Patents by Inventor Michael Alwais

Michael Alwais 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: 6661696
    Abstract: A FRAM configurable output driver circuit allows the user to configure the output driver for either CMOS level push/pull operation or true open drain operation. This configuration is stored in a non-volatile memory including a FRAM cell and a standard logic latch. The configuration data is restored to the latch on powerup. The user is able to change the configuration at any time. Any changes to the configuration are stored in the non-volatile memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2003
    Assignee: Ramtron International Corporation
    Inventors: Kurt Schwartz, Michael Alwais
  • Publication number: 20030048654
    Abstract: A FRAM configurable output driver circuit allows the user to configure the output driver for either CMOS level push/pull operation or true open drain operation. This configuration is stored in a non-volatile memory including a FRAM cell and a standard logic latch. The configuration data is restored to the latch on powerup. The user is able to change the configuration at any time. Any changes to the configuration are stored in the non-volatile memory.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2002
    Publication date: March 13, 2003
    Inventors: Kurt Schwartz, Michael Alwais
  • Patent number: 6445608
    Abstract: A FRAM configurable output driver circuit allows the user to configure the output driver for either CMOS level push/pull operation or true open drain operation. This configuration is stored in a non-volatile memory including a FRAM cell and a standard logic latch. The configuration data is restored to the latch on powerup. The user is able to change the configuration at any time. Any changes to the configuration are stored in the non-volatile memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2002
    Assignee: Ramtron International Corporation
    Inventors: Kurt Schwartz, Michael Alwais
  • Patent number: 6362675
    Abstract: An octal transparent latch or D-type register (or flip-flop) integrated circuit device may be packaged in an industry standard logic pin-out and configuration but having nonvolatile properties such as automatically recording the output state in nonvolatile form and restoring it on power up. The nonvolatile memory elements are ideally ferroelectric capacitors, using well known ferroelectric materials such as PZT, SBT, or BST or other ferroelectric materials. EEPROM, Flash, SNOS, or other writeable nonvolatile technologies can also be used. In a particular embodiment disclosed herein, the nonvolatile elements of the integrated circuit device are written only when the latched state changes to reduce write endurance changes thereto and data changes on either the input or output data lines that are not latched have no effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2002
    Assignee: Ramtron International Corporation
    Inventor: Michael Alwais
  • Patent number: 6249841
    Abstract: An integrated circuit memory device and method incorporating Flash and ferroelectric random access memory arrays integrated on a common substrate. The present invention allows a relatively small amount of ferroelectric random access memory to mitigate many of the erase and write time disadvantages exhibited by current Flash technology devices. In particular, whether combined together as a single stand-alone memory device or embedded together as a portion of a processor, microcontroller or application specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”), a block of ferroelectric memory that is sized to match the largest sector of Flash memory can effectively compensate for the latter's slow erasure and write times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2001
    Assignee: Ramtron International Corporation
    Inventors: L. David Sikes, Michael Alwais, Donald G. Carrigan
  • Patent number: 5991851
    Abstract: An enhanced digital signal processing random access memory device utilizing a highly density DRAM core memory array integrated with an SRAM cache and internal refresh control functionality which may be provided in an integrated circuit package which is pin-compatible with industry standard SRAM memory devices. The memory device provides a high speed memory access device of particular utility in conjunction with DSP processors with performance equivalent to that of SRAM memory devices but requiring a significantly small die size which allows for the provision of greater effective memory capacity per die area. The internal refresh functionality of the device provides for all refresh operations to the DRAM memory array to occur transparently to the device user and provides control signals alerting the associated controller when refresh operations are being performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Enhanced Memory Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Alwais, Kenneth J. Mobley
  • Patent number: 5963481
    Abstract: An integrated circuit device, and an associated method, in which a logic element, such as a central processing unit, is embedded together with an EDRAM EDRAM (Enhanced Dynamic Random Access Memory) upon a common substrate die. A memory bus interconnects the EDRAM and the logic element. Data thruput rates of memory read and write operations are permitted to be of increased rates relative to the rates permitted of conventional, discrete devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 5, 1999
    Assignee: Enhanced Memory Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Alwais, Michael Peters