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International Business Machines Corp.

Patent for Capacitor Backup for SRAM Published by International Business Machines Corporation

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Researchers at International Business Machines Corporation have filed a patent for a capacitor backup system for Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) cells. The system addresses the issue of soft errors caused by radiation spikes in SRAM memory devices. According to the patent's background information, SRAM memory cells are fast and dense storage devices, but their size and density make them susceptible to soft errors caused by radiation. These soft errors can result in errors that must be caught and corrected to prevent computer malfunctions.

Key Takeaways:

  • The patent, filed on June 7, 2013, and published online on February 10, 2015, describes a method for backing up data in an SRAM cell to a capacitive backup circuit.
  • The method involves writing data to the SRAM cell, backing up the data by electrically coupling the input node to the capacitive backup circuit, and restoring the data stored in the capacitive backup circuit to the SRAM cell.
  • The patent also describes an SRAM device that includes a capacitive backup circuit, which is electrically coupled to the output of a feedback switch and includes a capacitor and a backup switch.
  • The capacitive backup circuit is configured to provide a backup copy of the memory state in response to the deactivation of the feedback switch and the deactivation of the input voltage.
  • The inventors, Karl R. Erickson, Phil C. Paone, David P. Paulsen, John E. Sheets II, Gregory J. Uhlmann, and Kelly L. Williams, are identified as the creators of the capacitor backup system.

Statistics:

  • The patent number is 8953365.
  • The patent was filed on June 7, 2013.
  • The patent was published online on February 10, 2015.
  • The inventors listed are Karl R. Erickson, Phil C. Paone, David P. Paulsen, John E. Sheets II, Gregory J. Uhlmann, and Kelly L. Williams.
  • The assignee for this patent is International Business Machines Corporation.

Sources:

  • Erickson, Karl R.; Paone, Phil C.; Paulsen, David P.; Sheets, II, John E.; Uhlmann, Gregory J.; Williams, Kelly L.. Capacitor Backup for SRAM. U.S. Patent Number 8953365, filed June 7, 2013, and published online on February 10, 2015. Patent URL: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=8953365.PN.&OS=PN/8953365RS=PN/8953365

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