Sandisk Patent Grants

Nonconsecutive mapping scheme for data path circuitry in a storage device

Granted: February 7, 2023
Patent Number: 11573914
A data storage system includes a storage medium including a plurality of columns of memory cells, a storage controller coupled to the storage medium, and data path circuitry including a data bus coupled to the storage controller, the data bus configured to receive a plurality of bytes of data to be written to the plurality of columns of memory cells; a block of data latches having a pitch equal to a first number of bit lines of the plurality of columns of memory cells; and column…

Memory apparatus and method of operation using periodic normal erase dummy cycle to improve stripe erase endurance and data retention

Granted: February 7, 2023
Patent Number: 11574693
A memory apparatus and method of operation are provided. The apparatus includes memory cells connected to one of a plurality of word lines and arranged in strings and configured to retain a threshold voltage corresponding to one of a plurality of memory states. A control circuit is coupled to the plurality of word lines and strings and is configured to erase the memory cells using a stripe erase operation in response to determining a cycle count is less than a predetermined cycle count…

Accelerating sparse matrix multiplication in storage class memory-based convolutional neural network inference

Granted: January 31, 2023
Patent Number: 11568200
Techniques are presented for accelerating in-memory matrix multiplication operations for a convolution neural network (CNN) inference in which the weights of a filter are stored in the memory of a storage class memory device, such as a ReRAM or phase change memory based device. To improve performance for inference operations when filters exhibit sparsity, a zero column index and a zero row index are introduced to account for columns and rows having all zero weight values. These indices…

Recurrent neural network inference engine with gated recurrent unit cell and non-volatile memory arrays

Granted: January 31, 2023
Patent Number: 11568228
A non-volatile memory device includes arrays of non-volatile memory cells that are configured to the store weights for a recurrent neural network (RNN) inference engine with a gated recurrent unit (GRU) cell. A set three non-volatile memory arrays, such as formed of storage class memory, store a corresponding three sets of weights and are used to perform compute-in-memory inferencing. The hidden state of a previous iteration and an external input are applied to the weights of the first…

Memory apparatus and method of operation using zero pulse smart verify

Granted: January 31, 2023
Patent Number: 11568943
A memory apparatus and method of operation is provided. The apparatus includes a block of memory cells. Each of the memory cells is connected to one of a plurality of word lines and are also arranged in strings and configured to retain a threshold voltage within a common range of threshold voltages. A control circuit coupled to the plurality of word lines and the strings is configured to determine an erase upper tail voltage of a distribution of the threshold voltage of the memory cells…

Fast sensing scheme with amplified sensing and clock modulation

Granted: January 31, 2023
Patent Number: 11568945
A method of verifying the programming of a plurality of memory cells in a data storage system includes performing a setup operation including settling of bit lines associated with the subset of memory cells; performing a sensing operation including subjecting the settled bit lines to a verify voltage signal; and performing first and second latching operations identifying memory cells of the subset of memory cells having threshold voltages that meet first and second verify reference…

Technique to proactively identify potential uncorrectable error correction memory cells and countermeasure in field

Granted: January 31, 2023
Patent Number: 11568954
A memory apparatus and method of operation is provided. The apparatus has blocks each including non-volatile storage elements. Each of the non-volatile storage elements stores a threshold voltage representative of an element data. The apparatus also includes one or more managing circuits configured to erase at least one of the blocks in an erase operation and program the element data in a program operation. The one or more managing circuits are also configured to proactively identify…

Three-dimensional memory device with vertical field effect transistors and method of making thereof

Granted: January 31, 2023
Patent Number: 11569215
A semiconductor structure includes at least one set of vertical field effect transistors embedded within dielectric material layers overlying a substrate. Each vertical field effect transistor includes a bottom doped semiconductor electrode, a vertical transistor channel, a cylindrical gate dielectric, and a top doped semiconductor electrode. A three-dimensional NAND memory array can be provided over the first field effect transistors, and can be electrically connected to the vertical…

Three-dimensional memory device with double-sided stepped surfaces and method of making thereof

Granted: January 31, 2023
Patent Number: 11569259
A memory die can include an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers located over a substrate, and memory stack structures vertically extending through the alternating stack. A first layer stack within the alternating stack includes a first staircase region in which the first electrically conductive layers have respective lateral extents that increase with a vertical distance from the substrate to provide first stepped surfaces. A second layer stack…

Three-dimensional memory device including discrete memory elements and method of making the same

Granted: January 31, 2023
Patent Number: 11569260
A memory device includes an alternating stack of insulating layers, dielectric barrier liners and electrically conductive layers located over a substrate and a memory stack structure extending through each layer in the alternating stack. Each of the dielectric barrier liners is located between vertically neighboring pairs of an insulating layer and an electrically conductive layer within the alternating stack. The memory stack structure includes a memory film and a vertical semiconductor…

