Disturbance Control Patents (Class 365/185.02)
  • Patent number: 11056196
    Abstract: A memory device includes N rows of memory cells and N word lines coupled thereto, respectively. A method of reading data from the memory device includes: applying a first pre-pulse voltage to an nth word line while applying a second pre-pulse voltage to an adjacent word line adjacent to the nth word line, the second pre-pulse voltage exceeding the first pre-pulse voltage, and n being an integer ranging from 1 to N; grounding the nth word line while maintaining the second pre-pulse voltage on the adjacent word line; pulling a voltage on the nth word line towards a start read level; and prior to the voltage on the nth word line reaching the start read level, driving a voltage on the adjacent word line to the first pre-pulse voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: Yangtze Memory Technologies Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ke Liang, Li Xiang
  • Patent number: 11056201
    Abstract: Memory might include a plurality of strings of memory cells, a plurality of access lines each connected to the strings of memory cells, and a controller configured to cause the memory to increase a voltage level applied to each of the access lines, determine a particular voltage level at which each memory cell of a first set of strings of memory cells is deemed to be activated while increasing the voltage level applied to the access lines, decrease the voltage level applied to a particular access line without decreasing the voltage level applied to each remaining access line, and, for each memory cell connected to the particular access line and contained in a second set of strings of memory cells, determine whether that memory cell is deemed to be activated while applying the particular voltage level to the particular access line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Tommaso Vali, Ramin Ghodsi
  • Patent number: 11049578
    Abstract: Non-volatile memory cells are programmed by applying a programming signal as a series of programming voltage pulses (or other doses of programming) to selected memory cells and verifying the memory cells between programming voltage pulses. To achieve tighter threshold voltage distributions, a coarse/fine programming process is used that includes a two step verification between programming voltage pulses comprising an intermediate verify condition and a final verify condition. Memory cells being programmed that have reached the intermediate verify condition are slowed down for further programming. Memory cells being programmed that have reached the final verify condition are inhibited from further programming. To reduce the number of verify operations performed, a system is proposed for skipping verification at the intermediate verify condition for some programming voltage pulses and skipping verification at the final verify condition for some programming voltage pulses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES LLC
    Inventors: Shota Murai, Henry Chin
  • Patent number: 11049579
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for NAND flash memory are disclosed. In an embodiment, a method is provided for programming a NAND flash memory. The method includes precharging selected bit lines of selected memory cells with a bias voltage level while unselected bit lines maintain the inhibit voltage, applying a verify voltage to a selected word line that is coupled to the selected memory cells, and discharging the selected bit lines that are coupled to on-cells over a first time interval. The method also includes sensing a sensed voltage level on a selected bit line, loading the selected bit line with the inhibit voltage level when the sensed voltage level is above a threshold level and a program voltage when the sensed voltage level is equal to or below the threshold level, and repeating the operations of sensing and loading for each of the selected bit lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Inventor: Fu-Chang Hsu
  • Patent number: 11023138
    Abstract: A non-volatile storage system, configured to use a protocol that supports predictable latency, including: a memory array storing a data in a block of memory; a controller coupled to the memory array, where the controller is configured to: in response to determining that predictable latency is enabled, operate the storage system using a first mode for a duration of time, where during the first mode, the storage system operates such that a read latency is below a read latency threshold; and after the duration of time, operate, the storage system using a second mode for a second duration of time, where during the second mode: the storage system performs a management operation based on a second set of thresholds that are different from a first set of threshold used during the first mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Ariel Navon, Shay Benisty, Alexander Bazarsky
  • Patent number: 11011237
    Abstract: A semiconductor memory device includes: a memory cell array including a plurality of conductive layers, a semiconductor layer, and charge accumulating sections; and a control circuit that executes an erase operation. The erase operation includes an erase mode that executes a first erase flow. The first erase flow includes: a first write operation in which a first program voltage is applied to the plurality of conductive layers; a first erase operation that is executed after the first write operation, and in which, while a first voltage is applied to a first conductive layer, a voltage higher than the first voltage is applied to the second conductive layer; and a second erase operation that is executed after the first erase operation, and in which, while the first voltage is applied to a second conductive layer, a voltage higher than the first voltage is applied to the first conductive layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: Kioxia Corporation
    Inventor: Muneyuki Tsuda
  • Patent number: 11003229
