Abstract: A syndrome weight of failed decoding attempts is used to select parameters for future read retry operations. The following exemplary steps are performed until a decoding success or a predefined limited number of readings is reached: (i) reading a codeword using different read threshold voltages; (ii) mapping the readings to a corresponding likelihood value using a likelihood value assignment; and (iii) recording a syndrome weight for failed decoding attempts of the readings using the different read threshold voltages.

Abstract: Systems and methods relating generally to data processing, and more particularly to systems and methods for characterizing a solid state memory. In one embodiment, the systems and methods may include programming a first cell of a solid state memory device to a first voltage, programming a second cell of the solid state memory device to a second voltage different than the first voltage, detecting a voltage shift in the first cell when the second cell is being programmed; characterizing the first voltage of the first cell offset by the voltage shift as an interim voltage of the first cell, and repeatedly reading the interim voltage of the first cell using a first set of incrementally adjusted voltage values until an output of the first cell changes.

Abstract: An apparatus for reading a flash memory includes a read controller operable to read the flash memory to yield read patterns, a likelihood generator operable to map the read patterns to likelihood values, a decoder operable to decode the likelihood values, a data state storage operable to retrieve the likelihood values for which decoding failed, and a selective dampening controller operable to select at least one dampening candidate from among the likelihood values for which decoding failed, to dampen the likelihood values of the at least one dampening candidate to yield dampened likelihood values, and to provide the dampened likelihood values to the decoder for decoding.

Abstract: A method for capacitance coupling parameter estimation includes determining a plurality of mean voltages among a plurality of memory cells of the memory in each of a plurality of cases related to inter-cell interference, generating a plurality of middle state mean voltages in response to the mean voltages, and adjusting one or more threshold voltages used to read from the memory based on the middle state mean voltages to operate independently of knowledge of middle state distributions in the memory cells.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for multi-tier detection and decoding in flash memory devices. Data from a flash memory device is processed by obtaining one or more quantized estimates of a voltage stored on at least one bit of a cell of the flash memory device from the flash memory device; converting the one or more quantized estimates for the at least one bit to a reliability value; and decoding the at least one bit using the reliability value to obtain a value written for the at least one bit.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a memory and a controller. The memory configured to store data. The memory may comprise a write buffer and a plurality of memory dies. Each memory die may have a size less than a total size of the memory and include a plurality of cells. The memory may perform a program operation to write to and verify one or more of the plurality of cells in response to receiving a program command. The controller may be configured to issue the program command to program the plurality of memory dies and to issue the polling status command after issuing the program command to obtain a number of the cells that failed to be verified during the program operation. In response to the polling status command received from the controller, the memory reports a count of a number of bit-lines not having an inhibited state in the write buffer.

Abstract: An apparatus includes an interface and a control circuit. The interface may be configured to process read/write operations to/from a memory. The control circuit may be configured to create dependencies between a current bit in a sequence of data bits and neighboring bits in the sequence of data bits to generate mapped bits in response to a condition in a region of the memory being true, write the mapped bits among at least two memory cells in the region of the memory with at least two of the mapped bits stored in each of the memory cells, where the dependencies mitigate a hard error due to one of the at least two cells being stuck in a fixed state, and write the sequence of data bits in the region of the memory in response to the condition in the region of the memory being false.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a memory and a controller. The memory may be configured to store data. The memory generally comprises a plurality of memory units each having a size less than a total size of the memory. The controller may be configured to generate a set of converted log likelihood ratios by scaling a set of original log likelihood ratios using a selected scalar value, wherein the controller determines the selected scalar value by generating a plurality of sets of scaled log likelihood ratios by scaling the set of original log likelihood ratios with a plurality of corresponding scalar values, calculating a plurality of respective correlation coefficients each measuring a similarity of a respective set of scaled log likelihood ratios to the set of original log likelihood ratios, and selecting the scalar value corresponding to the set of scaled log likelihood ratios whose respective correlation coefficient is highest as the selected scalar value.

Abstract: Systems and method relating generally to solid state memory, and more particularly to systems and methods for generated data from a solid state memory. A data processing system includes a solid state memory device, a soft data generation circuit operable to receive multiple instances of an element of a read data set accessed from the solid state memory device, and access a scramble compensating extended look up table using the multiple instances of the element to receive corresponding soft data, and a data decoder circuit operable to yield a decoded output from the soft data.

Abstract: A method for capacitance coupling parameter estimation is disclosed. Step (A) of the method determines a plurality of voltages in a plurality of memory cells of a nonvolatile memory in response to a plurality of writes to the memory cells. The voltages are determined in each of a plurality of cases related to inter-cell interference. Step (B) generates a system of equations of a capacitance coupling model in response to the voltages from all of the cases. Step (C) generates one or more parameters in response to the system of equations. The parameters include one or more couplings between a perturbed memory cell and a plurality of neighboring memory cells adjacent to the perturbed memory cell.

