Patents by Inventor Marco Sforzin

Marco Sforzin 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: 20160062831
    Abstract: A memory array and a method of writing to a unidirectional non-volatile storage cell are disclosed whereby a user data word is transformed to an internal data word and written to one or more unidirectional data storage cells according to a cell coding scheme. A check word may be generated that corresponds to the internal data word. In some embodiments, the check word may be generated by inverting one or more bits of an intermediate check word. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2015
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Inventors: Christophe Laurent, Paolo Amato, Marco Sforzin, Corrado Villa
  • Patent number: 9230679
    Abstract: Apparatuses and methods for sensing fuse states are disclosed herein. An apparatus may include an array having a plurality of sense lines. A plurality of cells may be coupled to a sense line of the plurality of sense lines. A fuse sense circuit may coupled to the sense line of the plurality of sense lines and configured to receive a sense voltage from a cell of the plurality of cells. The sense voltage may be based, at least in part, on a state of a fuse corresponding to the cell of the plurality of cells. The fuse sense circuit may further be configured to compare the sense voltage to a reference voltage to provide a fuse state control signal indicative of the state of the fuse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Marco Sforzin
  • Patent number: 9225334
    Abstract: Buffers, integrated circuits, apparatuses, and methods for adjusting drive strength of a buffer are disclosed. In an example apparatus, the buffer includes a driver. The driver includes a pull-up circuit coupled to a supply voltage node and an output node, and also includes a pull-down circuit coupled to a reference voltage node and the output node. A drive adjust circuit is coupled to at least one of the pull-up circuit and the pull-down circuit, with the drive adjust circuit configured to receive a feedback signal and, based at least in part on the feedback signal, adjust a current conducted through the at least one of the pull-up and pull-down circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Umberto Di Vincenzo, Marco Sforzin
  • Patent number: 9177622
    Abstract: Electronic apparatus, systems, and methods can include a delayer having an inverter chain, where each inverter of the chain can be operatively regulated using current generators to control variation of the delay time of the delayer. In various embodiments, current generators can be arranged to provide reference voltages to each inverter stage of an inverter chain. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Marco Sforzin
  • Patent number: 9124301
    Abstract: A memory array and a method of writing to a unidirectional non-volatile storage cell are disclosed whereby a user data word is transformed to an internal data word and written to one or more unidirectional data storage cells according to a cell coding scheme. A check word may be generated that corresponds to the internal data word. In some embodiments, the check word may be generated by inverting one or more bits of an intermediate check word. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Christophe Laurent, Paolo Amato, Marco Sforzin, Corrado Villa
  • Publication number: 20150071012
    Abstract: Electronic apparatus, systems, and methods can include a delayer having an inverter chain, where each inverter of the chain can be operatively regulated using current generators to control variation of the delay time of the delayer. In various embodiments, current generators can be arranged to provide reference voltages to each inverter stage of an inverter chain. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2014
    Publication date: March 12, 2015
    Inventor: Marco Sforzin
  • Publication number: 20150028921
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are disclosed for driving a node to one or more elevated voltages. One example apparatus includes a first driver circuit configured to drive a node to a first voltage, and a second driver circuit configured to drive the node to a pumped voltage after the node reaches a voltage threshold. The apparatus also includes a controller circuit configured to disable the first driver circuit and enable the second driver circuit responsive to the node reaching the voltage threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2013
    Publication date: January 29, 2015
    Applicant: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: MARCO SFORZIN
  • Publication number: 20150023088
    Abstract: Apparatuses and methods for sensing fuse states are disclosed herein. An apparatus may include an array having a plurality of sense lines. A plurality of cells may be coupled to a sense line of the plurality of sense lines. A fuse sense circuit may coupled to the sense line of the plurality of sense lines and configured to receive a sense voltage from a cell of the plurality of cells. The sense voltage may be based, at least in part, on a state of a fuse corresponding to the cell of the plurality of cells. The fuse sense circuit may further be configured to compare the sense voltage to a reference voltage to provide a fuse state control signal indicative of the state of the fuse.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2014