    Abstract: A system is disclosed that provides emergency backup power to a solid-state drive (SSD) that may not contain any internal supercapacitors. The SSD may include a first connector and a hold-up power supply. The first connector may have a predetermined form factor and may being capable of being connected to a corresponding connector of a midplane of a storage system. The first connector may include a main power connection that is connected to a main power supply of the midplane if the first connector is connected to the corresponding connector of the midplane. The hold-up power supply may be internal to the SSD, and may receive hold-up energy from an external energy source for a predetermined amount of time after the first connector has been disconnected from the main power connection of the midplane so that the SSD may store any host data write requests that the SSD has acknowledged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Inventors: Sompong Paul Olarig, Ramdas P Kachare, Wentao Wu
  • Patent number: 10998447
    Abstract: A semiconductor device is provided in which the power consumption can be reduced by reducing the driving voltage and the on-state current can be increased in a period in which a transistor having an extremely low off-state current is brought into an electrically floating state. The semiconductor device comprises a memory cell, a first circuit, and a second circuit. The memory cell includes a first transistor. The first transistor includes a first semiconductor layer, a first gate electrode, and a first back gate electrode. The first gate electrode is connected to a word line. The first back gate electrode is connected to a back gate line. The first circuit supplies a signal for controlling the conduction state of the first transistor to the word line. The second circuit supplies a voltage for controlling the threshold voltage of the first transistor to the back gate line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Onuki, Kiyoshi Kato, Tomoaki Atsumi
  • Patent number: 10991432
    Abstract: Provided herein is a method of operating a memory device configured to perform a program operation on a first memory cell coupled to a selected word line. The method includes determining, after the program operation on the first memory cell has been performed, whether a threshold voltage of a second memory cell coupled to a same bit line to which the first memory cell is coupled and coupled to a word line adjacent to the selected word line corresponds to an erased status. The method also includes applying to the first memory cell, when the threshold voltage of the second memory cell corresponds to the erased status, an additional program voltage higher by a preset voltage than a program voltage last applied during the program operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Heon Jin Choo
  • Patent number: 10977120
    Abstract: Provided are a memory controller determining degradation in endurance, a memory system including the memory controller, and a method of operating the memory controller. The memory controller includes: an error correction code (ECC) circuit configured to detect an error from data read from a memory device; and an endurance determination circuit configured to check a first counting value indicating a number of writing operations on the memory device and a second counting value indicating, based on the data read from the memory device, at least one of: a number of first memory cells of the memory device, each of the first memory cells having an error and a number of second memory cells of the memory device in a certain logic state, and configured to perform a first determination operation for determining whether endurance of the memory device has degraded based on a checking result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Eun Chu Oh, Jeong-ho Lee, Young-jin Cho
  • Patent number: 10957389
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes multifunctional memory cells. A number of embodiments include a gate element, a charge transport element, a first charge storage element configured to store a first charge transported from the gate element and through the charge transport element, wherein the first charge storage element includes a nitride material, and a second charge storage element configured to store a second charge transported from the gate element and through the charge transport element, wherein the second charge storage element includes a gallium nitride material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Arup Bhattacharyya
  • Patent number: 10916288
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for sensing techniques for a memory cell are described to enable a latch to sense a logic state of a memory cell. A transistor coupled with a memory cell may boost a first voltage associated with the memory cell to a second voltage via one or more parasitic capacitances of the transistor. The second voltage may be developed on a first node of a sense component, and the second voltage may be shifted to a third voltage at a first node of the sense component by applying a voltage to a shift node coupled with a capacitor of the sense component. Similar boosting and shifting operations may be performed to develop a reference voltage on a second node of the sense component. The sense component may sense the state of the memory cell by comparing with the reference voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Umberto Di Vincenzo, Efrem Bolandrina, Riccardo Muzzetto, Ferdinando Bedeschi
  • Patent number: 10892026
    Abstract: A memory management method for a memory storage device including a rewritable non-volatile memory module is provided according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. The method includes: programming first data into a plurality of first memory cells in the rewritable non-volatile memory module, such that the programmed first memory cells have a plurality of states; sending a first single-stage read command sequence which indicates to read the programmed first memory cells by using a first read voltage level; obtaining first count information corresponding to the first read voltage level according to a read result corresponding to the first single-stage read command sequence; and adjusting the first read voltage level according to the first count information and default count information corresponding to the first read voltage level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: PHISON ELECTRONICS CORP.
