Abstract: Mechanisms are provided for detecting whether at least one of two or more portions of memory (e.g. chips, blocks, sectors, planes, pages, word lines, etc.) are more error-prone than the others, when portions of codewords are interleaved across the two or more portions of memory. Some implementations also enable various remedial operations that can be selectively employed in response to detecting an unbalanced error condition in order to reduce the risks associated with interleaving portions of codewords across two or more portions of memory.

Abstract: A method begins by a dispersed storage (DS) processing module of a DS unit selecting a data slice for corruption analysis and requesting integrity information for the data slice from one or more other DS units of a dispersed storage network. When the one or more requested integrity information is received, the method continues with the DS processing module analyzing the one or more received integrity information and local integrity information of the data slice stored in the DS unit. When the analysis of the one or more received integrity information and the local integrity information of the data slice is unfavorable, the method continues with the DS processing module identifying the data slice as being corrupted.

Abstract: A method of merging data frames includes: receiving a first data frame having a plurality of sectors; receiving a second data frame having a plurality of sectors; generating a merged output data frame by merging, using a plurality of data paths including a plurality of multiplexers, sectors of the second data frame with sectors of the first data frame; and performing an error check on at least one check-data frame having sectors corresponding to those in the first data frame or the second data frame, where at least some of the sectors in the check-data frame are transmitted on a subset of the plurality of data paths that transmits sectors of the merged output data frame, and where the error check verifies the merged output data frame.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a data decoding control apparatus includes a reading controller and a decoding controller. The reading controller reads the encoded data of a symbol unit bit by bit from a storage medium. The decoding controller computes a log-likelihood ratio (LLR) value of the symbol unit for estimate decoding calculation relative to the encoded data based on the number of bit inversion in a symbol of the encoded data and a correction factor.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a method for die-level monitoring is provided. The method includes distributing user data throughout a plurality of storage nodes through erasure coding, wherein the plurality of storage nodes are housed within a chassis that couples the storage nodes. Each of the storage nodes has a non-volatile solid-state storage with non-volatile memory and the user data is accessible via the erasure coding from a remainder of the storage nodes in event of two of the storage nodes being unreachable. The method includes producing diagnostic information that diagnoses the non-volatile memory on a basis of per package, per die, per plane, per block, or per page, the producing performed by each of the plurality of storage nodes. The method includes writing the diagnostic information to a memory in the storage cluster.

Abstract: A method of operation in a non-volatile memory device, including executing a memory operation with respect to a portion of a non-volatile memory device, and measuring a current corresponding to current drawn by at least the portion of the non-volatile memory device during the memory operation. An age metric is determined for at least the portion of the non-volatile memory device based on age criteria including a characteristic of the measured current. In accordance with a determination that the age metric satisfies one or more predefined threshold criteria, one or more configuration parameters associated with the non-volatile memory device are adjusted. After the adjusting, data is read from and data to the portion of the non-volatile memory device according to the one or more adjusted configuration parameters.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods store error recovery data in different dimensions of a memory array. For example, in one dimension, block error correction codes (ECC) are used, and in another dimension, supplemental error correction codes, such as convolutional codes, are used. By using separate dimensions, the likelihood that a defect affects both error recovery techniques is lessened, thereby increasing the probability that error recovery can be performed successfully. In one example, block error correction codes are used for data stored along rows, and this data is stored in one level of multiple-level cells of the array. Supplemental error correction codes are used for data stored along columns, such as along the cells of a string, and the supplemental error correction codes are stored in a different level than the error correction codes.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a semiconductor memory apparatus includes a memory and a speed control unit. The speed control unit calculates a time-varying behavior of a permissible value of an accumulated amount of data written in the non-volatile semiconductor memory, where, after a start of a guaranteed period, data is written in the memory at a constant write speed so that the permissible value at an end time of the guaranteed period is equal to a sum of a first capacity and a second capacity. The first capacity is an accumulated amount of data written in the memory. The second capacity is an accumulated amount of data which is writable in the memory in a remaining time of the guaranteed period based on remaining rewritable times of existing blocks. The speed control unit controls a transmission speed of data from a host based on the permissible value.

Abstract: A method of feedback in a wireless transmit receive unit includes providing a precoding matrix index (PMI), error checking the (PMI) to produce an error check (EC) bit, coding the PMI and the EC bit and transmitting the coded PMI and EC bit.

