busy status. The busy status is kept during a term in which a initialization operation is performed until the power supply voltage reaches the power-on detect level. Further, the status is read out to the exterior by a status read out mode signal to notify a user. As a result, it prevents from being input a command by an erroneous operation of a user during the initialization operation term.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kazushige Kanda, Koichi Kawai, Hiroshi Nakamura, Kenichi Imamiya
  • Publication number: 20080074941
    Abstract: A semiconductor device of this invention includes a first circuit for initializing a predetermined circuit in accordance with the level of a power source voltage, a second circuit for controlling the output from the first circuit by activation or deactivation, and an activation control circuit for activating or deactivating the second circuit in accordance with external input.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2007
    Publication date: March 27, 2008
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kazushige KANDA, Kenichi Imamiya, Hiroshi Nakamura, Ken Takeuchi, Tamio Ikehashi
  • Publication number: 20080074930
    Abstract: This semiconductor memory device has plural semiconductor chips inputting control signals from commonly-connected I/O pads and control pads. The semiconductor chip comprises a self-address storing unit storing a self-chip address showing its own address, a judgment unit comparing the self-chip address with a selected address provided from outside via the I/O pads to judge a match thereof, and a control signal setting unit setting the control signal valid or invalid according to the judgment of the match.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2007
    Publication date: March 27, 2008
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Kazushige KANDA
  • Publication number: 20080055985
    Abstract: A non-volatile semiconductor memory device includes plurality of word lines and a plurality of bit lines comprising even numbered bit lines and odd numbered bit lines and a memory cell array including a plurality of memory cells having two or more storage states, one of the plurality of memory cells being connected to a corresponding word line of the plurality of word lines, the number of storage states between adjacent memory cells is different in a word line direction and a bit line direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2007
    Publication date: March 6, 2008
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventor: Kazushige KANDA
  • Patent number: 7317652
    Abstract: A semiconductor device of this invention includes a first circuit for initializing a predetermined circuit in accordance with the level of a power source voltage, a second circuit for controlling the output from the first circuit by activation or deactivation, and an activation control circuit for activating or deactivating the second circuit in accordance with external input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kazushige Kanda, Kenichi Imamiya, Hiroshi Nakamura, Ken Takeuchi, Tamio Ikehashi
  • Publication number: 20070206399
    Abstract: A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device having a first memory cell array including a plurality of electrical reprogramming and erasable nonvolatile semiconductor memory cells formed in a first area of a semiconductor substrate, a second memory cell array including a plurality of electrical reprogramming and erasable nonvolatile semiconductor memory cells formed in a second area different from said first area of said semiconductor substrate, said first and second memory cell arrays being arranged in a first direction, and a first pad section for inputting data to and outputting data from said first memory cell array and said second memory cell array, said first pad section having a plurality of pads arranged between said first memory cell array and said second memory cell array along a second direction perpendicular to said first direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2007
    Publication date: September 6, 2007
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Eiichi Makino, Koji Hosono, Kazushige Kanda, Shigeo Ohshima
  • Publication number: 20070201299
    Abstract: A semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array, word lines, and a row decoder. The memory cell array includes memory cells arranged in a matrix. The memory cell includes a first MOS transistor having a charge accumulation layer and a control gate and a second MOS transistor. The word line connects the control gates of the first MOS transistors. The row decoder includes a first address decode circuit, a second address decode circuit, and a transfer gate. The first address decode circuit decodes m bits in a n-bit row address signal (m and n are a natural number satisfying the expression m<n). The second address decode circuit decodes (n?m) bits in the row address signal. The transfer gate supplies the output of the first address decode circuit to the word line according to the output of the second address decoded circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2007
    Publication date: August 30, 2007
    Inventors: Kazushige Kanda, Akira Umezawa, Kazuhiko Kakizoe, Yoshiaki Hashiba, Yoshiharu Hirata
  • Publication number: 20070121359
    Abstract: A semiconductor memory device includes memory cell arrays, word lines, bit lines, column gates, sense amplifiers, and an error correcting circuit. The memory cell array includes first regions and a second region. The first region includes first element isolating regions which have stripe shapes along the bit lines. The memory cell is formed on an element region between the adjacent element isolating regions. The first regions are arranged in plurality along the word line direction. The second region is provided adjacent to the first region in a direction along the word lines. The second region includes a second element isolating region whose width along the word line direction is greater than that of the first element isolating region. Addresses of the bit line adjacent to the second region are different from one another among the memory cell arrays.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2006
    Publication date: May 31, 2007
    Inventor: Kazushige KANDA
  • Patent number: 7209388