    Inventors: Wei Lin, An-Cheng Liu, Szu-Wei Chen, Yu-Siang Yang
  • Patent number: 10892025
    Abstract: A non-volatile storage apparatus includes a plurality of non-volatile memory cells and control circuitry. The control circuitry is configured to apply one or more soft erase pulses to the plurality of non-volatile memory cells to reduce threshold voltages of the plurality of non-volatile memory cells from initial levels corresponding to programmed data to intermediate levels below the initial levels and above an erased level. The control circuitry is configured to apply one or more soft programming pulse to increase threshold voltages of the plurality of non-volatile memory cells from the intermediate levels to final levels corresponding to the programmed data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Amiya Banerjee, Shreesha Prabhu, Saugata Das Purkayastha
  • Patent number: 10884848
    Abstract: A memory device includes: an in-memory error correction code generating circuit suitable for generating an in-memory error correction code based on a data received from a memory controller during a write operation; a memory core suitable for storing the received data and the in-memory error correction code during the write operation; an in-memory error correction circuit suitable for correcting an error of the data which is read from the memory core based on the in-memory error correction code which is read from the memory core during a read operation; and a data transmitter suitable for transferring the data whose error is corrected by the in-memory error correction circuit to the memory controller during the read operation, and transferring the data which is read from the memory core to the memory controller during a read retry operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventors: Hoiju Chung, Young-Do Hur, Hyuk Lee, Jang-Ryul Kim
  • Patent number: 10877827
    Abstract: A method for biasing read voltage for flash memory in a storage system, performed by the storage system, is provided. The method includes determining a first number of bit errors for a first read of data at an address in the flash memory at a previously determined optimum read voltage level. Determining a second number of bit errors for a second read of the data at the address in the flash memory at a further read voltage level. Adjusting the optimum read voltage level up or down based on a comparison of the first number of bit errors and the second number of bit errors. Iterating each method operation, to adjust the optimum read voltage level in a first direction of the further read voltage level when the second number of bit errors is less than the first number of bit errors, and to adjust the optimum read voltage level in a second direction when the second number of bit errors is greater than the first number of bit errors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: Pure Storage, Inc.
