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US 2010/0149888 A1Published application
Reduced signal interface memory device, system, and method
AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorPoorna Kale
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A memory has a serial interface. The serial interface is programmable to either use separate dedicated input and output pads, or to use one bidirectional pad. When one bidirectional pad is used, the interface signal count is reduced by one.
Claims20
A serial memory device comprising:
- a serial data in pad and a serial data out pad;
- a serial shift register coupled to receive input data from the serial data in pad and to provide output data to the serial data out pad;
- a switching device to couple the serial data out pad to the serial data in pad in response to a control signal;
- and
- a control unit to modify the control signal to effect bidirectional communications on the serial data in pad in response to a command received on the serial data in pad.
2 more elements
A serial memory device comprising:
- a serial data in pad and a serial data out pad;
- circuitry to configure one of the serial data in and serial data out pads to operate as a bidirectional serial data pad to reduce an interface signal count by one;
- and
- a control unit coupled to the serial data in pad to receive serial instructions and to configure the circuitry for bidirectional operation.
1 more element
A wireless communications device comprising:
- a transceiver to receive over-the-air signals;
- a processor coupled to the transceiver, the processor having a first serial port with a bidirectional data pad;
- and
- a nonvolatile memory device having a second serial port with a serial data out pad and with a serial data in pad coupled to the bidirectional data pad of the processor, the serial data in pad of the nonvolatile memory being programmable to operate bidirectionally to reduce an interface signal count by one.
1 more element
A method comprising:
- receiving an instruction on a serial data input pad of a memory device, the instruction specifying whether to use the serial data input pad and a serial data output pad for full duplex communications or to use the serial data input pad for bidirectional communications;
- and
- in response to the instruction, performing memory operations using bidirectional serial communications on the serial data input pad.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.