Patents by Inventor Assaf Shappir
Assaf Shappir has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 11972823Abstract: A controller includes an interface and circuitry. The interface communicates with memory cells arranged in multiple address locations. Storage nodes holding storage values included in the memory cells are accessible using select transistors powered by an adjustable supply voltage. The circuitry reads data units protected by an Error Correction Code (ECC) from the memory cells and decode the ECC of the data units. Upon detecting, using the ECC, that a given data unit read from a given address location contains one or more errors, the circuitry logs an error event specifying at least a time of occurrence associated with the error event and the given address location. The circuitry identifies that the select transistors experience physical degradation due to aging, based on the times of occurrence and address locations logged in the error events, and adjusts the supply voltage provided to the select transistors to compensate for the physical degradation.Type: GrantFiled: September 11, 2022Date of Patent: April 30, 2024Assignee: APPLE INC.Inventor: Assaf Shappir
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Publication number: 20240087666Abstract: A controller includes an interface and circuitry. The interface communicates with memory cells arranged in multiple address locations. Storage nodes holding storage values included in the memory cells are accessible using select transistors powered by an adjustable supply voltage. The circuitry reads data units protected by an Error Correction Code (ECC) from the memory cells and decode the ECC of the data units. Upon detecting, using the ECC, that a given data unit read from a given address location contains one or more errors, the circuitry logs an error event specifying at least a time of occurrence associated with the error event and the given address location. The circuitry identifies that the select transistors experience physical degradation due to aging, based on the times of occurrence and address locations logged in the error events, and adjusts the supply voltage provided to the select transistors to compensate for the physical degradation.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 11, 2022Publication date: March 14, 2024Inventor: Assaf Shappir
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Patent number: 11550657Abstract: A storage apparatus includes an interface and storage circuitry. The interface communicates with a plurality of memory cells, and an individual one of the plurality of memory cells stores data in multiple programming levels. The storage circuitry configured to program data to a first group of multiple memory cells in a number of programming levels larger than two, using a One-Pass Programming (OPP) scheme that results in a first readout reliability level. After programming the data, the storage circuitry is further configured to read the data from the first group, and program the data read from the first group to a second group of the memory cells, in a number of programming levels larger than two, using a Multi-Pass Programming (MPP) scheme that results in a second readout reliability higher than the first reliability level, and reading the data from the second group of the memory cells.Type: GrantFiled: September 1, 2021Date of Patent: January 10, 2023Assignee: APPLE INC.Inventors: Assaf Shappir, Itay Sagron
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Patent number: 11348643Abstract: A controller includes an interface and storage circuitry. The interface is configured to communicate with a memory device that includes multiple memory cells organized in memory blocks. The memory device supporting programming of the memory cells with enabled or disabled program-verification. The storage circuitry is configured to disable the program-verification, and program data to a group of the memory cells in a Single Level Cell (SLC) mode using a single programming pulse, to read the data from the group of the memory cells. In response to detecting a failure in reading the data, the storage circuitry is configured to distinguish between whether the memory cells in the group belong to a defective memory block or were under-programmed, and when identifying that the memory cells in the group were under-programmed, to perform a corrective action to prevent under-programming in subsequent program operations to the memory cells in the group.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2020Date of Patent: May 31, 2022Assignee: APPLE INC.Inventors: Itay Sagron, Assaf Shappir
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Publication number: 20210264980Abstract: A controller includes an interface and storage circuitry. The interface is configured to communicate with a memory device that includes multiple memory cells organized in memory blocks. The memory device supporting programming of the memory cells with enabled or disabled program-verification. The storage circuitry is configured to disable the program-verification, and program data to a group of the memory cells in a Single Level Cell (SLC) mode using a single programming pulse, to read the data from the group of the memory cells. In response to detecting a failure in reading the data, the storage circuitry is configured to distinguish between whether the memory cells in the group belong to a defective memory block or were under-programmed, and when identifying that the memory cells in the group were under-programmed, to perform a corrective action to prevent under-programming in subsequent program operations to the memory cells in the group.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 25, 2020Publication date: August 26, 2021Inventors: Itay Sagron, Assaf Shappir