    Inventor: Nenad Miladinovic
  • Patent number: 10878868
    Abstract: A nonvolatile memory device includes: a plurality of word lines that are stacked; a vertical channel region suitable for forming a cell string along with the word lines; and a voltage supplier suitable for supplying a plurality of biases required for a program operation on the word lines, where a negative bias is applied to neighboring word lines disposed adjacent to a selected word line at an end of a pulsing section of a program voltage which is applied to the selected word line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Jin Yong Oh
  • Patent number: 10877832
    Abstract: Feedback relating to errors in memory operations on a plurality of memory cells is received by a memory sub-system. At least one processing level corresponding to a program distribution is updated based on the feedback to adjust an error measure between pages of the plurality of memory cells and to adjust a read window budget within a page of the plurality of cells. The updating of the at least one processing level is based on information for the at least one processing level that is stored in a data-structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Sheperek, Bruce A. Liikanen, Larry J. Koudele, James P. Crowley, Stuart A. Bell
  • Patent number: 10867686
    Abstract: Data storage circuits are connected to the bit lines in a one-to-one correspondence. A write circuit writes the data on a first page into a plurality of 5 first memory cells selected simultaneously by a word line. Thereafter, the write circuit writes the data on a second page into the plurality of first memory cell. Then, the write circuit writes the data on the first and second pages into second memory cells adjoining 10 the first memory cells in the bit line direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Noboru Shibata, Tomoharu Tanaka
  • Patent number: 10861535
    Abstract: A memory system includes: a memory device including a three dimensional (3D) cell array, in which memory cells having the same height are coupled to a component word line by units of rows and component word lines having the same height are coupled to a group word line; and a controller suitable for controlling the memory device to perform a program operation with a program data into memory cells coupled to a data component word line selected from a plurality of component word line included in a single group word line and to perform a dummy program operation with dummy data into memory cells coupled to remaining dummy component word lines among the plurality of component word lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Dong-Wook Kim
  • Patent number: 10839915
    Abstract: A methodology and structure for a bit line boost during a programming operation in a nonvolatile memory are described. The inhibit bit line is driven for a first precharge time period with a constant current. The program bit line boost is delayed for a second precharge time period while continuing to drive the inhibit bit line to account for a resistance-capacitance (RC) delay on the inhibit bit line. Thereafter, the program bit line is boosted at the end of the second time period to a program voltage level. The signal level at the fare end of the bit line remote from the driven end of the bit line is sensed to determine when the inhibit bit line reaches a level (e.g. VDDSA) or a level at which the current limits are turned off. Thereafter, the bit line boost can be performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Xiang Yang, Ohwon Kwon
  • Patent number: 10818367
    Abstract: A method of operating a controller that controls a non-volatile memory device having a first memory block and a second memory block. The controller may detect invalid data of the first memory block, determine whether the detected invalid data is less than a reference value, and execute a secure erase operation of changing a voltage distribution of the detected invalid data based on a result of the determination. According to this method, it may be possible to enhance security of data stored in the non-volatile memory device, to prevent a physical erase operation from being excessively performed, and to increase the life span of the non-volatile memory device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Eun-Jin Yun, Sung June Youn
  • Patent number: 10811110
    Abstract: Techniques are described for reducing an injection type of program disturb in a memory device during the pre-charge phase of a program loop. In one approach, a pre-charge voltage on the selected word line and drain side word lines is adjusted based on a risk of the injection type of program disturb. Risk factors such as temperature, WLn position, Vpgm and the selected sub-block, can be used to set the pre-charge voltage to be lower when the risk is higher. In another approach, the pre-charge voltage on the source side word lines is adjusted to reduce a channel gradient and/or the amount of time in which the injection type of program disturb occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Hong-Yan Chen, Wei Zhao, Henry Chin
  • Patent number: 10811096
    Abstract: A memory system may include one or more hybrid fast memory blocks with m-bit fast volatile random access memory (RAM) cells and N×m bit non-volatile memory (NVM) cells. The memory system may also include one or more other memory blocks with NVM cells. The fast flash memory may buffer the NVM data improving access speed. The different memory blocks may utilize a single, unified interface to communicate with other devices/circuits. The unified interface may be a parallel interface (e.g., flash memory/SRAM combinations), or the unified interface may be a pipeline interface (e.g., system on a chip “SOC” implementations) supporting fast memory read/write operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: Aspiring Sky Co. Limited
