Electrically programmable three-dimensional memory

• US 6,861,715 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2003
• Issued: 03/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Guobiao Zhang
• Original Assignee: Guobiao Zhang
• Inventors: Zhang, Guobiao
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ngan V.
• Application Number:
  US10/615,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20040012053A1
• Time in Patent Office: 602 Days
• Field of Search: 257/67, 257/211, 257/390, 257/401
• US Class Current: 257/390
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0688 Integrated circuits having a three-dimensional layout
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/74 Thyristor-type devices, e.g. having four-zone regenerative action two-terminal thyristors H01L29/87
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/76 Unipolar devices , e.g. field effect transistors

Abstract

One greatest advantage of the three-dimensional memory (3D-M) is its integratibility. In a electrically programmable three-dimensional integrated memory (EP-3DiM), an electrically programmable 3D-M (EP-3DM) is integrated with an embedded RWM and/or an embedded processor. Collectively, the EP-3DiM excels in speed, density/cost, programmability and data security.

Claims

1. An electrically programmable three-dimensional integrated memory (EP-3DiM), comprising:

a substrate circuit, said substrate circuit further comprising a substrate integrated circuit and an address-decoder, said substrate integrated circuit comprising an embedded RWM and/or an embedded processor;

at least an electrically programmable three-dimensional memory (EP-3DM) level, said EP-3DM level being stacked on top of said substrate circuit and connected with said substrate circuit through a plurality of inter-level connecting vias, said address-decoder decoding address for at least a portion of said EP-3DM level.

2. The EP-3DiM according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said EP-3DM level stores software code.

3. The EP-3DiM according to claim 1, wherein said embedded RWM stores data.

4. The EP-3DiM according to claim 1, wherein

said embedded RWM comprises an embedded RAM, at least a portion of the input/output of said embedded RAM being eventually connected with at least a portion of the input/output of said address-decoder of said EP-3DM level.

5. The EP-3DiM according to claim 4, wherein said embedded RAM stores a copy of software code from said EP-3DM level.

6. The EP-3DIM according to claim 5, wherein said embedded RAM further comprises:

a first sector, said first sector storing said copy of software code; and

a second sector, said second sector storing data.

7. The EP-3DiM according to claim 1, wherein

said embedded RWM comprises an embedded ROM, whereby said embedded ROM stores correctional data for said EP-3DM level;

and

said substrate circuit further comprises means for selecting data from said EP-3DM level or from said embedded ROM.

8. The EP-3DiM according to claim 1, wherein

said embedded RWM comprises an embedded ROM, whereby said embedded ROM stores upgrade codes for said EP-3DM level;

and

said substrate circuit further comprises means for selecting data from said EP-3T)M level or from said embedded ROM.

9. The EP-3DiM according to claim 1, wherein

at least a portion of said embedded RWM and at least a portion of said EP-3DM form a unified memory space;

and

said substrate circuit further comprises a memory-space address-decoder, at least an output of said memory-space address-decoder being eventually connected with said embedded RWM and at least another output of said memory-space address-decoder being eventually connected with said EP-3DM.

10. The EP-3DiM according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said EP-3DM level stores multimedia contents.

11. The EP-3DiM according to claim 1, wherein said multimedia contents are selected from a group of multimedia contents consisting of digital text, digital images, digital audio, digital video.

12. The EP-3DIM according to claim 1, wherein said processor is an embedded media-player.

13. The EP-3DIM according to claim 1, wherein

said embedded processor is selected from a group consisting of D/A converter, decoder and decryption engine.

14. The EP-3DiM according to claim 1, wherein at least one multimedia output of said EP-3DiM is in an analog form.

15. The EP-3DiM according to claim 1, further comprises a key storage, whereby said key is used to decrypt at least a portion of the contents stored in said EP-3DM level.

16. An electrically programmable player-on-a-chip (EP-PonC), comprising:

a substrate circuit, said substrate circuit further comprising an embedded media-player;

at least an electrically programmable three-dimensional memory (EP-3DM) level, said EP-3DM level being stacked on top of said substrate circuit and connected with said substrate circuit through a plurality of inter-level connecting vms, at least a portion of said EP-3DM level storing multimedia contents;

whereby said embedded media-player can process said multimedia contents stored in said PP-3DM level.

17. The EP-PonC according to claim 16, wherein said multimedia contents are selected from a group of multimedia contents consisting of digital text, digital images, digital audio, digital video.

18. The EP-PonCaccording to claim 16, wherein

said embedded media-player comprises at least a processing block selected from D/A converter, decoder and decryption engine.

19. The EP-PonC according to claim 16, wherein at least one multimedia output of said EP-PonC is in an analog form.

20. An electrically programmable computer-on-a-chip (EP-ConC), comprising:

a substrate circuit, said substrate circuit further comprising an embedded processor and an embedded RAM;

at least an electrically programmable three-dimensional memory (EP-3DM) level, said EP-3DM level being stacked on top of said substrate circuit and connected with said substraic circuit ibrough a plurality of inter-level connecting visa, at least a portion of said EP-3DM level storing software code;

whereby said embedded RAM can store at least a portion of said software code from said EP-3DM level, and said embedded processor can process data and code stored in said embedded RAM.