Qualcomm Incorporated

Micron Technology Incorporated

Yonsei University

Sei Seung Yoon

Chulmin Jung

Esin Terzioglu

Seung Hyuk Kang

Changho Jung

Dongkyu Park

Seong-Ook Jung

Mohamed Hassan Abu-Rahma

Nishith Nitin Desai

Hari Rao

Anil Chowdary Kota

Ritu Chaba

Mehdi Hamidi Sani

Gregory Ameriada Uvieghara

Fahad Ahmed

Charles L Ingalls

Howard Kirsch

David L Pinney

Cheng Zhong

Rakesh Vattikonda

Balachander Ganesan

Rui Li

Anosh Bomi Davierwalla

Bin Liang

Chirag Gulati

Jisu Kim

Nan Chen

Rakesh Kumar Sinha

Keejong Kim

David Li

Jee-Hwan Song

Daniel Lawrence Stasiak

Venugopal Boynapalli

Martin Saint-Laurent

Po-Hung Chen

Sanjay Bhagawan Patil

Tony Chung Yiu Kwok

Alex Dongkyu Park

Medi Hamidi Sani

Xiaochun Zhu

Hyunwoo Nho

Xiaohua Kong

Lew G Chua-Eoan

Zhi Zhu

Sharad Kumar Gupta

Seung-Chul Song

Mukund Narasimhan

Chang Ho Jung

Steven Mark Millendorf

Bilal Zafar

Adithya Bhaskaran

Sung Hwan Cho

Derek Yang

Lakshmikantha Holla Vakwadi

Peng Jin

Kashyap Ramachandra Bellur

Yi Han

Bhadri Kubendran

Bjorn Grubelich

Seung Duk Lee

Mohamed Hassan Soliman Abu-Rahma

Sung Il Cho

Robert Henry Hoem

Prabaharan Balu

Hui Song

Jongwon Lee

Hari Ananthanarayanan

Naveen Gundubogula

Mohamed H Abu Rahma

Medhi Sani

Gregory A Uvieghara

Martin Pierre Saint-Laurent

Anosh B Davierwalla

Nishith Desai

Ji-Su Kim

In an example, a method of memory repair may include receiving, by a memory repair unit, a plurality of memory identifiers. The method may include determining, by the memory repair unit, that a first memory identifier of the plurality of memory identifiers corresponds to a first memory of a plurality of memories. The method may include determining, by the memory repair unit, that a second memory identifier corresponds to a second memory of the plurality of memories. The method may include outputting, by the memory repair unit, in parallel: a first value to a repair enable input of the first memory, and a second value to a repair enable input of the second memory.

Memory repair enablement

A dual-power-domain SRAM is disclosed in which the dual power domains may be powered up or down in whatever order is desired. For example, a (CX) power domain may be powered up first, followed by a memory (MX) power domain. Conversely, the MX power domain may be powered up prior to the CX domain.

Flexible power sequencing for dual-power memory

A method includes: reading a plurality of words from a one-time program (OTP) memory of a processing chip, wherein each of the words includes secure data for the chip and bits corresponding to a check pattern; comparing the bits corresponding to the check pattern to a preprogrammed check pattern; detecting an error based on comparing the bits corresponding to the check pattern to the preprogrammed check pattern; and performing an action by the processing chip in response to detecting the error.

Systems and methods to provide security to one time program data

A computer-readable storage medium for controlling voltage droop storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a device to perform operations including receiving a first voltage to a first input of a first component of a device. The first voltage corresponding to a first logical value causes a first internal power supply of the first component to be charged using an external power supply. The operations further include providing a second voltage to a second input of a second component of the device in response to a first voltage level of the first internal power supply satisfying a second voltage level. The second voltage corresponding to the first logical value causes a second internal power supply of the second component of the device to be charged using the external power supply.

Voltage droop control

In an aspect of the disclosure, a method, a computer-readable medium, and an apparatus are provided. The apparatus may change a device operating voltage from a first voltage to a second voltage while the assist circuit is in a first state. The apparatus may also maintain the device operating voltage at the second voltage for a predetermined time. The apparatus may switch the assist circuit from the first state to a second state. The apparatus may adjust the device operating voltage to a third voltage after the predetermined time, wherein the second voltage is a voltage level between the first voltage and the third voltage. By transitioning the device operating voltage from the first voltage to the third voltage while at the same time preventing the assist circuit from entering particular read assist states, the apparatus may reduce a likelihood of read failures.

Flexible memory assistance scheme

A circuit including an output node and a cross-coupled pair of semiconductor devices configured to provide, at the output node, an output signal in a second voltage domain based on an input signal in a first voltage domain is described herein. The circuit further includes a pull-up assist circuit coupled to the output node; and a look-ahead circuit coupled to the pull-up assist circuit, wherein the look-ahead circuit is configured to cause the pull-up assist circuit to assist in increasing a voltage level at the output node when there is a decrease in a voltage level of an inverted output signal in the second voltage domain from a high voltage level of the second voltage domain to a low voltage level of the second voltage domain.

