Patents by Inventor Richard Ferrant

Richard Ferrant 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: 7130206
    Abstract: A content addressable memory cell is described. In one embodiment, the content addressable memory cell includes first and second resistive memory elements being coupled in a first series connection and being connected between a first potential value and a second potential value being smaller than said first potential value, and means for their switching between states exhibiting different electric resistance values. The memory cell includes a first field effect transistor and a second field effect transistor, said first and second transistors having drain-source-paths and gate electrodes, said drain-source-paths of said first and second transistors being connected in a second series connection and being connected to at least one of first current lines. The first current line is connected to a potential value level detector for sensing a potential difference as to said third potential value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2006
    Assignees: Infineon Technologies AG, Altis Semiconductor
    Inventor: Richard Ferrant
  • Patent number: 7085153
    Abstract: There are many inventions described and illustrated herein. In a first aspect, the present invention is directed to a memory cell and technique of reading data from and writing data into that memory cell. In this regard, in one embodiment of this aspect of the invention, the memory cell includes two transistors which store complementary data states. That is, the two-transistor memory cell includes a first transistor that maintains a complementary state relative to the second transistor. As such, when programmed, one of the transistors of the memory cell stores a logic low (a binary “0”) and the other transistor of the memory cell stores a logic high (a binary “1”). The data state of the two-transistor complementary memory cell may be read and/or determined by sampling, sensing measuring and/or detecting the polarity of the logic states stored in each transistor of complementary memory cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2006
    Assignee: Innovative Silicon S.A.
    Inventors: Richard Ferrant, Serguei Okhonin, Eric Carman, Michel Bron
  • Patent number: 7085156
    Abstract: There are many inventions described and illustrated herein. In a first aspect, the present invention is directed to a memory device and technique of reading data from and writing data into memory cells of the memory device. In this regard, in one embodiment of this aspect of the invention, the memory device and technique for operating that device that minimizes, reduces and/or eliminates the debilitating affects of the charge pumping phenomenon. This embodiment of the present invention employs control signals that minimize, reduce and/or eliminate transitions of the amplitudes and/or polarities. In another embodiment, the present invention is a semiconductor memory device including a memory array comprising a plurality of semiconductor dynamic random access memory cells arranged in a matrix of rows and columns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2006
    Assignee: Innovative Silicon S.A.
    Inventors: Richard Ferrant, Serguei Okhonin, Eric Carman, Michel Bron
  • Patent number: 7068533
    Abstract: A configuration of resistive memory cells is disclosed. In one embodiment, the configuration of resistive memory cells comprises a plurality of first current lines; a plurality of second current lines; and a plurality of third current lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2006
    Assignees: Infineon Technologies AG, Altis Semiconductor
    Inventors: Richard Ferrant, Arkalgud Sitaram
  • Patent number: 7057916
    Abstract: The invention concerns a ROM circuit (40) including columns of storage cells, each column being connected to a bit site (BLi, BLi+1), wherein the columns are arranged in groups of two adjacent columns, each column of a group capable of being selectively activated relative to the other column of the group, thereby enabling the elimination of a connection to the ground of columns and the design of efficient reading amplifiers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2006
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.A.
