Patents by Inventor Preston A. Thomson

Preston A. Thomson 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: 20190066799
    Abstract: Disclosed in some examples are systems, methods, memory devices, and machine readable mediums for a fast secure data destruction for NAND memory devices that renders data in a memory cell unreadable. Instead of going through all the erase phases, the memory device may remove sensitive data by performing only the pre-programming phase of the erase process. Thus, the NAND doesn't perform the second and third phases of the erase process. This is much faster and results in data that cannot be reconstructed. In some examples, because the erase pulse is not actually applied and because this is simply a programming operation, data may be rendered unreadable at a per-page level rather than a per-block level as in traditional erases.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2017
    Publication date: February 28, 2019
    Inventors: Ting Luo, Kulachet Tanpairoj, Harish Singidi, Jianmin Huang, Preston Thomson, Sebastien Andre Jean
  • Publication number: 20190066817
    Abstract: Disclosed in some examples are methods, systems, memory devices, and machine readable mediums for performing an erase page check. For example, in response to an unexpected (e.g., an asynchronous) shutdown, the memory device may have one or more cells that did not finish programming. The memory device may detect these cells and erase them or mark them for erasure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2018
    Publication date: February 28, 2019
    Inventors: Ting Luo, Scott Anthony Stoller, Preston Thomson, Devin Batutis, Harish Reddy Singidi, Kulachet Tanpairoj
  • Publication number: 20190066792
    Abstract: Devices and techniques for NAND temperature data management are disclosed herein. A command to write data to a NAND component in the NAND device is received at a NAND controller of the NAND device. A temperature corresponding to the NAND component is obtained in response to receiving the command. The command is then executed to write data to the NAND component and to write a representation of the temperature. The data is written to a user portion and the representation of the temperature is written to a management portion that is accessible only to the controller and segregated from the user portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2017
    Publication date: February 28, 2019
    Inventors: Kishore Kumar Muchherla, Sampath Ratnam, Preston Thomson, Harish Singidi, Jung Sheng Hoei, Peter Sean Feeley, Jianmin Huang
  • Publication number: 20190066736
    Abstract: Devices and techniques for NAND cell encoding to improve data integrity are disclosed herein. A high-temperature indicator is obtained and a write operation is received. The write operation is then performed on a NAND cell using a modified encoding in response to the high-temperature indicator. The modified encoding includes a reduced number of voltage distribution positions from an unmodified encoding without changing voltage distribution widths, where each voltage distribution corresponds to a discrete set of states an encoding.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2017
    Publication date: February 28, 2019
    Inventors: Tyson M. Stichka, Preston Thomson, Scott Anthony Stoller, Christopher Bueb, Jianmin Huang, Kulachet Tanpairoj, Harish Singidi
  • Publication number: 20180341605
    Abstract: The present disclosure is related to programming interruption management. An apparatus can be configured to detect an interruption during a programming operation and modify the programming operation to program a portion of the memory array to an uncorrectable state in response to detecting the interruption.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2018
    Publication date: November 29, 2018
    Inventors: Preston A. Thomson, Kishore K. Muchherla, Sampath K. Ratnam
  • Patent number: 10121551
    Abstract: Devices and techniques for detecting power loss in NAND memory devices are disclosed herein. A memory controller may calibrate a first read level for a first physical page of a number of physical pages from an initial first read level position to a calibrated first read level position. The first read level may be between a first threshold voltage distribution corresponding to a first logical state of the at least four logical states and a second threshold voltage distribution corresponding to a second logical state of the at least four logical states. Also, the first threshold voltage distribution may be a highest threshold voltage distribution for the first physical page. The memory controller may calibrate a second read level for the first physical page that is lower than the first read level from an initial second read level position to a calibrated first read level position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael G. Miller, Kishore Kumar Muchherla, Harish Singidi, Ting Luo, Ashutosh Malshe, Preston Thomson, Jianmin Huang
  • Publication number: 20180293003
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes memory blocks erasable in a single level cell mode. A number of embodiments include a memory comprising a plurality of mixed mode blocks and a controller. The controller may be configured to identify a particular mixed mode block for an erase operation and, responsive to a determined intent to subsequently write the particular mixed mode block in a single level cell (SLC) mode, perform the erase operation in the SLC mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2017
    Publication date: October 11, 2018
    Inventors: Kishore K. Muchherla, Sampath K. Ratnam, Peter Feeley, Michael G. Miller, Preston A. Thomson, Renato C. Padilla, Ashutosh Malshe
  • Publication number: 20180293001
    Abstract: Apparatuses and methods for operating mixed mode blocks. One example method can include tracking single level cell (SLC) mode cycles and extra level cell (XLC) mode cycles performed on the mixed mode blocks, maintaining a mixed mode cycle count corresponding to the mixed mode blocks, and adjusting the mixed mode cycle count differently for mixed mode blocks operated in a SLC mode than for mixed blocks operated in a XLC mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2017
    Publication date: October 11, 2018
    Inventors: Kishore K. Muchherla, Ashutosh Malshe, Preston A. Thomson, Michael G. Miller, Gary F. Besinga, Scott A. Stoller, Sampath K. Ratnam, Renato C. Padilla, Peter Feeley
  • Patent number: 10096380
    Abstract: Disclosed in some examples are methods, systems, memory devices, and machine readable mediums for performing an erase page check. For example, in response to an unexpected (e.g., an asynchronous) shutdown, the memory device may have one or more cells that did not finish programming. The memory device may detect these cells and erase them or mark them for erasure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Ting Luo, Scott Anthony Stoller, Preston Thomson, Devin Batutis, Harish Singidi, Kulachet Tanpairoj
  • Publication number: 20180277200
    Abstract: Methods of operating a memory include receiving data for programming to a plurality of memory cells of the memory, redistributing the received data in a reversible manner, programming the redistributed data to the plurality of memory cells, and programming respective second data to each memory cell of the plurality of memory cells containing the redistributed data, wherein the respective second data for any memory cell of the plurality of memory cells has a same data value as the respective second data for each remaining memory cell of the plurality of memory cells.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2018
    Publication date: September 27, 2018
    Applicant: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Preston A. Thomson, Peiling Zhang, Junchao Chen
  • Patent number: 10042789
    Abstract: The present disclosure is related to programming interruption management. An apparatus can be configured to detect an interruption during a programming operation and modify the programming operation to program a portion of the memory array to an uncorrectable state in response to detecting the interruption.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Preston A. Thomson, Kishore K. Muchherla, Sampath K. Ratnam
  • Patent number: 10014051
    Abstract: Methods of operating a memory include programming a particular portion of a data state to a memory cell with a data randomizer in a first operating mode, and programming a remaining portion of the data state to the memory cell with the data randomizer in a second operating mode different than the first operating mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Preston A. Thomson, Peiling Zhang, Junchao Chen
  • Publication number: 20180019014
    Abstract: Methods of operating a memory include programming a particular portion of a data state to a memory cell with a data randomizer in a first operating mode, and programming a remaining portion of the data state to the memory cell with the data randomizer in a second operating mode different than the first operating mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2017
    Publication date: January 18, 2018
    Applicant: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Preston A. Thomson, Peiling Zhang, Junchao Chen
  • Publication number: 20160117272
    Abstract: The present disclosure is related to programming interruption management. An apparatus can be configured to detect an interruption during a programming operation and modify the programming operation to program a portion of the memory array to an uncorrectable state in response to detecting the interruption.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2015
    Publication date: April 28, 2016
    Inventors: Preston A. Thomson, Kishore K. Muchherla, Sampath K. Ratnam