Cypress Semiconductor Corporation

Simtek Corporation

John Roger Gill

Daryl G Dietrich

Jayant Ashokkumar

Jaskarn Singh Johal

James D Allan

David W Still

Christian E Herdt

Paul Fredrick Ruths

A system and method for determining a SONOS Vwindow using a current sensing scheme is disclosed. The present invention creates a first current path and a second current path through the volatile and non-volatile sections of an nvSRAM memory cell. The erase threshold voltage of the first edge of the window is determined when current is detected in the first path. The program voltage of the second edge of the window is determined when current is detected in the second path. Accordingly, the voltage used to power a plurality of SONOS transistors may be set using the values of the first and second threshold edges to determine the Vwindow.

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A system and method for programming both sides of the non-volatile portion in a semiconductor memory is disclosed. The present invention erases and then programs the memory stacks in the non-volatile portion of an nvSRAM.

Method and apparatus to program both sides of a non-volatile static random access memory

The invention relates to a non-volatile, static random access memory (nvSRAM) device that addresses the consequence of a manufacturing defect that occasionally occurs during mass production of the nvSRAM device and if not addressed, reduces the yield of the production process. The consequence of the defect is termed a store disturb because the execution of a store operation in a defective nvSRAM causes the bit of data retained in the SRAM portion and, in some cases, the nv portion of the nvSRAM to be instable or corrupted. The present invention provides an nvSRAM device in which the controller provides modified signals to the nvSRAM memory portion of the device that address the store disturb phenomena and, as a consequence, improve the yield of the manufacturing process.

Non-volatile, static random access memory with store disturb immunity

Growing community of inventors

Colorado Springs, CO, United States of America

John Roger Gill