Abstract: Systems and method relating generally to solid state memory, and more particularly to systems and methods for recovering data from a solid state memory. In one embodiment, the systems and methods include providing a flash memory circuit including a superset of memory cells, accessing a data set from a group of memory cells using a standard reference value to distinguish bit values in the group of memory cells, and based at least in part on determining that the group of memory cells was a last written group of memory cells, re-accessing a data set from the group of memory cells using a last written reference value to distinguish bit values in the group of memory cells.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a memory and a controller. The memory may be configured to process a plurality of read/program operations. The memory may comprise a plurality of memory units. The memory units may each have a size less than a total size of the memory. The memory units may include a plurality of cells. The controller may be configured to issue a plurality of program operations to write to one or more of the cells. The controller may be configured to implement a polling status command after each of the program operations to verify programming of each of the cells. A response to each of the polling status commands may be used to report a number of the cells that failed to be programmed.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a memory and a controller. The memory includes a plurality of memory devices. The controller may be coupled to the memory and configured to process a plurality of read/write operations to/from the memory, store data in the plurality of memory devices using units of super-blocks, and generate a number of unique weight statistics in a single read operation by reading a number of dies within a super-block with dissimilar read reference voltages. Each super-block generally includes a block from a die of each of the plurality of memory devices. The controller may be further configured to split the number of dies in each super-block into two sets and collect page weights for upper pages from one of the two sets and page weights for lower pages from the other of the two sets.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for multi-tier detection and decoding in flash memory devices. Data from a flash memory device is processed by obtaining one or more read values for at least one bit in a given page of the flash memory device; converting the one or more read values for the at least one bit to a reliability value; performing an initial decoding of the at least one bit in a given page using the reliability value; and performing an additional decoding of the at least one bit in the given page if the initial decoding is not successful, wherein the additional decoding uses one or more of additional information for the given page and at least one value for at least one bit from at least one additional page.

Abstract: A data storage device includes at least one data storage medium and a controller that is operably coupled to the at least one data storage medium. The controller receives the bit stream in a data storage device and performs a first level of compression on the received bit stream to obtain a symbol frame including a plurality of symbols. The controller encodes an initial portion of the plurality of symbols contained in the symbol frame by a fixed encoding scheme. The controller also collects statistics for the initial portion of the symbol frame. The controller then selects at least one data compression algorithm based on the collected statistics. The controller then performs compression encoding on a remaining portion of the symbol frame with the selected at least one data compression algorithm.

Abstract: Independent read threshold voltage tracking techniques are provided for multiple dependent read threshold voltages using syndrome weights.

Abstract: Adaptive read threshold voltage tracking techniques are provided that employ bit error rate estimation based on a non-linear syndrome weight mapping. An exemplary device comprises a controller configured to determine a bit error rate for at least one of a plurality of read threshold voltages in a memory using a non-linear mapping of a syndrome weight to the bit error rate for the at least one of the plurality of read threshold voltages.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a memory and a controller. The memory generally comprises a plurality of memory modules, each having a size less than a total size of the memory and configured to store data. The controller may be configured to process a plurality of read/write operations, classify data pages from multiple blocks of the memory as hot-read data or non hot-read data, and aggregate the hot-read data by selecting one or more of the hot-read data pages from multiple memory blocks and mapping the selected hot-read data pages to dedicated hot-read data blocks using a strong type of error correcting code during one or more of a garbage collection state, a data recycling state, or an idle state. The aggregation of the hot-read data pages and use of the strong type of error correcting code reduces read latency of the hot-read data pages, reduces a frequency of data recycling of the hot-read data pages, and reduces an impact of read disturbs on endurance of the memory.

Abstract: An apparatus having a first circuit and a second circuit is disclosed. The first circuit may be configured to generate statistics of a region of a memory circuit as part of a read scrub of the region. The region may have multiple units of data. The memory circuit may be configured to store the data in a nonvolatile condition. The second circuit is generally configured to (i) track one or more parameters of the region based on the statistics, (ii) determine when one or more of the statistics of one or more outliers of the units in the region exceeds a corresponding threshold and (iii) track the parameters of the outlier units separately from the parameters of the region in response to exceeding the corresponding threshold. The parameters generally control one or more reference voltages used to read the data from the region.

Abstract: A read threshold voltage for a memory is adjusted based on a bit error rate based on decoded data for a plurality of read threshold voltages. The read threshold voltage can be adjusted by reading the memory at a current read threshold voltage to obtain a read value; applying a hard decision decoder to the read value; determining if the hard decision decoder converges for the read value to a converged word; storing bits corresponding to the converged word as reference bits and, if the hard decision decoder converges, (i) computing a bit error rate for the current read threshold voltage based on the reference bits; (ii) adjusting the current read reference voltage to a new read threshold voltage; and (iii) reading the memory at the new read threshold voltage to obtain a new read value, until a threshold is satisfied; and once the threshold is satisfied, selecting the read threshold voltage based on the bit error rates.