Infineon Technologies Ag

Rambus Inc.

Qimonda Ag

Infineon Technologies North America Corp.

Stephen Charles Bowyer

Thomas Vogelsang

Brent Steven Haukness

Jung Pill Kim

Jong-Hoon Oh

Thoai-Thai Le

George William Alexander

Jens Christopher Egerer

Jan Zieleman

Embodiments generally relate to a command protocol and/or related circuits and apparatus for communication between a memory device and a memory controller. In one embodiment, the memory controller includes an interface for transmitting commands to the memory device, wherein the memory device includes bitline multiplexers, and accessing of memory cells within the memory device is carried out by a command protocol sequence that includes a wordline selection, followed by bitline selections by the bitline multiplexers. In another embodiment, a memory device includes bitline multiplexers and further includes an interface for receiving a command protocol sequence that specifies a wordline selection followed by bitline selections by the bitline multiplexers.

Memory controller and memory device command protocol

A controller, a memory device including a memory array, and a method for accessing the memory device. The method includes, during a first access, activating a first page of the memory array corresponding to a first row address and accessing data from the first page with a first column address. The method further includes, during a second access, activating a first sub-page of the memory array corresponding to a second row address and accessing data from the first sub-page with a second column address. The activated first sub-page of the memory array is smaller than the first page of the memory array. The method further includes activating a second sub-page without receiving a separate activate command.

Method and apparatus for using a variable page length in a memory

A dynamic random access memory including a first dynamic random access memory cell, a second dynamic random access memory cell to be refreshed, a sense amplifier, and a control circuit. The control circuit is configured to isolate the sense amplifier from at least one of the first dynamic random access memory cell and the second dynamic random access memory cell in an idle state and to couple the sense amplifier to only the second dynamic random access memory cell to be refreshed in a refresh state.

Method and apparatus for reducing standby current in a dynamic random access memory during self refresh

Methods and apparatus for varying one or more internally generated voltages of a memory device based on the temperature of the memory device are provided. The device temperature may be measured directly, for example, via an on-chip temperature sensor, or may be supplied as bits in a mode register containing temperature information.

Internal voltage generator with temperature control

An oscillator circuit includes a capacitor device, a current source for supplying a current to the capacitor device, a reference voltage, and a control circuit. The reference voltage is a first input to a comparator. An output of the capacitor device and an output of the current source are a second input to the comparator. The control circuit resets the oscillator circuit when the first and second inputs to the comparator are equal.

Oscillator with temperature control

A system and method for refreshing data in a dynamic random access memory ('DRAM') is provided, where the system includes a data memory having a plurality of memory banks, a map memory in signal communication with the data memory for translating an internal address of each of the plurality of memory banks into a corresponding external address, a map comparator in signal communication with the map memory for selectively enabling a memory bank in accordance with its external address, a refresh address generator in signal communication with the map comparator for selectively refreshing the enabled memory bank in accordance with its external address, and a refresh counter in signal communication with the refresh address generator for signaling a refresh in accordance with the maximum required refresh time of the enabled memory bank; and where the corresponding method includes determining the maximum required refresh period for each of the memory banks, respectively, prioritizing the memory banks in accordance with their respective refresh periods, utilizing the memory banks in order of their respective prioritizations, selectively disabling at least one of the memory banks in reverse-order of their respective prioritizations, and refreshing only the remaining non-disabled memory banks.

Growing community of inventors

Raleigh, NC, United States of America

Stephen Charles Bowyer