    Inventors: Zhijiong Luo, Shu Wang, Xiaoming Jin
  • Patent number: 10796763
    Abstract: A split-gate memory cell includes a state transistor possessing a control gate and a floating gate and a selection transistor possessing a selection gate. The split-gate memory cell is programmed by applying, during a programming duration, a first voltage to the control gate, a second voltage to a drain of the state transistor and a third voltage to the selection gate of the selection transistor. The third voltage is transitioned during the programming duration between a first value and a second value greater than the first value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignees: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS, STMicroelectronics (Crolles 2) SAS
    Inventors: Francesco La Rosa, Marc Mantelli, Stephan Niel, Arnaud Regnier
  • Patent number: 10796776
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a nonvolatile memory includes: a memory cell array including memory cells; and a controller configured to execute a first refresh process on receiving a first command. The first refresh process includes reprogramming at least one second memory cell among first memory cells to which data has been programmed in a first group. In executing the first refresh process, the controller is configured to: select the second memory cell by verifying with a first voltage using a first amount in a case where the second memory cell has been programmed using the first voltage; and select the second memory cell by verifying with a second voltage using a second amount in a case where the second memory cell has been programmed using the second voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Toshiba Memory Corporation
    Inventors: Riki Suzuki, Masanobu Shirakawa, Yoshihisa Kojima, Marie Takada, Tsukasa Tokutomi
  • Patent number: 10784269
    Abstract: Some embodiments include apparatuses and methods of using such apparatuses. One of the apparatuses includes a semiconductor material, a pillar extending through the semiconductor material, a select gate located along a first portion of the pillar, memory cells located along a second portion of the pillar, and transistors coupled to the select gate through a portion of the semiconductor material. The transistors include sources and drains formed from portions of the semiconductor material. The transistors include gates that are electrically uncoupled to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Toru Tanzawa
  • Patent number: 10770144
    Abstract: A non-volatile memory and a program method thereof are provided. The program method includes: setting one of a plurality of word lines to be a program word line, setting the word lines except the program word line to be a plurality of unselected word lines; raise a voltage on the program word line from a reference voltage to a first program voltage during a first sub-time period of a program time period; raising the voltage on the program word line from the first program voltage to a second program voltage during a second sub-time period of the program time period; and raising voltages on at least part of the unselected word lines from the reference voltage to a pass voltage during the second sub-time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: MACRONIX INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hsing-Wen Chang, Yao-Wen Chang
  • Patent number: 10762973
    Abstract: Program disturb is suppressed during a program recovery phase of a program operation in a memory device. The duration of the recovery phase can be increased when the risk of program disturb is greater due to factors such as temperature, the position of the selected word line, the number of program-erase cycles and the program pulse magnitude. In other approaches, the risk of program disturb is reduced by providing an early ramp down of the voltages of the drain-side word line relative to a ramp down of the voltages of the source-side word lines, providing an early ramp down of the bit line voltage of the inhibited NAND strings relative to the ramp down of the select gate voltage or setting a lower recovery voltage for the source-side word lines relative to the recovery voltage of the drain-side word lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Ching-Huang Lu, Zhengyi Zhang
  • Patent number: 10762955
    Abstract: A memory system includes a storage device and a controller. The storage device includes a first string including a first memory cell transistor and a second memory cell transistor connected in series to each other, and a first select transistor, a second string including a third memory cell transistor and a second select transistor, a gate of the second select transistor being independent from a gate of the first select transistor. The controller configured to perform first writing to cause a threshold voltage of the first memory cell transistor to be lower than a first target threshold voltage, perform second writing to cause a threshold voltage of the second memory cell transistor to be higher than a second target threshold voltage after the first writing, perform third writing to cause a threshold voltage of the first memory cell transistor to be higher than the first target threshold voltage after the second writing, and perform fourth writing on the third memory cell transistor after the third writing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akihiko Sakai, Masanobu Shirakawa, Marie Takada
  • Patent number: 10755798
