Patents by Inventor Paolo Amato

Paolo Amato 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: 11361801
    Abstract: An apparatus has an array of memory cells and a controller coupled to the array. The controller is configured to track a sub-threshold leakage current through a number of memory cells of the array and determine a threshold voltage based on the sub-threshold leakage current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Paolo Fantini, Paolo Amato, Marco Sforzin
  • Publication number: 20220179736
    Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods related to modified parity data using a poison data unit. An example method can include receiving, from a controller of a memory device, a first set of bits including data and a second set of at least one bit indicating whether the first set of bits comprises one or more erroneous or corrupted bits. The method can further include generating, at an encoder of the memory device, parity data associated with the first set of bits. The method can further include generating, at logic of the memory device, modified parity data with the parity data component and the second set of at least one bit. The method can further include writing the first set of bits and the modified parity data in an array of the memory device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2021
    Publication date: June 9, 2022
    Inventors: Marco Sforzin, Paolo Amato, Daniele Balluchi
  • Patent number: 11340808
    Abstract: An example apparatus includes a hybrid memory system to couple to a host and a controller coupled to the hybrid memory system. The controller may be configured to assign a sensitivity to a command and cause the command to be selectively diverted to the hybrid memory system based, at least in part, on the assigned sensitivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Danilo Caraccio, Emanuele Confalonieri, Marco Dallabora, Roberto Izzi, Paolo Amato, Daniele Balluchi, Luca Porzio
  • Patent number: 11327892
    Abstract: An example apparatus comprises a hybrid memory system and a controller coupled to the hybrid memory system. The controller may be configured to cause data to be selectively stored in the hybrid memory system responsive to a determination that an exception involving the data has occurred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Danilo Caraccio, Emanuele Confalonieri, Marco Dallabora, Roberto Izzi, Paolo Amato, Daniele Balluchi, Luca Porzio
  • Patent number: 11309021
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a memory device comprising a plurality of memory cells, each memory cell being programmable to a logic state corresponding to a threshold voltage exhibited by the memory cell in response to an applied voltage, and a logic circuit portion operatively coupled to the plurality of memory cells, wherein the logic circuit portion is configured to scan memory addresses of the memory device, and to generate seasoning pulses to be applied to the addressed pages of the memory device. A related electronic system and related methods are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Paolo Amato, Marco Sforzin
  • Publication number: 20220107735
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes apparatuses and methods related to memory operations on data. An example method can include executing an operation by writing a first managed unit to a second managed unit, and placing the first managed unit in a free state, wherein the first managed unit is located at a particular distance from the second managed unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2021
    Publication date: April 7, 2022
    Inventors: Paolo Amato, Daniele Balluchi, Danilo Caraccio, Emanuele Confalonieri, Marco Dallabora
  • Publication number: 20220100244
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for a memory system with centralized power management are described. A memory system may include memory devices and a power management circuit. The memory devices may use one or more supply voltages during operation of the memory devices, which may include supply voltages received from an external device and high supply voltages generated within the memory system. The power management circuit may receive supply voltages from the external device and generate the supply voltages to the memory devices. The memory devices may exclude charge pump circuitry for generating supply voltages and may instead include pads for receiving the supply voltages from the power management circuit, in some examples. The memory system may include a controller that is configured to determine an amount of power to provide to the memory devices and transmit an indication of the amount of power to the power management circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2020
    Publication date: March 31, 2022
    Inventors: Marco Sforzin, Paolo Amato, Ferdinando Bedeschi, Daniele Balluchi
  • Patent number: 11282574
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices related to auto-referenced memory cell read techniques are described. The auto-referenced read may encode user data to include a predetermined number of bits having a first logic state prior to storing the user data in memory cells. The auto-referenced read may store a total number of bits of the user data having a first logic state in a separate set of memory cells. Subsequently, reading the user data may be carried out by applying a read voltage to the memory cells storing the user data while monitoring a series of switching events by activating a subset of the memory cells having the first logic state. During the read operation, the auto-referenced read may compare the number of activated memory cells to either the predetermined number or the total number to determine whether all the bits having the first logic state has been detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Graziano Mirichigni, Paolo Amato, Federico Pio, Alessandro Orlando, Marco Sforzin
  • Patent number: 11262937
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices related to balancing data are described. Data may be communicated using an original set of bits that may be partitioned into segments. Each of the original set of bits may have a first value or a second value, where a weight of the original set of bits may be based on a quantity of the set of bits that have the first value. If the weight of the original set of bits is outside of a target weight range, a different, encoded set of bits may be used to represent the data, the encoded set of bits having a weight within the target weight range. The encoded set of bits may be identified based an inversion of the original set of bits in a one-at-a-time and cumulative fashion. The encoded set of bits may be stored in place of the original set of bits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Christophe Vincent Antoine Laurent, Andrea Martinelli, Marco Sforzin, Paolo Amato
  • Patent number: 11256565
    Abstract: Apparatuses and methods related to providing transaction metadata. Providing transaction metadata includes providing an address of data stored in the memory device using an address bus coupled to the memory device and the controller. Providing transaction metadata also includes transferring the data, associated with the address, from the memory device using a data bus coupled to the memory device and the controller. Providing transaction metadata further includes transferring a sideband signal synchronously with the data bus and in conjunction with the address bus using a transaction metadata bus coupled to the memory device and the controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Graziano Mirichigni, Marco Sforzin, Paolo Amato, Danilo Caraccio
  • Publication number: 20220036937
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for distribution-following access operations for a memory device are described. In an example, the described techniques may include identifying an activation of a first memory cell at a first condition of a biasing operation, and identifying an activation of a second memory cell at a second condition of the biasing operation, and determining a parameter of an access operation based at least in part on a difference between the first condition and the second condition. In some examples, the memory cells may be associated with a configurable material element, such as a chalcogenide material, that stores a logic state based on a material property of the material element. In some examples, the described techniques may at least partially compensate for a change in memory material properties due to aging or other degradation or changes over time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2021
