Patents by Inventor Michael Sheperek

Michael Sheperek 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).

  • Publication number: 20220050758
    Abstract: A system includes a memory device and a processing device, operatively coupled to the memory device. The processing device is to perform operations, including initializing a block family associated with the memory device and initializing a timer associated with the block family. Responsive to beginning to program a block residing on the memory device, the processing device associates the block with the block family. In response to the timer reaching a soft closure value, the processing device performs a soft closure of the block family; continues to program data to the block; and performs a hard closure of the block family in response to one of the timer reaching a hard closure value or the block family satisfying a hard closure criteria.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2020
    Publication date: February 17, 2022
    Inventors: Michael Sheperek, Larry J. Koudele, Steven S. Williams
  • Publication number: 20220044742
    Abstract: A processing device determines difference error counts that are indicative of relative widths of valleys. Each of the valleys is located between a respective pair of programming distributions of memory cells of the memory device. A program targeting operation is performed on a memory cell of the memory device to calibrate one or more program verify (PV) targets associated with the programming distributions. To perform the program targeting operation, a rule from a set of rules is selected based on the difference error counts. The set of rules corresponds to an adjusting of a PV target of a last programming distribution. One or more program verify (PV) targets associated with the programming distributions are adjusted based on the selected rule.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2021
    Publication date: February 10, 2022
    Inventors: Bruce A. LIIKANEN, Larry J. KOUDELE, Michael SHEPEREK
  • Publication number: 20220036957
    Abstract: A system comprises a memory device comprising a plurality of memory cells; and a processing device coupled to the memory device, the processing device configured to manage optimization target data that at least initially includes read levels in addition to a target trip, wherein the optimization data is managed based on iteratively calibrating the read levels and removing the calibrated levels from the optimization target data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2021
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Inventors: Michael Sheperek, Larry J. Koudele, Steve Kientz
  • Patent number: 11231863
    Abstract: An example memory sub-system includes a memory device and a processing device, operatively coupled to the memory device. The processing device is configured to initialize a block family associated with a memory device; initialize a timeout associated with the block family; initializing a low temperature and a high temperature using a reference temperature at the memory device; responsive to programming a block residing on the memory device, associate the block with the block family; and responsive to at least one of: detecting expiration of the timeout or determining that a difference between the high temperature and the low temperature is greater than or equal to a specified threshold temperature value, close the block family.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Michael Sheperek, Kishore Kumar Muchherla, Mustafa N. Kaynak, Vamsi Pavan Rayaprolu, Bruce A. Liikanen, Peter Feeley, Larry J. Koudele, Shane Nowell, Steven Michael Kientz
  • Patent number: 11231995
    Abstract: A first data stored at a first portion of a memory cell and a second data stored at a second portion of the memory cell are identified. A first error rate associated with first data stored at the first portion of the memory cell is determined. The first error rate is adjusted to exceed a second error rate associated with the second data stored at the second portion of the memory cell. A determination is made as to whether the first error rate exceeds a threshold. The second data stored at the second portion of the memory cell is provided for use in an error correction operation by a controller associated with the memory cell in response to determining that the first error rate exceeds the threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Mustafa N. Kaynak, Larry J. Koudele, Michael Sheperek, Patrick R. Khayat, Sampath K. Ratnam
  • Patent number: 11217320
    Abstract: A system includes a memory device having a plurality of dice and A processing device to perform operations, including determining a representative number of program-erase cycles performed across the plurality of dice. The operations further include tracking the representative number of program-erase cycles over time. The operations further include, in response to the representative number of program-erase cycles satisfying a first threshold criterion, adding an additional threshold voltage offset bin to a plurality of threshold voltage offset bins for the memory device, wherein each of the plurality of threshold voltage offset bins comprises a corresponding window of time after program of data to the memory device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Sheperek, Mustafa N. Kaynak, Steven Michael Kientz
  • Patent number: 11210154
    Abstract: Feedback relating to errors in memory operations on a plurality of memory cells is received by a memory sub-system. At least one processing level corresponding to a program distribution is updated based on the feedback to adjust an error measure between pages of the plurality of memory cells and to adjust a read window budget within a page of the plurality of cells. The updating of the at least one processing level is based on information for the at least one processing level that is stored in a data-structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Sheperek, Bruce A. Liikanen, Larry J. Koudele, James P. Crowley, Stuart A. Bell
  • Patent number: 11211128
    Abstract: An example memory sub-system includes a memory device and a processing device, operatively coupled to the memory device. The processing device is configured to initialize a block family associated with the memory device; program a first block in a first die of the memory device and a second block in a second die of the memory device, wherein the first die and the second die are assigned to a die group; associate the first block and the second block with the block family; and associate the die group with a first threshold voltage offset bin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Sheperek, Kishore Kumar Muchherla, Mustafa N. Kaynak, Vamsi Pavan Rayaprolu, Bruce A. Liikanen, Larry J. Koudele
  • Patent number: 11200956
