Thin Film Electronics Asa

Per Hamberg

Christer Karlsson

Hans Gude Gudesen

Johan Carlsson

Per-Erik Nordal

Nicklas Ojakangas

Staffan Björklid

Geirr Ivarsson Leistad

Michael O Thompson

Richard Hiram Womack

Göran Gustafsson

Per Bröms

In a non-volatile electric memory system a memory unit and a read/write unit are provided as physically separate units. The memory unit is based on a memory material that can be set to at least two distinct physical states by applying an electric field across the memory material. Electrodes and/or contacts are either provided in the memory unit or in the read/write unit and contacts are at least always provided in the read/write unit. Electrodes and contacts are provided in a geometrical arrangement, which defines geometrically one or more memory cells in the memory layer. Establishing a physical contact between the memory unit and the read/write unit closes an electrical circuit over the addressed memory cell such that read, write or erase operations can be effected. The memory material of the memory unit can be polarized into two discernible polarization states.

Card-like memory unit with separate read/write unit

In a method for obviating the effect of disturb voltages in a data storage apparatus employing passive matrix addressing, an application of electric potentials for an addressing operation is according to a voltage pulse protocol. The data storage cells of the apparatus are provided in two or more electrically separated segments each constituting non-overlapping physical address subspaces of the data storage apparatus physical address space. A number of data storage cells in each segment are preset to the same polarization by an active voltage pulse with a specific polarization. In a first addressing operation one or more data storage cells are read by applying an active pulse with the same polarization to each data storage cell and recording the output charge response. On basis thereof the output data in subsequent second addressing operation are copied onto preset data storage cells in another segment of the data storage apparatus, this segment being selected on the basis of its previous addressing history.

Method for operating a data storage apparatus employing passive matrix addressing

In a method for reducing detrimental phenomena related to disturb voltages in a data storage apparatus employing passive matrix addressing, particularly a memory device or a sensor device, an application of electric potentials conforming to an addressing operation is generally controlled in a time-coordinated manner according to a voltage pulse protocol. In an addressing operation a data storage cell is set to a first polarization state by means of a first active voltage pulse and then, dependent on the voltage pulse protocol, a second voltage pulse which may be a second active voltage pulse of opposite polarity to that of the first voltage pulse, is applied and used for switching the data storage cell to a second polarization state. The addressed cell is thus set to a predetermined polarization state as specified by the addressing operation. The data storage cells of the apparatus are provided in two or more electrically separated segments such that each segment comprises a separate physical address space for the apparatus. In an addressing operation the data are directed to a segment that is selected based on information on prior and/or scheduled applications of active voltage pulses to the segments.

A method of operating a passive matrix addressable ferroelectric device having a voltage pulse protocol with a pre-disturb and post-disturb cycle before and after a disturb generating operation cycle respectively in order to minimize the effect of disturb voltage on non-addressed memory cells, when such voltages are generated thereto in the operation cycle when It is applied for either a write or read operation.

Non-switching pre- and post- disturb compensational pulses

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Kisa, Sweden

Per Hamberg