Sandisk Patent Grants

Performance indicator on a data storage device

Granted: March 4, 2025
Patent Number: 12242752
A data storage device comprising a non-volatile storage medium configured to store user data, a data port configured to transmit data between a host computer system and the data storage device, a display system, and a controller. The controller is configured to receive and execute one or more commands from the host computer system to cause a data transfer between the host computer system and the storage medium of the data storage device. The controller generates performance data…

Method of making a three-dimensional memory device using composite hard masks for formation of deep via openings

Granted: March 4, 2025
Patent Number: 12245434
A method includes forming an alternating stack of first and second layers, forming a composite hard mask layer over the alternating stack, forming openings in the hard mask, and forming via openings through the alternating stack by performing an anisotropic etch process that transfers a pattern of the openings in the composite hard mask layer through the alternating stack. The compositing hard mask includes a first cladding material layer which has higher etch resistance than upper and…

Three dimensional memory device containing resonant tunneling barrier and high mobility channel and method of making thereof

Granted: March 4, 2025
Patent Number: 12245425
A three-dimensional memory device containing a plurality of levels of memory elements includes a memory film containing a layer stack that includes a resonant tunneling barrier stack, a semiconductor barrier layer, and a memory material layer located between the resonant tunneling barrier stack and the semiconductor barrier layer, a semiconductor channel, and a control gate electrode.

Bonded semiconductor die assembly containing through-stack via structures and methods for making the same

Granted: March 4, 2025
Patent Number: 12243865
A bonded assembly includes a first three-dimensional memory die containing a first alternating stack of first insulating layers and first electrically conductive layers and first memory structures located in the first alternating stack, a second three-dimensional memory die bonded to the first three-dimensional memory die, and containing a second alternating stack of second insulating layers and second electrically conductive layers, and second memory structures located in the second…

Integrated circuit chip storage container

Granted: March 4, 2025
Patent Number: 12243793
An integrated circuit (IC) device container/carrier includes a cartridge having a plurality of faces and a device housing slot recessed from one or more of the faces, where each slot is configured to house at least one IC device. The container further includes a lid rotatably coupled with the cartridge, the lid having a window recess configured to align with each device housing slot for accessing corresponding IC devices. At least one of the cartridge faces may be configured as a lock…

Method of making a three-dimensional memory device using composite hard masks for formation of deep via openings

Granted: March 4, 2025
Patent Number: 12243776
A source-level semiconductor layer and an alternating stack of first material layers and second material layers is formed above a substrate. A hard mask layer is formed over the alternating stack, and is subsequently patterned to provide a pattern of cavities therethrough. Via openings are formed through the alternating stack by performing an anisotropic etch process. A cladding liner is formed on sidewalls of the cavities in the hard mask layer and on a top surface of the hard mask…

Storage system and method for proactive die retirement by fatal wordline leakage detection

Granted: March 4, 2025
Patent Number: 12243605
In some situations, a leak on a wordline may be a localized problem that causes data loss in a block that contains the wordline. In other situations, such as when the leak occurs near a peripheral wordline routing area, the leak can affect the entire memory die. The storage system provided herein has a fatal wordline leak detector that determines the type of leak and, accordingly, whether just the block should be retired or whether related blocks should be retired.

Low power read method and a memory device capable thereof

Granted: March 4, 2025
Patent Number: 12243593
The memory device includes a chip with circuitry, a plurality of memory blocks, and a plurality of bit lines. The memory blocks include an array of memory cells, and the circuitry either overlies or underlies the array of memory cells. The bit lines are divided into two portions that are electrically connected with one another via at least one transistor so that at least one portion of each bit line can be charged independently of the other portion of the same bit line.

In-place write techniques without erase in a memory device

Granted: March 4, 2025
Patent Number: 12243591
The memory device includes a plurality of memory blocks, each including a plurality of memory cells arranged in a plurality of word lines. Control circuitry is in communication with the plurality of memory blocks. In operation, the control circuitry receives a data write instruction and programs the memory cells of the memory blocks to a one bit per memory cell (SLC) format. In response to the data programmed to the memory cells of the memory blocks in the SLC format reaching an SLC…

Automatic data erase from data storage device

Granted: March 4, 2025
Patent Number: 12242754
A data storage device comprising a non-volatile storage medium configured to store user data, a data port configured to receive and transmit data between a host computer system and the data storage device, and a controller. The controller is configured to receive, via the data port, a write command comprising a read restriction indication, receive, via the data port, data and write the data to an address of the non-volatile storage medium. The controller is further configured to…

