Abstract:
An electrically alterable non-volatile multi-level memory device and a method of operating such a device, which includes setting a status of at least one of the memory cells to one state selected from a plurality of states including at least first to fourth level states, in response to information to be stored in the one memory cell, and reading the status of the memory cell to determine whether the read out status corresponds to one of the first to fourth level states by utilizing a first reference level set between the second and third level states, a second reference level set between the first and second level states and a third reference level set between the third and fourth level states.
Abstract:
A semiconductor memory includes a memory block consisting of a plurality of cells, a write control section, and a read control section. The write control section sets a potential to each of the plurality of cells in such a manner that the potential corresponds to a level indicated by a bit data string obtained by arranging pieces of bit data which are stored in buffers A and B and which are to be stored in the cell in the order of the buffer A and the buffer B. The read control section has a discriminator corresponding to each of the plurality of cells. The discriminator sets a threshold voltage to a potential level that corresponds to a number of discriminating operations to be performed with respect to a corresponding cell and a result of a discriminating operation already performed with respect to the cell. As a result of these operations, the semiconductor memory can determine the pieces of bit data in the order of the buffer A and the buffer B every time the discriminating operation is performed with respect to the cell.
Abstract:
A high-performance Nb3Al extra-fine multifilamentary superconducting wire is produced simply and inexpensively through the improvement of critical values, Tc, Hc2 and Jc, without the addition of third elements such as Ge, Si and Cu. A first rapid heating and quenching treatment is applied to an Nb/Al composite wire having an atomic ratio of Al to Nb from 1:2.5 to 1:3.5 and having an extra-fine multifilamentary structure to form a BCC alloy phase comprising Nb with Al supersaturatedly dissolved therein wherein the treatment comprises heating the composite wire up to a temperature not lower than 1900° C. within two seconds and then introducing it into a molten metal at a temperature not higher than 400° C. to rapidly quench it. The wire is subjected to a second rapid heating and quenching treatment to form an A15-Nb3Al compound having a low degree of crystalline order but having an approximately stoichiometric composition wherein the second treatment comprises heating the wire up to a temperature not lower than 1500° C. within two seconds and then introducing it into a molten metal at a temperature not higher than 400° C. Then, an additional heat treatment is conducted to improve the degree of crystalline order of the Al5-Nb3Al compound having an approximately stoichiometric composition.
Abstract:
In response to a read command received by a system interface unit for accessing a plurality of blocks of data stored in said non-volatile semiconductor memory, a controller carries out selective read operations of blocks of data to two memories from the non-volatile semiconductor memory. The controller also carries out parallel operations of data transferring a first block of data, which has already been subjected to error detection and error correction operations by an error correction unit, from one of the two memories to a host system via said system interface unit and of data transferring of a second block of data to be subjected to the error detection and error correction operation, from said non-volatile semiconductor memory to the other of the two memories.
Abstract:
In response to a read command received by a system interface unit for accessing a plurality of blocks of data stored in said non-volatile semiconductor memory, a controller carries out selective read operations of blocks of data to two memories from the non-volatile semiconductor memory. The controller also carries out parallel operations of data transferring a first block of data, which has already been subjected to error detection and error correction operations by an error correction unit, from one of the two memories to a host system via said system interface unit and of data transferring of a second block of data to be subjected to the error detection and error correction operation, from said non-volatile semiconductor memory to the other of the two memories.
Abstract:
A semiconductor memory device having an electrically erasable nonvolatile memory, wherein the nonvolatile memory has management information regions for individual blocks and fault registration regions for registering fault addresses. If a block is accessed and found to be faulty, the fault registration is performed so that a partially faulty memory can be used without an increase in access time. By registering the management information address for executing the interchanges of blocks in one-to-one correspondence in the administrative information region, moreover, the blocks can be interchanged depending upon the frequency of rewriting.
Abstract:
An information processing apparatus in which instructions are processed one by one conceptually and results thereof are conceptually orderly written into a memory comprises an instruction control circuit capable of decoding M instructions and reading operands in parallel, N (N.gtoreq.M) execution circuits capable of executing a plurality of instructions mutually in parallel, a detection circuit for determining whether all of M execution circuits of the N execution circuits required by the M instructions decoded by the instruction control circuit are vacant or not, and a reserve circuit for reserving the execution of the M decoded instruction while the detection fails to detect sufficient vacancy.
Abstract:
An internal combustion engine lubricating oil composition adapted for used with a maintenance-free system of engine and having excellent properties including oxidation stability, resistance against sludge formation and ability to clean the engine. The composition is characterized in that it comprises ingredients (A) through (D) below as essential components on the basis of total amount of composition and the total base number of the composition is between 2.0 and 6.0 mgKOH/g: (A) a specific alkaline earth metal type cleaning agent, (B) zinc dialkyldithiophosphate expressed by a specific general formula (1), (C) a succinic acid imide type ashless dispersant and (D) a phenol type and/or amine type ashless antioxidant.
Abstract:
A method for producing a Cu--Ag alloy based conductive material containing about 10% to about 20% at % Ag, that involves the steps of continuously casting the alloy into a rod followed by quickly cooling the rod, cold-working the rod to a reduction in area of 80% or more, then heat treating the cold-worked rod at a temperature of 250.degree. C. to 350.degree. C. for 1 hour or more to form a heat-treated rod, and thereafter cold-working the heat-treated rod to a reduction in area of 90% or more as defined based on the cast rod to produce conductive material having a high strength of 700 MPa or more and conductivity of 75% IACA or more.
Abstract:
A memory matrix--which comprises memory cells arranged in matrix, each made up of a ferroelectric capacitor and an address selection MOSFET--is divided for each word line into a plurality of memory blocks. Each of the memory blocks is provided with a mode storage circuit that stores a DRAM mode (volatile mode) or NV mode (non-volatile mode) in one-to-one correspondence for each memory block, and with a refresh operation count circuit that counts for each memory block the number of times the refresh operations is performed consecutively. During an n-th refresh operation (where n is a predetermined number of times), a memory access is made to temporarily change the plate voltage of the ferroelectric capacitor from one voltage to another and at the same time the mode storage circuit is changed from the DRAM mode to the NV mode. When a read or write operation to and from a memory cell in the memory block is performed, the mode storage circuit is changed from the NV mode to the DRAM mode. The refresh operation is omitted for the memory block that was set to the NV mode according to the stored information in the mode storage circuit.