Bonded assembly employing metal-semiconductor bonding and metal-metal bonding and methods of forming the same

Granted: January 24, 2023
Patent Number: 11562975
A bonded assembly of a first semiconductor die and a second semiconductor die includes first and second semiconductor dies. The first semiconductor die includes first semiconductor devices, first metal interconnect structures embedded in first dielectric material layers, and first metal bonding pads laterally surrounded by a semiconductor material layer. The second semiconductor die includes second semiconductor devices, second metal interconnect structures embedded in second dielectric…

Pipelined micro controller unit

Granted: January 24, 2023
Patent Number: 11561883
A 3D NAND memory device is provided in which control is performed by two microcontroller units (MCU). During manufacture of the memory device, bug fixes required for the controller may be addressed using a software solution by which an instruction requiring correction in one of the two MCUs is replaced with a corrected instruction stored in a RAM.

Systems and methods for counting program-erase cycles of a cell block in a memory system

Granted: January 24, 2023
Patent Number: 11562800
This disclosure proposes a method to save P/E cycling information inside NAND by using 2-byte column in programmable selective devices (e.g., SGD). The proposed method is a one-way programming method, and does not perform an erase operation within the 2-byte column. The proposed methods described herein can reduce the burden of relying upon controller SRAM/DRAM. Additionally, by storing the P/E cycling information in NAND, the P/E cycling is not lost due to a power loss event. At least…

Programming techniques for memory devices having partial drain-side select gates

Granted: January 24, 2023
Patent Number: 11562798
The programming techniques include the step of providing a memory device that includes a plurality of memory cells that are divided into at least two groups including a first group and a second group. The first group includes memory cells that are coupled to full select gate drains (SGDs), and the second group includes memory cells that are coupled to partial SGDs. The method continues with the step of applying a programming voltage to a selected word line that includes at least one…

Non-linear temperature compensation for wider range operation temperature products

Granted: January 24, 2023
Patent Number: 11562797
A method for operating non-volatile storage disclosed herein. The method comprises performing an operation on a set of non-volatile storage elements. The operation on the set of non-volatile storage elements includes providing temperature compensation based on an operation temperature of the set of non-volatile storage elements. The providing temperature compensation includes determining if the operation temperature is outside a temperature range where constant compensation is valid and…

Pipelined micro controller unit

Granted: January 24, 2023
Patent Number: 11561883
A 3D NAND memory device is provided in which control is performed by two microcontroller units (MCU). During manufacture of the memory device, bug fixes required for the controller may be addressed using a software solution by which an instruction requiring correction in one of the two MCUs is replaced with a corrected instruction stored in a RAM.

Bonded assembly employing metal-semiconductor bonding and metal-metal bonding and methods of forming the same

Granted: January 24, 2023
Patent Number: 11562975
A bonded assembly of a first semiconductor die and a second semiconductor die includes first and second semiconductor dies. The first semiconductor die includes first semiconductor devices, first metal interconnect structures embedded in first dielectric material layers, and first metal bonding pads laterally surrounded by a semiconductor material layer. The second semiconductor die includes second semiconductor devices, second metal interconnect structures embedded in second dielectric…

Systems and methods for counting program-erase cycles of a cell block in a memory system

Granted: January 24, 2023
Patent Number: 11562800
This disclosure proposes a method to save P/E cycling information inside NAND by using 2-byte column in programmable selective devices (e.g., SGD). The proposed method is a one-way programming method, and does not perform an erase operation within the 2-byte column. The proposed methods described herein can reduce the burden of relying upon controller SRAM/DRAM. Additionally, by storing the P/E cycling information in NAND, the P/E cycling is not lost due to a power loss event. At least…

Programming techniques for memory devices having partial drain-side select gates

Granted: January 24, 2023
Patent Number: 11562798
The programming techniques include the step of providing a memory device that includes a plurality of memory cells that are divided into at least two groups including a first group and a second group. The first group includes memory cells that are coupled to full select gate drains (SGDs), and the second group includes memory cells that are coupled to partial SGDs. The method continues with the step of applying a programming voltage to a selected word line that includes at least one…

Non-linear temperature compensation for wider range operation temperature products

Granted: January 24, 2023
Patent Number: 11562797
A method for operating non-volatile storage disclosed herein. The method comprises performing an operation on a set of non-volatile storage elements. The operation on the set of non-volatile storage elements includes providing temperature compensation based on an operation temperature of the set of non-volatile storage elements. The providing temperature compensation includes determining if the operation temperature is outside a temperature range where constant compensation is valid and…