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Patent number: 10936456Abstract: A controller includes an interface and storage circuitry. The interface communicates with one or more memory devices, each of the memory devices includes multiple memory cells organized in memory blocks. The storage circuitry is configured to perform multiple storage operations to the memory cells in the one or more memory devices, and mark memory blocks in which one or more storage operations have failed as bad blocks. The controller is further configured to identify a pattern of multiple bad blocks occurring over a sequence of multiple consecutive storage operations, the pattern is indicative of a system-level malfunction in a memory system including the controller, and in response to identifying the pattern, to perform a corrective action to the memory system.Type: GrantFiled: February 20, 2019Date of Patent: March 2, 2021Assignee: APPLE INC.Inventors: Yael Shur, Assaf Shappir, Stas Mouler, Yoav Kasorla
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Patent number: 10915394Abstract: A memory system includes a Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) and storage circuitry. The NVM includes memory cells organized in multiple memory blocks that each includes multiple Word Lines (WLs). The storage circuitry assigns in a recovery scheme, data pages to predefined parity groups, including assigning to a parity group multiple data pages of two or more different bit-significance values in a common group of the memory cells in a WL. The storage circuitry calculates redundancy data over the data pages of a given parity group in accordance with the recovery scheme and stores the redundancy data in a dedicated group of the memory cells. The storage circuitry reads a data page belonging to the given parity group, and upon detecting a read failure, recovers the data page based on other data pages in the given parity group and on the redundancy data calculated for the given parity group.Type: GrantFiled: September 22, 2019Date of Patent: February 9, 2021Assignee: APPLE INC.Inventors: Assaf Shappir, Stas Mouler
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Patent number: 10762967Abstract: A controller includes an interface and a processor. The interface is configured to communicate with a nonvolatile memory including multiple memory cells organized in multiple memory blocks that each includes multiple Word Lines (WLs). The processor is configured to store first data in one or more WLs of a memory block, the first data occupies less than a maximal number of WLs available in the memory block, to calculate redundancy data over the first data and store the redundancy data in a dedicated memory, to program second data to a selected WL of the memory block that was not programmed with the first data, to check a programming status resulting from the programming of the selected WL, and in response to identifying that programming the second data to the selected WL has corrupted at least part of the first data, to recover the first data using the redundancy data.Type: GrantFiled: November 28, 2018Date of Patent: September 1, 2020Assignee: APPLE INC.Inventors: Assaf Shappir, Barak Baum, Itay Sagron, Roman Guy, Guy Ben-Yehuda, Stas Mouler
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Patent number: 10755787Abstract: A storage device includes storage circuitry and multiple memory cells. The memory cells are organized in multiple memory blocks of a nonvolatile memory. The storage circuitry is configured to define a partial verification scheme that specifies testing only a data portion of the data programmed to the memory blocks, to program data to a memory block, calculate redundancy data over the data, and save the calculated redundancy data in a dedicated memory, to verify that the data portion specified for the memory block in the partial verification scheme has been programmed successfully, to check a predefined condition for conditionally performing full verification to the memory block, when the predefined condition is fulfilled, to verify that data programmed to the memory block and not tested using the partial verification scheme has been programmed successfully, and to recover, using the redundancy data, at least part of the data programmed that failed verification.Type: GrantFiled: November 28, 2018Date of Patent: August 25, 2020Assignee: APPLE INC.Inventors: Eli Yazovitsky, Assaf Shappir, Itay Sagron, Meir Dalal
