A page buffer includes a charging circuit, first and second storage circuits, and a selection circuit. The charging circuit charges a bit line during a precharging period. The first storage circuit determines and stores data corresponding to a state of a selected memory cell among memory cells connected to the bit line while the charging circuit charges the bit line. The second storage circuit, which is a circuit separate from the first storage circuit, determines and stores data corresponding to a state of the selected memory cell after the precharging period. The selection circuit outputs a control voltage controlling a switch element connected between the bit line and the charging circuit, and determines a magnitude of the control voltage during the precharging period, based on the data stored in the first storage circuit.

Prior knowledge of access pattern is leveraged to improve energy dissipation for general matrix operations. This improves memory access energy for a multitude of applications such as image processing, deep neural networks, and scientific computing workloads, for example. In some embodiments, prior knowledge of access pattern allows for burst read and/or write operations. As such, burst mode solution can provide energy savings in both READ (RD) and WRITE (WR) operations. For machine learning or inference, the weight values are known ahead in time (e.g., inference operation), and so the unused bytes in the cache line are exploited to store a sparsity map that is used for disabling read from either upper or lower half of the cache line, thus saving dynamic capacitance.

A semiconductor device includes a bank group control circuit and a bank group. The bank group control circuit generates a bank group enablement signal, a first column control signal, and a second column control signal based on an internal command/address signal that is inputted while an internal chip selection signal has a first logic level. The bank group includes first to fourth banks and a common circuit. The common circuit performs a column operation for at least two of the first to fourth banks based on the bank group enablement signal and the first and second column control signals.

An apparatus, system, and method for controlling data transfer to an output port of a serial data link interface in a semiconductor memory is disclosed. In one example, a flash memory device may have multiple serial data links, multiple memory banks and control input ports that enable the memory device to transfer the serial data to a serial data output port of the memory device. In another example, a flash memory device may have a single serial data link, a single memory bank, a serial data input port, a control input port for receiving output enable signals. The flash memory devices may be cascaded in a daisy-chain configuration using echo signal lines to serially communicate between memory devices.

A semiconductor memory system includes a first semiconductor memory die and a second semiconductor memory die. The first semiconductor memory die includes a primary data interface to receive an input data stream during write operations and to deserialize the input data stream into a first plurality of data streams, and also includes a secondary data interface, coupled to the primary data interface, to transmit the first plurality of data streams. The second semiconductor memory die includes a secondary data interface, coupled to the secondary data interface of the first semiconductor memory die, to receive the first plurality of data streams.

Memory devices are provided that include special operating modes accessible upon receipt of a particular message from a host. One device includes a memory array, a special mode enable register, and a controller. When the controller receives a register write command to write first data into the special mode enable register and the memory device does so, the memory device operates in a first mode. When the controller receives a register write command to write second data into the special mode enable register and the memory device does so, the memory device operates in a second mode.

A memory is provided that is configured to practice both a conventional normal read operation and also a burst mode read operation. During the normal read operation, the memory pre-charges the bit lines in a group of multiplexed columns. Each column has a sense amplifier that latches a bit decision for the column during the normal read operation. If a subsequent read operation addresses the same group of multiplexed columns, the memory invokes the burst-mode read operation during which the bit lines are not pre-charged.

A page buffer includes a charging circuit, first and second storage circuits, and a selection circuit. The charging circuit charges a bit line during a precharging period. The first storage circuit determines and stores data corresponding to a state of a selected memory cell among memory cells connected to the bit line while the charging circuit charges the bit line. The second storage circuit, which is a circuit separate from the first storage circuit, determines and stores data corresponding to a state of the selected memory cell after the precharging period. The selection circuit outputs a control voltage controlling a switch element connected between the bit line and the charging circuit, and determines a magnitude of the control voltage during the precharging period, based on the data stored in the first storage circuit.

A memory is provided that is configured to practice both a conventional normal read operation and also a burst mode read operation. During the normal read operation, the memory pre-charges the bit lines in a group of multiplexed columns. Each column has a sense amplifier that latches a bit decision for the column during the normal read operation. If a subsequent read operation addresses the same group of multiplexed columns, the memory invokes the burst-mode read operation during which the bit lines are not pre-charged.

A memory is provided that is configured to practice both a conventional normal read operation and also a burst mode read operation. During the normal read operation, the memory pre-charges the bit lines in a group of multiplexed columns. Each column has a sense amplifier that latches a bit decision for the column during the normal read operation. If a subsequent read operation addresses the same group of multiplexed columns, the memory invokes the burst-mode read operation during which the bit lines are not pre-charged.