High-speed level shifter

A memory is disclosed. The memory includes a memory array having a plurality of memory cells. The memory also includes an address decoder configured to assert a wordline to enable the memory cells. Additionally, the memory includes a tracking circuit configured to vary a duration of asserting the wordline as a function of which one of the memory cells is accessed. A method is also disclosed. The method includes asserting a wordline to enable the memory cells and varying a duration of asserting the wordline as a function of which one of a plurality of memory cells is accessed.

Lower power high speed decoding based dynamic tracking for memories

A memory includes a memory cell, one bitline coupled to the memory cell, a sense amplifier coupled to the one bitline, a timing circuit configured to enable the sense amplifier during a read operation, a control circuit configured to enable the sense amplifier independent of the timing circuit, and a pull-up circuit configured to pull up the one bitline while the sense amplifier is enabled by the control circuit. The method includes enabling a sense amplifier in a read operation by a timing circuit. The sense amplifier is coupled to at least one bitline, and the at least one bitline is coupled to a memory cell. The method further includes enabling the sense amplifier independent of the timing circuit in a second operation and pulling up the at least one bitline by a pull-up circuit while the sense amplifier is enabled in the second operation.

Timed sense amplifier circuits and methods in a semiconductor memory

A latch circuit includes an AND-NOR gate, a NAND gate, and a NOR gate. The AND-NOR gate includes a first AND-input configured to receive input data and a second AND-input coupled to an output of the NAND gate. The AND-NOR gate includes a NOR-input coupled to an output of the NOR gate, and an output configured to generate output data. The NAND gate includes a first input coupled to the output of the AND-NOR gate and a second input configured to receive a clock signal. The NOR gate includes a first input coupled to the output of the AND-NOR gate and a second input configured to receive a complementary clock signal. During a first half clock cycle, the AND-NOR gate passes the data from the input to the output. During a second half clock cycle, the feedback configuration of the AND-NOR gate and the NOR gate latches the data.

Apparatus and method for latching data including AND-NOR or OR-NAND gate and feedback paths

A memory is provided that includes a row decoder that decodes an address into a plurality of decoded signals for selecting a word line to be asserted from a plurality of word lines. Each word line is driven through a decoder level-shifter that processes the decoded signals. Each decoder level-shifter corresponds to a unique combination of the decoded signals. The row decoder is in a logic power domain such that the decoded signals are asserted to a logic power supply voltage. When a decoder level-shifter's unique combination of decoded signals are asserted by the row decoder, the decoder level-shifter drives the corresponding word line with a memory power supply voltage for a memory power domain.

High-speed word line decoder and level-shifter

Voltage droop control is disclosed. A device includes a first component coupled to an external power supply and a second component coupled to the external power supply. The first component includes a first input configured to receive a first voltage, a first internal power supply configured to be charged by the external power supply in response to the first voltage corresponding to a first logical value, and a voltage droop controller configured to output a second voltage via a first output. The second voltage corresponds to the first logical value in response to a first voltage level of the first internal power supply satisfying a second voltage level. The second component includes a second input configured to receive the second voltage from the first output.

A system may be provided that provides redundancy for a plurality of embedded memories such as SRAMs. The system may include one or more decoders, each capable of decoding a selection address to identify a defective one of the embedded memories.

Efficient coding for memory redundancy

An example scannable register file includes a plurality of memory cells and, a shift phase of a scan test shifts data bits from a scan input through the plurality of memory cells to a scan output. The shifting can be performed by, on each clock cycle, reading one of the plurality of memory cells to supply the scan out and writing one of the plurality of memory cells with the data bit on a scan input. To perform sequential reads and writes on each clock cycle, the scannable register can generate a write clock that, during the shift phase, is inverted from the clock used for functional operation. The write clock is generated without glitches so that unintended writes do not occur. Scannable register files can be integrated with scan-based testing (e.g., using automatic test pattern generation) of other modules in an integrated circuit.

Scannable memories with robust clocking methodology to prevent inadvertent reads or writes

A memory and a method for operating a memory are provided. The memory includes a memory cell having a first circuit to store a bit and a second circuit to decouple the stored bit from a power supply and from a return. The method includes storing a bit in a memory cell by a first circuit and decoupling the stored bit from a power supply and a return by a second circuit. Another memory is provided. The memory includes a memory cell having means for storing a bit by a feedback and means for disabling the feedback.

Memory cell with improved write margin

A memory and a method to operate the memory are provided. The memory includes a plurality of memory cells and a wordline driver configured to output a wordline. The memory cells are coupled to the wordline. A control circuit is configured to supply an operating voltage to the memory cells and to the wordline driver. A voltage-adjustment circuit is configured to adjust the operating voltage supplied to the memory cells during the control circuit supplying the operating voltage to the memory cells and to the wordline driver. The method includes supplying an operating voltage to at least one memory cells and to a wordline coupled to the at least one memory cells and adjusting the operating voltage supplied to the at least one memory cells during the supplying the operating voltage to the at least one memory cells and to the wordline.

Memory with a voltage-adjustment circuit to adjust the operating voltage of memory cells for BTI effect screening

Growing community of inventors

San Diego, CA, United States of America

Sei Seung Yoon