    Inventor: Richard Ferrant
  • Publication number: 20060067098
    Abstract: A content addressable memory cell is described. In one embodiment, the content addressable memory cell includes first and second resistive memory elements being coupled in a first series connection and being connected between a first potential value and a second potential value being smaller than said first potential value, and means for their switching between states exhibiting different electric resistance values. The memory cell includes a first field effect transistor and a second field effect transistor, said first and second transistors having drain-source-paths and gate electrodes, said drain-source-paths of said first and second transistors being connected in a second series connection and being connected to at least one of first current lines. The first current line is connected to a potential value level detector for sensing a potential difference as to said third potential value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2004
    Publication date: March 30, 2006
    Inventor: Richard Ferrant
  • Publication number: 20060067112
    Abstract: A resistive memory cell random access memory device and method for fabrication.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2004
    Publication date: March 30, 2006
    Inventors: Richard Ferrant, Daniel Braun
  • Publication number: 20060067103
    Abstract: A configuration of resistive memory cells is disclosed. In one embodiment, the configuration of resistive memory cells comprises a plurality of first current lines; a plurality of second current lines; and a plurality of third current lines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2004
    Publication date: March 30, 2006
    Inventors: Richard Ferrant, Arkalgud Sitaram
  • Publication number: 20060039187
    Abstract: A magnetic memory element comprising a magnetic storage element having at least one magnetic layer made of a magnetic material and being vertically oriented relative to a wafer surface on which the magnetic memory element is formed, the magnetic layer having a magnetic anisotropy with its magnetization vector being magnetically coupled to at least one current line, and a magnetic sensor element for sensing the magnetization of the at least one magnetic layer of the magnetic storage element comprising at least one magnetic layer having a magnetization vector being magnetically coupled to the magnetization vector of the at least one magnetic layer of the magnetic storage element, the magnetic sensor element being conductively coupled to the at least one current line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2004
    Publication date: February 23, 2006
    Inventors: Daniel Braun, Richard Ferrant
  • Patent number: 6995997
    Abstract: A CAM cell with masking made in the form of an integrated circuit, including a first storage cell including a first transistor, first and second inverters in anti-parallel, and a second transistor; a comparison cell, including third and fourth transistors controlling a fifth transistor, connected in series with a sixth inhibiting transistor to a result line; and a second storage cell, including a seventh transistor in series with two inverters in anti-parallel and an eighth transistor, the second storage cell controlling the inhibiting transistor. The first, second, seventh, and eighth transistors may be N-channel transistors, and the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth transistors may be P-channel transistors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2006
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.A.
    Inventor: Richard Ferrant
  • Publication number: 20060024886
    Abstract: A MRAM storage device comprises a substrate, on/above of which a plurality of word lines, a plurality of bit lines, a plurality of memory cells, and a plurality of isolation diodes are provided. Each memory cell forms a resistive cross point of one word line and one bit line, respectively. Each memory cell is connected to one isolation diode such that a unidirectional conductive path is formed from a word line to a bit line via the corresponding memory cell, respectively. The substrate, at least a part of the word lines or at least a part of the bit lines, and the isolation diodes are realized as one common monocrystal semiconductor block.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2004
    Publication date: February 2, 2006
    Inventors: Richard Ferrant, Daniel Braun, Pascal Louis
  • Patent number: 6934202
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an integrated circuit including at least one matrix network of identical elements capable of being individually addressed at least in a first direction and including, at least for this first direction, at least one redundancy element, and a circuit that reversibly inhibits the operation of a defective element and maintains the circuit operation by using the redundancy element. The integrated circuit also may include a circuit that definitely inhibits the operation of a defective element and maintains the circuit operation by using the redundancy element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2005
    Assignee: SGS-Thomson Microelectronics S.A.