Abstract: A system including first and second devices. The first device generates a trigger signal to test a memory. The memory has memory cells including first and second cells. The first and second cells are defective and are in a same row or column. The second device: tests the memory in response to the trigger signal and based on a first frequency; generates an error signal in response to detecting the first cell as defective; and based on the test, generates information including first and second addresses of the first and second cells. The first device, based on the error signal, receives the information at a second frequency. The second device compares the first and second addresses, and if a match, continues the test without reporting the second cell as defective. The first device, based on a number of times the first address is matched, repairs the row or the column.

Abstract: A memory device with background built-in self-testing (BBIST) includes a plurality of memory blocks; a memory buffer to offload data from one of the plurality of memory blocks temporarily; and a memory block stress controller to control a stress test applied to the one of the memory blocks when the data is temporarily offloaded on the memory buffer. The stress test tests for errors in the one of the plurality of the memory blocks.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are disclosed for decoding data stored on a data storage medium. A disclosed decoding method and decoder include a radial incoherence (RI) detector that increases the probability of detecting RI and improves the decoding performance in terms of the bit error rate of the decoded signal. RI is detected by comparing an input signal to the decoder against a RI threshold value and generating a RI-type signal. The RI detector may include a filter for filtering out noise and error in the RI-type signal, an adaptive threshold unit that adjusts the RI threshold value based upon the RI-type signal, a transition-based threshold unit that adjusts the RI threshold value based upon each transition in the input signal, or a path-based threshold unit that adjusts the RI threshold value based upon a best surviving path corresponding to the input signal, in combination or alone.

Abstract: A method of controlling a nonvolatile semiconductor memory includes checking a first group at a first interval period, the first group including a plurality of blocks, and when a first block in the first group satisfies a first condition, assigning the first block to a second group. The method includes checking, at a second interval period, an error count of data stored in the second group, and when a second block in the second group satisfies a second condition, moving data stored in the second block to an erased block in which stored data is erased among the plurality of blocks.

Abstract: An embodiment relates to a method for data processing that includes reading data, the data comprising overhead information and payload information, and determining a state of each portion of the data, wherein the state is one of a first binary state, a second binary state, and an undefined state. The method also includes decoding at least one portion of data that has an undefined state based on its location and based on the overhead information.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a device and method for storing encoded and/or decoded codes by re-using an encoder. The device and method for storing the encoded and/or decoded codes according to the present disclosure enables re-use of the encoder during a decoding process, which makes it unnecessary to use additional hardware and thereby reduces an area consumed by an EDAC (error detection and correction) decoder.

Abstract: A decoding apparatus has an on-chip buffer, an external buffer interface, and a turbo decoder. The on-chip buffer is arranged for buffering each code block to be decoded. The external buffer interface is arranged for accessing an off-chip buffer. The turbo decoder is arranged for decoding a specific code block read from the on-chip buffer. The specific code block is not transmitted from the on-chip buffer to the off-chip buffer via the external buffer interface unless decoding fail of the specific code block is identified.

Abstract: A flash memory controller includes a read/write unit, a state machine, a processing unit, and an auxiliary unit. The read/write unit is connected to a flash memory and performs a writing command or a reading command. The state machine is configured to determine a state of the flash memory controller. The processing unit is connected to the read/write unit and the state machine and configured to control the read/write unit. The auxiliary unit is connected to a first data line and a second data line and the processing unit and configured to receive and store a string output from the processing unit. The auxiliary unit outputs the string through the first and second data lines when the flash memory controller completes a writing data transmission.

Abstract: A memory module includes a first rank, a second rank and a test control unit. The first rank includes a plurality of semiconductor memory devices configured to operate in response to a first chip selection signal. The second rank includes a plurality of semiconductor memory devices configured to operate in response to a second chip selection signal. The test control unit is configured to simultaneously enable the first and second chip selection signals to test the first and second ranks in a test mode.

Abstract: An apparatus having a circuit and one or more processor is disclosed. The circuit is configured to receive a codeword from a memory. The memory is nonvolatile. The codeword generally has one or more errors. The processors are configured to generate read data by decoding the codeword repeatedly. The decoding includes a soft-decision decoding that uses a plurality of parameters calculated by (i) a first procedure, (ii) a second procedure in response to a plurality of failures of the decoding to converge using the first procedure and (iii) a third procedure in response to another failure of the decoding to converge using the second procedure.

Abstract: A memory system comprises a nonvolatile memory device comprising a memory cell array comprising first and second memory blocks, and a memory controller configured to control the nonvolatile memory device to read data from the first memory block, selectively determine an error correction operation to be performed on the data after it is read from the first memory block based on a state of at least one of the first and second memory blocks, and then store the data in the second memory block.