Data storage device and method for host-assisted efficient handling of multiple versions of data

Granted: March 4, 2025
Patent Number: 12242751
A data storage device and method for host-assisted efficient handling of multiple versions of data are provided. In one embodiment, a data storage device is provided comprising a memory and a controller. The controller is configured to receive, from a host, identification of different versions of data that are to deleted together, store the different versions of the data in areas of the memory that are erasable in parallel; receive, from the host, a command to erase the different…

Data storage device and method for hiding tweak generation latency

Granted: March 4, 2025
Patent Number: 12242740
A data storage device has a controller, a decryption engine, and a memory storing encrypted data. Instead of using the decryption engine to generate a tweak value needed to decrypt the encrypted data, the tweak value is generated by the controller while the controller is waiting for the encrypted data to be read from the memory. This hides the latency to compute the tweak value in the latency to read the encrypted data from the memory.

Data storage device and method for accident-mode storage of vehicle information

Granted: March 4, 2025
Patent Number: 12242737
A data storage device and method for accident-mode storage of vehicle information are disclosed. In one embodiment, a data storage device is provided comprising a memory and one or more processors. The memory comprises single-level cell (SLC) memory and multi-level cell (MLC) memory. The one or more processors, individually or in combination, are configured to: receive a command from a vehicle to enter accident mode; and in response to receiving the command from the vehicle to enter…

Data storage device management system

Granted: March 4, 2025
Patent Number: 12242378
Devices and techniques are disclosed wherein an end user can remotely trigger direct data management activities of a data storage device (DSD), such as creating a data snapshot, resetting a snapshot, and setting permissions at the DSD via a remote mobile device app interface.

Data storage device configured for use with a generative-adversarial-network (GAN)

Granted: March 4, 2025
Patent Number: 12242345
Data storage devices configured to exploit generative-adversarial-networks (GANs). The GANs include super-resolution GANs (SRGANS). In some examples, a GAN-based decoding reconstruction procedure is implemented within a data storage controller to replace or supplement an error correction coding (ECC) decoding procedure. In other examples, soft bit information is exploited using GANs during decoding. A dissimilarity matrix may be generated to represent differences between an initial image…

Concurrent multi-bit self-referenced read of programmable resistance memory cells in cross-point array

Granted: February 25, 2025
Patent Number: 12237010
Concurrent access of multiple memory cells in a cross-point memory array is disclosed. In one aspect, a forced current approach is used in which, while a select voltage is applied to a selected bit line, an access current is driven separately through each selected word line to concurrently drive the access current separately through each selected memory cell. Hence, multiple memory cells are concurrently accessed. In some aspects, the memory cells are accessed using a self-referenced…

Securing a data storage device against rogue hosts

Granted: February 25, 2025
Patent Number: 12236112
A method for securing a data storage device (DSD) against rogue behaviour by a host, the method executed by a controller of the DSD and comprising: determining a host type of the host; detecting one or more access activities performed by the host on the DSD; processing the one or more access activities to determine a security threat level of the host, wherein the security threat level is determined by weighting one or more corresponding access activity parameters by one or more impact…

Victim zone selection for zone compaction during garbage collection in zns devices

Granted: February 25, 2025
Patent Number: 12235754
Aspects of a storage device are provided including improved victim zone selection for zone-based GC in ZNS. The storage device includes a NVM having first, second, and third blocks, and a controller. The controller creates a first superblock including the first blocks, a second superblock including the second blocks, and a third superblock including the third blocks. The controller determines whether a quantity of data overwrites associated with a first zone in the first superblock is…

Storage device for storing model checkpoints of recommendation deep-learning models

Granted: February 18, 2025
Patent Number: 12229016
The present disclosure generally relates to utilizing improved DL training models stored in non-volatile memory to optimize data transfer and storage. The proposed system would identify workloads of DNN training and occasionally check the difference rate between successive data transfers (representing successive training iterations of the model). Comparing the difference rate to given thresholds could indicate “recommendation-system” typical use case. In such a case the NAND…

Devices and methods for providing port matching features for USB-C cables and ports

Granted: February 18, 2025
Patent Number: 12229070
Systems and methods are disclosed for providing port matching features for storage devices and cables. In certain embodiments, a data storage device includes a non-volatile memory, a controller configured to process data storage requests, a plurality of ports associated with different protocols, wherein the plurality of ports have the same connector type, and each port includes a port matching feature indicative of a protocol associated with the port, and a plurality of cables associated…