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Patent number: 10740476Abstract: An apparatus includes an interface and storage circuitry. The interface is configured to communicate with a memory including multiple memory cells that store data as respective analog values. The memory is addressable using physical addresses. The storage circuitry is configured to perform a first read operation from a physical address, and determine a first sequence of analog values retrieved by the first read operation, to further perform a second read operation from the physical address, and determine a second sequence of analog values retrieved by the second read operation, to evaluate a variation between the first sequence and the second sequence, and to determine that an unauthorized re-programming to the physical address has occurred between the first read operation and the second read operation, in response to the evaluated variation exceeding a predefined variation level.Type: GrantFiled: April 10, 2019Date of Patent: August 11, 2020Assignee: APPLE INC.Inventors: Assaf Shappir, Itay Sagron
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Publication number: 20200005873Abstract: A storage device includes storage circuitry and multiple memory cells. The memory cells are organized in multiple memory blocks of a nonvolatile memory. The storage circuitry is configured to define a partial verification scheme that specifies testing only a data portion of the data programmed to the memory blocks, to program data to a memory block, calculate redundancy data over the data, and save the calculated redundancy data in a dedicated memory, to verify that the data portion specified for the memory block in the partial verification scheme has been programmed successfully, to check a predefined condition for conditionally performing full verification to the memory block, when the predefined condition is fulfilled, to verify that data programmed to the memory block and not tested using the partial verification scheme has been programmed successfully, and to recover, using the redundancy data, at least part of the data programmed that failed verification.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 28, 2018Publication date: January 2, 2020Inventors: Eli Yazovitsky, Assaf Shappir, Itay Sagron, Meir Dalal
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Publication number: 20200005874Abstract: A controller includes an interface and a processor. The interface is configured to communicate with a nonvolatile memory including multiple memory cells organized in multiple memory blocks that each includes multiple Word Lines (WLs). The processor is configured to store first data in one or more WLs of a memory block, the first data occupies less than a maximal number of WLs available in the memory block, to calculate redundancy data over the first data and store the redundancy data in a dedicated memory, to program second data to a selected WL of the memory block that was not programmed with the first data, to check a programming status resulting from the programming of the selected WL, and in response to identifying that programming the second data to the selected WL has corrupted at least part of the first data, to recover the first data using the redundancy data.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 28, 2018Publication date: January 2, 2020Inventors: Assaf Shappir, Barak Baum, Itay Sagron, Roman Guy, Guy Ben-Yehuda, Stas Mouler
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Patent number: 10475524Abstract: A memory controller includes an interface and circuitry. The interface is configured to communicate with a memory device, which includes multiple memory cells, and which applies refreshing to the memory cells by repeatedly inverting data stored in the memory cells. The circuitry is configured to store input data in a group of the memory cells, to read the stored input data from the group of the memory cells to produce read data, the read data has an actual polarity that is either un-inverted or inverted due to the refreshing of the memory cells in the group, to analyze the read data for identifying the actual polarity of the read data, and to recover the input data from the read data based on the identified actual polarity.Type: GrantFiled: September 15, 2016Date of Patent: November 12, 2019Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Assaf Shappir, Eyal Gurgi
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Publication number: 20190236288Abstract: An apparatus includes an interface and storage circuitry. The interface is configured to communicate with a memory including multiple memory cells that store data as respective analog values. The memory is addressable using physical addresses. The storage circuitry is configured to perform a first read operation from a physical address, and determine a first sequence of analog values retrieved by the first read operation, to further perform a second read operation from the physical address, and determine a second sequence of analog values retrieved by the second read operation, to evaluate a variation between the first sequence and the second sequence, and to determine that an unauthorized re-programming to the physical address has occurred between the first read operation and the second read operation, in response to the evaluated variation exceeding a predefined variation level.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 10, 2019Publication date: August 1, 2019Inventors: Assaf Shappir, Itay Sagron