    Abstract: Recovering data from a faulty memory block in a memory system. Various methods include: reading a target word line in a memory block to obtain a first data; determining the first data has an uncorrectable error; and then adjust bias parameters of a first group of neighboring word lines within the memory block, where adjusting bias parameters creates a first adjusted bias parameters; and reading the target word line using the adjusted bias parameters to obtain second data from the target word line. The method also includes determining the second data has a second uncorrectable error; and then adjusting bias parameters of a second group of lines within the memory block, where adjusting the bias parameters of the second group creates second adjusted bias parameters; and reading the target word line using the first and second adjusted bias parameters to obtain a third data from the target word line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Niles Yang, Pitamber Shukla, Mohan Dunga
  • Patent number: 10741253
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for optimizing an erase operation in a memory device to compensate for erase speed variations due to blocking oxide thinning In an erase operation for a block, the channels of NAND strings in different sub-blocks can be charged up by different amounts. One approach adjusts the control gate voltage of a first select gate transistor in a NAND string. This adjusts the amount of holes generated in the channel due to gate-induced drain leakage. Another approach adjusts the control gate voltage of additional select gate transistors in the NAND string to adjust the conductivity of the adjacent channel regions. Another approach applies different bit line voltages to different rows of NAND strings in each sub-block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Ching-Huang Lu, Ashish Baraskar, Vinh Diep
  • Patent number: 10726929
    Abstract: Techniques are provided to compensate for neighbor word line interference when programming memory cells connected to a selected word line WLn. Before programming, the assigned data states of WLn and WLn+1 are compared and corresponding compensation data is generated. The compensation data may be stored in latches of sense circuits to modify the verify tests which occur during programming. The compensation can involve adjusting the bit line voltage, word line voltage, sense node discharge period and/or trip voltage. During a verify test, the compensation data can cause a WLn memory cell to complete programming when its threshold voltage is lower than would be the case with no compensation. When the WLn+1 memory cells are subsequently programmed, an upshift in the threshold voltage of the WLn memory cell offsets the compensation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC
    Inventor: Xiang Yang
  • Patent number: 10699787
    Abstract: An improved programming technique for non-volatile memory cell arrays, in which memory cells to be programmed with higher programming values are programmed first, and memory cells to be programmed with lower programming values are programmed second. The technique reduces or eliminates the number of previously programmed cells from being adversely incrementally programmed by an adjacent cell being programmed to higher program levels, and reduces the magnitude of adverse incremental programming for most of the memory cells, which is caused by floating gate to floating gate coupling. The memory device includes an array of non-volatile memory cells and a controller configured to identify programming values associated with incoming data, and perform a programming operation in which the incoming data is programmed into at least some of the non-volatile memory cells in a timing order of descending value of the programming values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: Silicon Storage Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Vipin Tiwari, Nhan Do, Hieu Van Tran
  • Patent number: 10692570
    Abstract: Various examples for accelerating multiplication operations are presented, which can be employed in neural network operations, among other applications. In one example, a circuit comprises a non-volatile memory cell, and an input circuit coupled to a gate terminal of the non-volatile memory cell. The input circuit is configured to ramp a control voltage applied to the gate terminal at a ramp rate representing a multiplicand value. An output circuit coupled to an output terminal of the non-volatile memory cell and is configured to generate an output pulse based on the control voltage satisfying a threshold voltage of the non-volatile memory cell, where the output pulse has a duration comprising the multiplicand value multiplied by a multiplier value represented by the threshold voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES LLC
    Inventor: Ali Al-Shamma
  • Patent number: 10685725
    Abstract: A temperature associated with the memory component is determined. A frequency to perform an operation on a memory cell associated with the memory component is determined based on the temperature associated with the memory component. The operation is performed on the memory cell at the determined frequency to transition the memory cell from a state associated with an increased error rate for data stored at the memory cell to another state associated with a decreased error rate for the data stored at the memory cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Sampath K. Ratnam, Vamsi Pavan Rayaprolu, Mustafa N. Kaynak, Peter Feeley, Kishore Kumar Muchherla, Renato C. Padilla, Shane Nowell
  • Patent number: 10665300