    Publication date: January 22, 2015
    Inventor: MARCO SFORZIN
  • Patent number: 8873311
    Abstract: Electronic apparatus, systems, and methods can include a delayer having an inverter chain, where each inverter of the chain can be operatively regulated using current generators to control variation of the delay time of the delayer. In various embodiments, current generators can be arranged to provide reference voltages to each inverter stage of an inverter chain. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Marco Sforzin
  • Patent number: 8861297
    Abstract: Apparatuses and methods for sensing fuse states are disclosed herein. An apparatus may include an array having a plurality of sense lines. A plurality of cells may be coupled to a sense line of the plurality of sense lines. A fuse sense circuit may coupled to the sense line of the plurality of sense lines and configured to receive a sense voltage from a cell of the plurality of cells. The sense voltage may be based, at least in part, on a state of a fuse corresponding to the cell of the plurality of cells. The fuse sense circuit may further be configured to compare the sense voltage to a reference voltage to provide a fuse state control signal indicative of the state of the fuse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Marco Sforzin
  • Publication number: 20140285240
    Abstract: Buffers, integrated circuits, apparatuses, and methods for adjusting drive strength of a buffer are disclosed. In an example apparatus, the buffer includes a driver. The driver includes a pull-up circuit coupled to a supply voltage node and an output node, and also includes a pull-down circuit coupled to a reference voltage node and the output node. A drive adjust circuit is coupled to at least one of the pull-up circuit and the pull-down circuit, with the drive adjust circuit configured to receive a feedback signal and, based at least in part on the feedback signal, adjust a current conducted through the at least one of the pull-up and pull-down circuits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2014
    Publication date: September 25, 2014
    Inventors: Umberto Di Vincenzo, Marco Sforzin
  • Patent number: 8787107
    Abstract: The apparatus described herein may comprise a first set of transistors, including a first transistor and a second transistor, and a second set of transistors, including a third transistor and a fourth transistor. Gates of the first and second transistors may be coupled to a first signal and a second signal, respectively, each indicating whether a corresponding one of a first supply voltage and a second supply voltage reaches a first threshold voltage or a second threshold voltage to power on a first circuit or a second circuit of a memory device. Gates of the third and fourth transistors may be coupled to a first inverted version of the first signal and a second inverted version of the second signal, respectively. An outcome signal of the second set of transistors may indicate a power-on state of the memory device responsive to power states of the first and second signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Marco Sforzin
  • Patent number: 8754695
    Abstract: Buffers, integrated circuits, apparatuses, and methods for adjusting drive strength of a buffer are disclosed. In an example apparatus, the buffer includes a driver. The driver includes a pull-up circuit coupled to a supply voltage node and an output node, and also includes a pull-down circuit coupled to a reference voltage node and the output node. A drive adjust circuit is coupled to at least one of the pull-up circuit and the pull-down circuit, with the drive adjust circuit configured to receive a feedback signal and, based at least in part on the feedback signal, adjust a current conducted through the at least one of the pull-up and pull-down circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Umberto Di Vincenzo, Marco Sforzin
  • Publication number: 20140153351
    Abstract: The apparatus described herein may comprise a first set of transistors, including a first transistor and a second transistor, and a second set of transistors, including a third transistor and a fourth transistor. Gates of the first and second transistors may be coupled to a first signal and a second signal, respectively, each indicating whether a corresponding one of a first supply voltage and a second supply voltage reaches a first threshold voltage or a second threshold voltage to power on a first circuit or a second circuit of a memory device. Gates of the third and fourth transistors may be coupled to a first inverted version of the first signal and a second inverted version of the second signal, respectively. An outcome signal of the second set of transistors may indicate a power-on state of the memory device responsive to power states of the first and second signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2014
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Applicant: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Marco Sforzin