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Patent number: 10339324Abstract: An apparatus includes an interface and storage circuitry. The interface is configured to communicate with a memory including multiple memory cells that store data as respective analog values. The memory is addressable using physical addresses. The storage circuitry is configured to perform a first read operation from a physical address, and determine a first sequence of analog values retrieved by the first read operation, to further perform a second read operation from the physical address, and determine a second sequence of analog values retrieved by the second read operation, to evaluate a variation between the first sequence and the second sequence, and to determine that an unauthorized re-programming to the physical address has occurred between the first read operation and the second read operation, in response to the evaluated variation exceeding a predefined variation level.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2016Date of Patent: July 2, 2019Assignee: APPLE INC.Inventors: Assaf Shappir, Itay Sagron
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Patent number: 10332608Abstract: A storage device includes storage circuitry and multiple memory blocks. The multiple memory blocks are arranged in an array, and each of the memory blocks includes multiple memory cells. A maximal number of programming cycles that a memory block of the multiple memory blocks sustains depends on a distance of the memory block from an edge of the array. The storage circuitry is configured to apply to the memory blocks programming cycles so that a number of programming cycles that can be applied to a respective memory block is based on a respective distance of the respective memory block from the edge of the array.Type: GrantFiled: May 30, 2018Date of Patent: June 25, 2019Assignee: APPLE INC.Inventors: Yael Shur, Assaf Shappir, Barak Baum, Roman Guy, Michael Tsohar
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Patent number: 10296062Abstract: A memory controller includes an interface and a processor. The interface is configured to communicate with one or more memory devices that require an operation voltage. The memory devices are capable of obtaining the operation voltage either from a power supply external to the memory device or from respective charge pumps internal to the memory devices. The processor is configured to predict storage activity in the memory devices, and to cause the memory devices to select a source for the operation voltage between the power supply and the respective charge pumps in accordance with the predicted storage activity.Type: GrantFiled: February 18, 2018Date of Patent: May 21, 2019Assignee: APPLE INC.Inventors: Barak Rotbard, Assaf Shappir
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Publication number: 20180358103Abstract: A storage device includes storage circuitry and multiple memory blocks. The multiple memory blocks are arranged in an array, and each of the memory blocks includes multiple memory cells. A maximal number of programming cycles that a memory block of the multiple memory blocks sustains depends on a distance of the memory block from an edge of the array. The storage circuitry is configured to apply to the memory blocks programming cycles so that a number of programming cycles that can be applied to a respective memory block is based on a respective distance of the respective memory block from the edge of the array.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 30, 2018Publication date: December 13, 2018Inventors: Yael Shur, Assaf Shappir, Barak Baum, Roman Guy, Michael Tsohar
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Publication number: 20180181500Abstract: An apparatus includes an interface and storage circuitry. The interface is configured to communicate with a memory including multiple memory cells that store data as respective analog values. The memory is addressable using physical addresses. The storage circuitry is configured to perform a first read operation from a physical address, and determine a first sequence of analog values retrieved by the first read operation, to further perform a second read operation from the physical address, and determine a second sequence of analog values retrieved by the second read operation, to evaluate a variation between the first sequence and the second sequence, and to determine that an unauthorized re-programming to the physical address has occurred between the first read operation and the second read operation, in response to the evaluated variation exceeding a predefined variation level.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 22, 2016Publication date: June 28, 2018Inventors: Assaf Shappir, Itay Sagron
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Patent number: 10008278Abstract: A storage device includes storage circuitry and multiple memory blocks. The multiple memory blocks are arranged in an array, and each of the memory blocks includes multiple memory cells. A maximal number of programming cycles that a memory block of the multiple memory blocks sustains depends on a distance of the memory block from an edge of the array. The storage circuitry is configured to apply to the memory blocks programming cycles so that a number of programming cycles that can be applied to a respective memory block is based on a respective distance of the respective memory block from the edge of the array.Type: GrantFiled: June 11, 2017Date of Patent: June 26, 2018Assignee: APPLE INC.Inventors: Yael Shur, Assaf Shappir, Barak Baum, Roman Guy, Michael Tsohar