    Abstract: Methods, and apparatus configured to perform similar methods, might include performing an access operation on a memory cell of an array of memory cells, discharging a control gate of a first field-effect transistor after performing the access operation, discharging a control gate of a second field-effect transistor connected in series between the first field-effect transistor and the memory cell after discharging the control gate of the first field-effect transistor, and discharging a control gate of the memory cell after discharging the control gate of the second field-effect transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Jeffrey S. McNeil
  • Patent number: 10643700
    Abstract: According to one embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes a memory array having a plurality of memory cells. The apparatus further includes memory access circuits coupled to the memory array and configured to perform write operations responsive to control signals. The apparatus further includes control logic coupled to the memory access circuits and configured to apply a set of write parameters based, at least in part, on a number of write operations performed by the memory access circuits and further configured to provide control signals to the memory access circuits to perform write operations on the plurality of memory cells according to the set of write parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Shekoufeh Qawami, Rajesh Sundaram
  • Patent number: 10643718
    Abstract: Program disturb is a condition that includes the unintended programming of a memory cell while performing a programming process for other memory cells. Such unintended programming can cause an error in the data being stored. In some cases, program disturb can result from electrons trapped in the channel being accelerated from one side of a selected word line to another side of the selected word line and redirected into the selected word line. To prevent such program disturb, it is proposed to open the channel from one side of a selected word line to the other side of the selected word line after a sensing operation for program verify and prior to a subsequent programming voltage being applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Dengtao Zhao, Peng Zhang, Nan Lu, Deepanshu Dutta
  • Patent number: 10628302
    Abstract: A semiconductor memory device preventing inconsistent busy states between a plurality of memory chips is provided. A semiconductor memory device includes a master chip and at least one slave chip. The master chip and the slave chip include a status register capable of storing protection information. When a write-protect (WP) commend for locking the protection information of the status register is input, the protection information and lock information are programmed in a memory array. At this time, programming is controlled in a manner that a programming time in a selected memory chip is longer than a programming time in an unselected memory chip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Winbond Electronics Corp.
    Inventor: Kazuki Yamauchi
  • Patent number: 10622040
    Abstract: Provided is a semiconductor device and an operating method thereof. The operating method of the semiconductor device includes performing a soft program operation on a top dummy cell and a bottom dummy cell, among dummy cells stacked in a vertical direction, by applying a first soft program voltage to a bottom dummy word line coupled to the bottom dummy cell and a second soft program voltage greater than the first soft program voltage to a top dummy word line coupled to the top dummy cell formed above the bottom dummy cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Hee Youl Lee
  • Patent number: 10607709
    Abstract: A flash memory system may include a cell flash memory having a plurality of threshold voltages, and a circuit for performing operations of the cell flash memory. The circuit may perform a first read operation on a first cell of the cell flash memory with a first threshold voltage among the plurality of threshold voltages, estimate a first interference state relating to the first threshold voltage, estimate a first voltage shift based on the first interference state, and perform a first shifted read operation on the first cell of the cell flash memory with a shifted first threshold voltage shifted with the first voltage shift, generate a first decoder input based on the estimated first interference state and the result of the first shifted read operation on the first cell, and decode, based on the first decoder input, a result of the first read operation on the first cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Toshiba Memory Corporation
    Inventor: Avi Steiner
  • Patent number: 10594793
    Abstract: A distributed storage network (DSN) employs multiple storage units, each of which includes distributed storage (DS) memories for dispersed storage of encoded data slices. A requesting device transmits a read-prepare request specifying a slice name to the storage units, and instructs the storage units to attempt to retrieve, one or more data slices associated with the slice name from dispersed storage, and to temporarily store the one or more data slices in a memory, rather than transmitting them to the requesting device. The requesting device receives read-prepare responses from the storage units. The read-prepare responses include either an error indication indicating that the storage unit was unable to retrieve one or more valid data slices from dispersed storage, or names and revisions of valid data slices actually retrieved. The requesting device selects a subset of the storage units based on the read-prepare responses, and transmits a read-complete request to them.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: PURE STORAGE, INC.