    Abstract: A semiconductor memory device includes a row address transition detector. The semiconductor memory device remedies a fault by replacing a column in a memory cell array with a redundancy bit line. The row address transition detector detects a change in a row address signal for selecting the row direction of the memory cell array. Only when a change in the row address signal is detected by the row address transition detector, the redundancy bit line is sensed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Kazushige Kanda
  • Patent number: 7196950
    Abstract: A power-on reset circuit has a power-on level detecting circuit which detects a power voltage to output a power-on reset signal and a delay circuit which delays the power-on reset signal output by the power-on level detecting circuit. Two chip address specifying pads are connected to the delay circuit. Delay time in the delay time is controlled according to a chip address supplied to these two pads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2007
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kazushige Kanda, Hiroshi Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20070008803
    Abstract: A semiconductor device of this invention includes an initialization circuit for initializing a predetermined circuit in accordance with the level of a power source voltage, and a status setting unit for setting the status. of the semiconductor device to “busy” during a period in which the initialization circuit performs initialization.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2006
    Publication date: January 11, 2007
    Inventors: Kazushige Kanda, Koichi Kawai, Hiroshi Nakamura, Kenichi Imamiya
  • Publication number: 20060291124
    Abstract: According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a semiconductor memory device including a first power source which generates a first power supply voltage, a second power source which generates a second power supply voltage, a generation circuit which generates a third power supply voltage from the first power supply voltage, a switching circuit which selects one of the second power supply voltage and the third power supply voltage, and a fuse circuit connected to the switching circuit and equipped with a fuse element to carry out a fuse reading operation, wherein the third power supply voltage is supplied from the switching circuit to the fuse circuit during the fuse reading operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2006
    Publication date: December 28, 2006
    Inventor: Kazushige Kanda
  • Patent number: 7123526
    Abstract: A semiconductor device of this invention includes an initialization circuit for initializing a predetermined circuit in accordance with the level of a power source voltage, and a status setting unit for setting the status of the semiconductor device to “busy” during a period in which the initialization circuit performs initialization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2006
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kazushige Kanda, Koichi Kawai, Hiroshi Nakamura, Kenichi Imamiya
  • Patent number: 7116603
    Abstract: A power-on reset circuit has a power-on level detecting circuit which detects a power voltage to output a power-on reset signal and a delay circuit which delays the power-on reset signal output by the power-on level detecting circuit. Two chip address specifying pads are connected to the delay circuit. Delay time in the delay time is controlled according to a chip address supplied to these two pads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2006
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kazushige Kanda, Hiroshi Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20060208777
    Abstract: A reference voltage generating circuit receives a power supply voltage and generates a reference voltage. A reference voltage level guarantee circuit generates a sense signal when the circuit senses that a value of the reference voltage has reached a predetermined value. A power supply voltage sensing circuit has a voltage comparator circuit which compares a voltage obtained by dividing a power supply voltage with the reference voltage and outputs a power ON reset signal. An operation of the voltage comparator circuit is controlled based on a sense signal. When the value of the power supply voltage increases and the value of the reference voltage reaches a predetermined value, the voltage comparator circuit operates, and a power ON reset signal is outputted in response to a result of comparison between a divisional voltage and the reference voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2006
    Publication date: September 21, 2006
    Inventors: Masaki Ichikawa, Kazushige Kanda
  • Publication number: 20060139985
    Abstract: A power-on reset circuit has a power-on level detecting circuit which detects a power voltage to output a power-on reset signal and a delay circuit which delays the power-on reset signal output by the power-on level detecting circuit. Two chip address specifying pads are connected to the delay circuit. Delay time in the delay time is controlled according to a chip address supplied to these two pads.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2006
    Publication date: June 29, 2006
    Inventors: Kazushige Kanda, Hiroshi Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20060120168
    Abstract: A semiconductor device of this invention includes an initialization circuit for initializing a predetermined circuit in accordance with the level of a power source voltage, and a status setting unit for setting the status of the semiconductor device to “busy” during a period in which the initialization circuit performs initialization.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2006
    Publication date: June 8, 2006
    Inventors: Kazushige Kanda, Koichi Kawai, Hiroshi Nakamura, Kenichi Imamiya
  • Patent number: 7057947
    Abstract: A semiconductor device of this invention includes a first circuit for initializing a predetermined circuit in accordance with the level of a power source voltage, a second circuit for controlling the output from the first circuit by activation or deactivation, and an activation control circuit for activating or deactivating the second circuit in accordance with external input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2006
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kazushige Kanda, Kenichi Imamiya, Hiroshi Nakamura, Ken Takeuchi, Tamio Ikehashi