Patent classifications
G11C2213/17
Logic timing and reliability repair for nanowire circuits
A method for improving an integrated circuit design having transistors with nanowire channels comprises identifying a particular device having a particular transistor with a nanowire channel; and adding to the integrated circuit design a controller which, when activated, repairs the particular transistor by self-heating. A critical path in logic circuitry in the design can be determined including a particular device having a transistor with a nanowire channel. A repair circuit can be added to the design connected to the particular device, the repair circuit when activated applying a self-heating stress to the particular device. The repair circuit can include a selection block selecting among a plurality of signals as an input signal to the particular device. The plurality of signals include a repair signal and an operational logic signal, the repair signal being such as to apply the self-heating stress to the nanowire channel of the particular device when activated.
Ionic floating-gate memory device
A non-volatile memory device is described herein. The non-volatile memory device includes a diffusive memristor electrically coupled to a redox transistor. The redox transistor includes a gate, a source, and a drain, wherein the gate comprises a first storage element that acts as an ion reservoir, and a channel between the source and the drain comprises a second storage element, wherein a state of the memory device is represented by conductance of the second storage element.
Enhancing Memory Yield and Performance Through Utilizing Nanowire Self-Heating
A method for improving an integrated circuit design which has transistors with nanowire channels comprises identifying a particular device having a particular transistor with a nanowire channel; and adding to the integrated circuit design circuitry which, when activated, repairs the particular transistor by self-heating. The method can comprise determining a memory cell that has a read current below a passing criteria, the memory cell having a transistor with a nanowire channel on a current path through which the read current flows; and applying a stress on the memory cell to repair the nanowire channel of the transistor in the memory cell on the current path. The determining step can include sensing read currents of memory cells in an array of memory cells; and determining one or more memory cells in the array of memory cells having read currents below the passing criteria, using the read currents sensed.
Logic Timing and Reliability Repair for Nanowire Circuits
A method for improving an integrated circuit design having transistors with nanowire channels comprises identifying a particular device having a particular transistor with a nanowire channel; and adding to the integrated circuit design a controller which, when activated, repairs the particular transistor by self-heating. A critical path in logic circuitry in the design can be determined including a particular device having a transistor with a nanowire channel. A repair circuit can be added to the design connected to the particular device, the repair circuit when activated applying a self-heating stress to the particular device. The repair circuit can include a selection block selecting among a plurality of signals as an input signal to the particular device. The plurality of signals include a repair signal and an operational logic signal, the repair signal being such as to apply the self-heating stress to the nanowire channel of the particular device when activated.
NONVOLATILE SEMICONDUCTOR MEMORY DEVICE
A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes a first wiring layer, multiple second wiring layers provided above the first wiring layer and arrayed along a direction perpendicular to a semiconductor substrate, a semiconductor layer extending along the direct ion and electrically connected to the first wiring layer, a first insulating layer extending along the direction and provided between the semiconductor layer and the multiple second wiring layers, a first oxide layer extending along the direction and provided between the first insulating layer and the multiple second wiring layers, and multiple second oxide layers having first sides being respectively in contact with the multiple second wiring layers and having second sides being in contact with the first oxide layer, a resistance value of a stacked film configured with the first oxide layer and the multiple second oxide layers varying according to a voltage being applied to the multiple second wiring layers.
Resistive memory apparatus using variable-resistance channels with high- and low-resistance regions
Apparatus including: memory cell unit(s) having a variable-resistance channel component (CC) extending between first and second supply terminals for supplying read and write (R/W) signals to the unit in respective R/W modes, and resistive memory elements (RMEs) arranged along the CC, RME includes resistive memory material (RMM), extending along a respective channel segment (CHS) of the CC in contact therewith, in which respective lengths along that CHS of high- and low-resistance regions is variable in write mode, and a gate terminal provided on that CHS for controlling resistance of the CHS in response to control signal(s) (CS) applied to the gate terminal; and circuitry configured to apply the CS such that, in read mode, a RME(s) is selected by applying a CS producing CHS with resistance between the resistance regions of the RMM; and remaining RME(s) are deselected by applying CS producing CHS having resistance less than the low-resistance region.
Logic timing and reliability repair for nanowire circuits
A method for improving an integrated circuit design having transistors with nanowire channels comprises identifying a particular device having a particular transistor with a nanowire channel; and adding to the integrated circuit design a controller which, when activated, repairs the particular transistor by self-heating. A critical path in logic circuitry in the design can be determined including a particular device having a transistor with a nanowire channel. A repair circuit can be added to the design connected to the particular device, the repair circuit when activated applying a self-heating stress to the particular device. The repair circuit can include a selection block selecting among a plurality of signals as an input signal to the particular device. The plurality of signals include a repair signal and an operational logic signal, the repair signal being such as to apply the self-heating stress to the nanowire channel of the particular device when activated.
Enhancing memory yield and performance through utilizing nanowire self-heating
A method for improving an integrated circuit design which has transistors with nanowire channels comprises identifying a particular device having a particular transistor with a nanowire channel; and adding to the integrated circuit design circuitry which, when activated, repairs the particular transistor by self-heating. The method can comprise determining a memory cell that has a read current below a passing criteria, the memory cell having a transistor with a nanowire channel on a current path through which the read current flows; and applying a stress on the memory cell to repair the nanowire channel of the transistor in the memory cell on the current path. The determining step can include sensing read currents of memory cells in an array of memory cells; and determining one or more memory cells in the array of memory cells having read currents below the passing criteria, using the read currents sensed.
Integrated circuit including memory, and write method
An integrated circuit according to an embodiment includes: first and second wiring lines; a memory device including a first and second terminals connected to the first and second wiring line respectively; a first transistor including a high-k metal gate; a first circuit applying a first write voltage between the first and the second terminals, and switch the resistance of the memory device from a high-resistance state to a low-resistance state; a second circuit reading the resistance of the memory device, and comparing a read value of the resistance with a predetermined value; a third circuit lowering a threshold voltage of the first transistor when the read value of the resistance is greater than the predetermined value; a fourth circuit applying a second write voltage between the first and second terminals after the threshold voltage is lowered; and a fifth circuit raising the threshold voltage of the first transistor.
INTEGRATED CIRCUIT INCLUDING MEMORY, AND WRITE METHOD
An integrated circuit according to an embodiment includes: first and second wiring lines; a memory device including a first and second terminals connected to the first and second wiring line respectively; a first transistor including a high-k metal gate; a first circuit applying a first write voltage between the first and the second terminals, and switch the resistance of the memory device from a high-resistance state to a low-resistance state; a second circuit reading the resistance of the memory device, and comparing a read value of the resistance with a predetermined value; a third circuit lowering a threshold voltage of the first transistor when the read value of the resistance is greater than the predetermined value; a fourth circuit applying a second write voltage between the first and second terminals after the threshold voltage is lowered; and a fifth circuit raising the threshold voltage of the first transistor.