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Inventors: Marco Sforzin, Paolo Amato
  • Patent number: 11237901
    Abstract: Apparatuses and methods related to correcting errors can include using FD decoders and AD decoders. Correcting errors can include receiving input data from the memory array, performing a plurality of operations associated with an error detection on the input data, and providing, based on processing the input data, output data, a validation flag, and a plurality of parity bits to a second decoder hosted by a controller coupled to the memory device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Paolo Amato, Marco Sforzin
  • Publication number: 20220019384
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes apparatuses and methods for buffer reset commands for write buffers. An example apparatus includes a memory and a controller coupled to the memory. The memory can include an array of resistance variable memory cells configured to store data corresponding to a managed unit across multiple partitions each having a respective write buffer corresponding thereto. The controller can be configured to update the managed unit by providing, to the memory, a write buffer reset command followed by a write command. The memory can be configured to execute the write buffer reset command to place the write buffers in a reset state. The memory can be further configured to execute the write command to modify the content of the write buffers based on data corresponding to the write command and write the modified content of the write buffers to an updated location in the array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2021
    Publication date: January 20, 2022
    Inventors: Marco Sforzin, Paolo Amato
  • Publication number: 20220004325
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a memory device comprising a hybrid memory portion in turn comprising a main nonvolatile memory and an auxiliary nonvolatile memory, and a controller configured to store data information in the main nonvolatile memory. The controller of the present disclosure comprises a parity engine configured to accumulate temporary parity information in the auxiliary nonvolatile memory, the parity information being associated with the data information stored in the main nonvolatile memory; when the parity information accumulated in the auxiliary nonvolatile memory is complete, the parity engine is further configured to transfer the complete parity information from the auxiliary nonvolatile memory to the main nonvolatile memory. A related apparatus and a related method are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2019
    Publication date: January 6, 2022
    Inventor: Paolo Amato
  • Patent number: 11217306
    Abstract: Sensing memory cells can include: applying a voltage ramp to a group of memory cells to sense their respective states; sensing when a first switching event occurs to one of the memory cells responsive to the applied voltage ramp; stopping application of the voltage ramp after a particular amount of time subsequent to when the first switching event occurs; and determining which additional memory cells of the group experience the switching event during the particular amount of time. Those cells determined to have experienced the switching event responsive to the applied voltage ramp are sensed as storing a first data value and those cells determined to not have experienced the switching event responsive to the applied voltage ramp are sensed as storing a second data value. The group stores data according to an encoding function constrained such that each code pattern includes at least one data unit having the first data value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Marco Sforzin, Paolo Amato
  • Publication number: 20210406411
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to apparatuses and methods for memory management. The disclosure further relates to an interface protocol for flash memory devices including at least a memory array and a memory controller coupled to the memory array. A host device is coupled to the memory device through a communication channel and a hardware and/or software full encryption-decryption scheme is adopted in the communication channel for data, addresses and commands exchanged between the host device and the memory array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2019
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Inventors: Paolo Amato, Marco Sforzin, Daniele Balluchi, Danilo Caraccio, Niccolo Izzo
  • Publication number: 20210407592
    Abstract: A memory device can include a plurality of memory cells including a first group of memory cells and a second group of memory cells programmed to a predefined logic state. The plurality of memory cells includes a memory controller configured to apply a reading voltage to at least one selected memory cell of the first group during a reading operation, apply the reading voltage to the memory cells of the second group, and responsive to the logic state of at least one memory cell of the second group being assessed to be different from the predefined logic state perform a refresh operation of the memory cells of the first group by applying a recovery voltage higher than the reading voltage to assess the logic state thereof and reprogramming the memory cells of the first group to the logic state assessed with the recovery voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2019
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Inventors: Marco Sforzin, Paolo Amato, Innocenzo Tortorelli
  • Publication number: 20210407591
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a memory device comprising a plurality of memory cells, each memory cell being programmable to a logic state corresponding to a threshold voltage exhibited by the memory cell in response to an applied voltage, and a logic circuit portion operatively coupled to the plurality of memory cells, wherein the logic circuit portion is configured to scan memory addresses of the memory device, and to generate seasoning pulses to be applied to the addressed pages of the memory device. A related electronic system and related methods are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2019
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Inventors: Paolo Amato, Marco Sforzin
  • Patent number: 11209986
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes apparatuses and methods related to memory operations on data. An example method can include executing an operation by writing a first managed unit to a second managed unit, and placing the first managed unit in a free state, wherein the first managed unit is located at a particular distance from the second managed unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Paolo Amato, Daniele Balluchi, Danilo Caraccio, Emanuele Confalonieri, Marco Dallabora
  • Patent number: 11194708
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes apparatuses, methods, and systems for data relocation in memory having two portions of data. An embodiment includes a memory having a plurality of physical blocks of memory cells, and a first and second portion of data having a first and second, respectively, number of logical block addresses associated therewith. Two of the plurality of physical blocks of cells do not have data stored therein. Circuitry is configured to relocate the data of the first portion that is associated with one of the first number of logical block addresses to one of the two physical blocks of cells that don't have data stored therein, and relocate the data of the second portion that is associated with one of the second number of logical block addresses to the other one of the two physical blocks of cells that don't have data stored therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Paolo Amato, Daniele Balluchi