    Inventor: Richard Ferrant
  • Publication number: 20050174873
    Abstract: There are many inventions described and illustrated herein. In a first aspect, the present invention is directed to a memory device and technique of reading data from and writing data into memory cells of the memory device. In this regard, in one embodiment of this aspect of the invention, the memory device and technique for operating that device that minimizes, reduces and/or eliminates the debilitating affects of the charge pumping phenomenon. This embodiment of the present invention employs control signals that minimize, reduce and/or eliminate transitions of the amplitudes and/or polarities. In another embodiment, the present invention is a semiconductor memory device including a memory array comprising a plurality of semiconductor dynamic random access memory cells arranged in a matrix of rows and columns.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2005
    Publication date: August 11, 2005
    Inventors: Richard Ferrant, Serguei Okhonin, Eric Carman, Michel Bron
  • Publication number: 20050157580
    Abstract: There are many inventions described and illustrated herein. In a first aspect, the present invention is directed to a memory device and technique of reading data from and writing data into memory cells of the memory device. In this regard, in one embodiment of this aspect of the invention, the memory device and technique for operating that device that minimizes, reduces and/or eliminates the debilitating affects of the charge pumping phenomenon. This embodiment of the present invention employs control signals that minimize, reduce and/or eliminate transitions of the amplitudes and/or polarities. In another embodiment, the present invention is a semiconductor memory device including a memory array comprising a plurality of semiconductor dynamic random access memory cells arranged in a matrix of rows and columns.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2005
    Publication date: July 21, 2005
    Inventors: Richard Ferrant, Serguei Okhonin, Eric Carman, Michel Bron
  • Publication number: 20050157534
    Abstract: A DRAM including an array of storage elements arranged in lines and columns, and for each column: write means adapted to biasing at least a selected one of the elements to a charge level chosen from among a first predetermined high level and a second predetermined low level, combined with read circuitry adapted to determining whether the stored charge level is greater or smaller than a predetermined charge level; and isolation circuitry adapted to isolating the array from the read and/or write means, each column further including refreshment means, distinct from the read and write circuit, for increasing, beyond the first and second predetermined levels, the charge stored in a storage element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2003
    Publication date: July 21, 2005
    Inventors: Richard Ferrant, Francois Jacquet
  • Patent number: 6920075
    Abstract: The invention concerns an amplifier (1), capable of being controlled by an activation signal, for reading storage cells of a crossbar network comprising, for each column, a direct bit line (BLdi) and a reference bit line (BLri), the amplifier being common to two columns and producing an OR-Exclusive type combination of the states of the cells read in said two columns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2005
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.A.
    Inventor: Richard Ferrant
  • Publication number: 20050146952
    Abstract: An integrated circuit memory including at least two banks each provided with an array of storage elements having at least one redundancy column and each associated with specific sense amplifiers, a row of input/output buffer circuits common to the memory banks, and for each memory bank, a circuit for assigning the redundancy column to an input/output line connected to one of said buffers. The assigning can be performed, for a line of current rank, towards the columns of preceding rank and towards the columns of following rank.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2003
    Publication date: July 7, 2005
    Inventors: Richard Ferrant, Francois Jacquet, Laurent Murillo
  • Publication number: 20050032277
    Abstract: A random access memory cell and fabrication method therefor are disclosed. The random access memory cell includes a first and a second pull-down transistor cross-coupled such that a control terminal of the first pull-down transistor is connected to a conduction terminal of the second pull-down transistors, and the control terminal of the second pull-down transistor is connected to the conduction terminal of the first pull-down transistor. A first pass gate transistor is coupled between the conduction terminal of the first transistor and a first bit line of a bit line pair, and a second pass gate transistor is coupled between the conduction terminal of the second transistor and a second bit line of the bit line pair.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2004
    Publication date: February 10, 2005
    Inventors: Richard Ferrant, T. C. Chan
  • Publication number: 20050013163
    Abstract: There are many inventions described and illustrated herein. In a first aspect, the present invention is directed to a memory cell and technique of reading data from and writing data into that memory cell. In this regard, in one embodiment of this aspect of the invention, the memory cell includes two transistors which store complementary data states. That is, the two-transistor memory cell includes a first transistor that maintains a complementary state relative to the second transistor. As such, when programmed, one of the transistors of the memory cell stores a logic low (a binary “0”) and the other transistor of the memory cell stores a logic high (a binary “1”). The data state of the two-transistor complementary memory cell may be read and/or determined by sampling, sensing measuring and/or detecting the polarity of the logic states stored in each transistor of complementary memory cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2004
    Publication date: January 20, 2005
    Inventors: Richard Ferrant, Serguei Okhonin, Eric Carman, Michel Bron
  • Publication number: 20040264228
    Abstract: The invention concerns a ROM circuit (40) comprising columns of storage cells, each column being connected to a bit site (BLi, BLi+1), wherein the columns are arranged in groups of two adjacent columns, each column of a group capable of being selectively activated relative to the other column of the group, thereby enabling the elimination of a connection to the ground of columns and the design of efficient reading amplifiers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2003
    Publication date: December 30, 2004
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.A.
    Inventor: Richard Ferrant