Patent ID: 11960769
Assignee: MACRONIX INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD.
Field: Computer technology (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 0:
1. A memory device, comprising:
a memory array including a plurality of bit lines;
an input/output interface for I/O data units;
data path circuits connected between the memory array and the input/output interface;
circuitry to maintain a specific context used in conjunction with encrypting information;
a security engine that includes circuitry to encrypt information retrieved from the memory array using the specific context and output the information as encrypted along with the specific context; and
a command decoder circuit, implementing logic to determine, responsive to commands received at the input/output interface, that a received command sequence received from a host includes a command code field and a payload, wherein the command code field includes an op code indicating a continuous secure memory read command, in which information read from the memory array is encrypted by the security engine of the memory device prior to output, and wherein the payload includes: an address pointing to at least one address of a plurality of addresses indicating a security region within the memory array from which information is to be read; and a configurable dummy cycle in which the specific context is to be output; and to trigger performing, substantially contemporaneously:
(i) outputting, along with the specific context, a first set of information read from the memory array and encrypted by the security engine;
(ii) performing encryption upon a second set of information read from the memory array through the security engine; and
(iii) reading a third set of information from the memory array into a buffer to be encrypted by the security engine; and
wherein activities (i)-(iii) are repeated until a specified end of a secure area of addresses in the memory array is reached; thereby providing a continuous output of encrypted information along with the specific context.