    Inventor: Jason K. Resch
  • Patent number: 10593397
    Abstract: In a particular implementation, a method to perform a read operation on a magneto-resistive random-access memory (MRAM) bit-cell includes: providing a voltage signal across one or more storage elements of the MRAM bit-cell, determining an electrical resistance of the one or more storage elements of the MRAM bit-cell, and removing the voltage signal from the MRAM bit-cell prior to an end of an incubation delay interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: Arm Limited
    Inventors: Akhilesh Ramlaut Jaiswal, Mudit Bhargava
  • Patent number: 10580504
    Abstract: Program disturb is a condition that includes the unintended programming of a memory cell while performing a programming process for other memory cells. Such unintended programming can cause an error in the data being stored. In some cases, program disturb can result from electrons trapped in the channel being accelerated from one side of a selected word line to another side of the selected word line and redirected into the selected word line. To prevent such program disturb, it is proposed to open the channel from one side of a selected word line to the other side of the selected word line after a sensing operation for program verify and prior to a subsequent programming voltage being applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Dengtao Zhao, Peng Zhang, Nan Lu, Deepanshu Dutta
  • Patent number: 10572651
    Abstract: A key generating method includes obtaining a first error correcting code (ECC) for original data, obtaining read data from a cell array of a memory comprising the original data, generating a second ECC for the read data, obtaining a location of a cell in which an error occurs from the cell array of the memory in response to the second ECC being different from the first ECC, and generating a key for the memory based on the location of the cell in which the error occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seung-Chan Kim, Jungsoon Shin, Taesung Jung, Du-Sik Park, Joonah Park, Soochul Lim
  • Patent number: 10559367
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods are disclosed, such as a method that includes precharging channel material of a string of memory cells in an unselected sub-block of a block of memory cells to a precharge voltage during a first portion of a programming operation. A programming voltage can then he applied to a selected memory cell in a selected sub-block of the block of memory cells during a second portion of the programming operation. The selected memory cell is coupled to a same access line as an unselected memory cell in the unselected sub-block. Additional methods and apparatus are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Aaron Yip
  • Patent number: 10559365
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a plurality of solid-state storage elements, a plurality of control lines coupled to the plurality of solid-state storage elements, and control circuitry in communication with the plurality of control lines. The control circuitry is configured to during a first phase of a control line pre-charging stage, charge one or more unselected control lines of the plurality of control lines using a regulated charging current for a period of time based at least in part on a bias variance state associated with the plurality of control lines, and during a second phase of the control line pre-charging stage, charge the one or more unselected bit lines to an inhibit voltage level using an unregulated charging current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Xiang Yang, Huai-yuan Tseng, Deepanshu Dutta
  • Patent number: 10553294
    Abstract: A storage device with a charge trapping (CT) based memory may include improved data retention performance. Data retention problems, such as charge loss in CT memory may increase for a particular programmed state when a neighboring state is at erased state. Modifying the erase state with post write erase conditioning (PWEC) by pushing up deeply erased states can reduce the lateral charge movement and improve high temperature data retention. In particular, the erase state may be reprogrammed such that the erase distribution is tighter with a higher voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Mohan Vamsi Dunga, Changyuan Chen, Biswajit Ray
  • Patent number: 10535405
    Abstract: A memory device and an operating method thereof are provided. A memory device may include a plurality of source lines coupled to a memory block. The memory device may include a plurality of strings coupled to each of the source lines. The memory device may include a row decoder configured to selectively transmit voltages to local lines corresponding to a selected source line among the source lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Nam Jae Lee