  • Publication number: 20140098623
    Abstract: Apparatuses and methods for sensing fuse states are disclosed herein. An apparatus may include an array having a plurality of sense lines. A plurality of cells may be coupled to a sense line of the plurality of sense lines. A fuse sense circuit may coupled to the sense line of the plurality of sense lines and configured to receive a sense voltage from a cell of the plurality of cells. The sense voltage may be based, at least in part, on a state of a fuse corresponding to the cell of the plurality of cells. The fuse sense circuit may further be configured to compare the sense voltage to a reference voltage to provide a fuse state control signal indicative of the state of the fuse.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2012
    Publication date: April 10, 2014
    Applicant: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventor: Marco Sforzin
  • Patent number: 8683304
    Abstract: Subject matter, for example, disclosed herein relates to an embodiment of a process, system, device, or article involving error correction codes. In a particular embodiment, an error-correcting device may comprise an input port to receive an error correcting code (ECC) based, at least in part, on contents of a memory array; a nonlinear computing block to process the ECC to provide a plurality of signals representing a nonlinear portion of an error locator polynomial; and a linear computing block to process the ECC concurrently with processing the ECC to provide a plurality of signals representing the nonlinear portion of the error locator polynomial, to provide a plurality of signals representing a linear portion of the error locator polynomial.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignees: Micron Technology, Inc., Politecnico di Milano
    Inventors: Marco Sforzin, Christophe Laurent, Paolo Amato, Sandro Bellini, Marco Ferrari, Alessandro Tomasoni
  • Patent number: 8659970
    Abstract: The apparatus described herein may comprise a first set of transistors, including a first transistor and a second transistor, and a second set of transistors, including a third transistor and a fourth transistor. Gates of the first and second transistors may be coupled to a first signal and a second signal, respectively, each indicating whether a corresponding one of a first supply voltage and a second supply voltage reaches a first threshold voltage or a second threshold voltage to power on a first circuit or a second circuit of a memory device. Gates of the third and fourth transistors may be coupled to a first inverted version of the first signal and a second inverted version of the second signal, respectively. An outcome signal of the second set of transistors may indicate a power-on state of the memory device responsive to power states of the first and second signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Marco Sforzin
  • Publication number: 20130283121
    Abstract: A memory array and a method of writing to a unidirectional non-volatile storage cell are disclosed whereby a user data word is transformed to an internal data word and written to one or more unidirectional data storage cells according to a cell coding scheme. A check word may be generated that corresponds to the internal data word. In some embodiments, the check word may be generated by inverting one or more bits of an intermediate check word. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2013
    Publication date: October 24, 2013
    Inventors: Christophe Laurent, Paolo Amato, Marco Sforzin, Corrado Villa
  • Publication number: 20130242682
    Abstract: The apparatus described herein may comprise a first set of transistors, including a first transistor and a second transistor, and a second set of transistors, including a third transistor and a fourth transistor. Gates of the first and second transistors may be coupled to a first signal and a second signal, respectively, each indicating whether a corresponding one of a first supply voltage and a second supply voltage reaches a first threshold voltage or a second threshold voltage to power on a first circuit or a second circuit of a memory device. Gates of the third and fourth transistors may be coupled to a first inverted version of the first signal and a second inverted version of the second signal, respectively. An outcome signal of the second set of transistors may indicate a power-on state of the memory device responsive to power states of the first and second signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2012
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Inventor: Marco Sforzin
  • Publication number: 20130208550
    Abstract: Electronic apparatus, systems, and methods can include a delayer having an inverter chain, where each inverter of the chain can be operatively regulated using current generators to control variation of the delay time of the delayer. In various embodiments, current generators can be arranged to provide reference voltages to each inverter stage of an inverter chain. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2012
    Publication date: August 15, 2013
    Inventor: Marco Sforzin