    Abstract: An example memory sub-system includes a memory device and a processing device, operatively coupled to the memory device. The processing device is configured to identify a set of embedded servo cells stored on the memory device; determine a read voltage offset by performing read level calibration based on the set of embedded servo cells; and apply the read voltage offset for reading a memory page associated with the set of embedded servo cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Larry J. Koudele, Bruce A. Liikanen, Michael Sheperek
  • Publication number: 20210382786
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to logic based read sample offset operations in a memory sub-system. A processing device performs a first read, a second read, and a third read of data from a memory devices using a first center value corresponding to a first read level threshold, a negative offset value, and a positive offset value, respectively. The processing device performs a XOR operation on results from the first and second reads to obtain a first value and a XOR operation on results from the second and third reads to obtain a second value. The processing device performs a first count operation on the first value to determine a first difference bit count and a second count operation on the second value to determine a second difference bit count. The processing device can store or output the first difference bit count and the second difference bit count.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2021
    Publication date: December 9, 2021
    Inventors: Bruce A. Liikanen, Michael Sheperek
  • Publication number: 20210375364
    Abstract: A processing device determines a measured slope value of a portion of a programming voltage distribution of memory cells of a memory sub-system. The measured slope value of the portion of the programming voltage distribution is compared to a threshold slope value to generate a comparison result. An adjusted program voltage level is determined in view of the comparison result. A programming process is executed using the adjusted program voltage level as a starting voltage level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Publication date: December 2, 2021
    Inventors: Bruce A. Liikanen, Michael Sheperek, Larry J. Koudele
  • Patent number: 11189352
    Abstract: A processing device determines difference error counts that are indicative of relative widths of valleys. Each of the valleys is located between a respective pair of programming distributions of a memory cell of the memory component. A program targeting operation is performed on the memory cell to calibrate one or more program verify (PV) targets associated with the programming distributions. To perform the program targeting operation, a rule from a set of rules is selected based on the difference error counts. The set of rules corresponds to an adjusting of a PV target of a programming distribution adjacent to an initial programming distribution. One or more program verify (PV) targets associated with the programming distributions are adjusted based on the selected rule.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Bruce A. Liikanen, Larry J. Koudele, Michael Sheperek
  • Publication number: 20210366556
    Abstract: A first logical page type and a second logical page type each comprising a plurality of programming distributions of a memory device are identified. A determination is made that the bit error rate (BER) for the first logical page type is less than a BER for the second logical page type. A set of rules corresponding to a determination that the BER for the first logical page type is less than the BER for the second logical page type is identified. A program targeting rule of the set of rules is determined based on a valley between an erase distribution and a programming distribution adjacent to the erase distribution having a lowest valley margin of a plurality of valley margins corresponding to the plurality of programming distributions of the memory device. Based on the program targeting rule, a program targeting operation is performed to adjust a voltage associated with one or more programming distributions of the memory device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2021
    Publication date: November 25, 2021
    Inventors: Bruce A. Liikanen, Michael Sheperek, Larry J. Koudele
  • Patent number: 11177006
    Abstract: A system comprises a memory device comprising a plurality of memory cells; and a processing device coupled to the memory device, the processing device configured to iteratively: calibrate read levels based on associated read results, wherein the read levels are tracked via optimization target data that at least initially includes at least one read level in addition to a target trim; and remove a calibrated read level from the optimization target data when the calibrated read level satisfies a calibration condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Sheperek, Larry J. Koudele, Steve Kientz
  • Publication number: 20210342206
    Abstract: One or more of multiple metrics for multiple logical page types of the memory device are determined. Each of the metrics is indicative of a number of bit errors associated with a particular logical page type of the multiple logical page types. A current page margin associated with a first logical page type of the multiple logical page types is modified to determine a modified page margin based at least in part on a ratio using one or more of the multiple metrics. The current page margin associated with the first logical page type is adjusted in accordance with the modified page margin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2021
    Publication date: November 4, 2021
    Inventors: Michael Sheperek, Larry J. Koudele, Bruce A. Liikanen
  • Publication number: 20210343353
    Abstract: Described herein are embodiments related to first-pass dynamic program targeting (DPT) operations on memory cells of memory systems. A method includes determining that a first programming pass of a programming operation has been performed on a memory cell of the memory component, and performing a dynamic program targeting (DPT) operation on the memory cell to calibrate a first program-verify (PV) target value that results in an adjustment to a placement of a first first-pass programming distribution and a second PV target value that results in an adjustment to a placement of a second first-pass programming distribution before a second programming pass of the programming operation is performed on the memory cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2021
    Publication date: November 4, 2021
    Inventors: Michael Sheperek, Larry J. Koudele, Bruce A. Liikanen
  • Publication number: 20210335428
    Abstract: An example memory sub-system includes a memory device and a processing device, operatively coupled to the memory device. The processing device is configured to identify a set of embedded servo cells stored on the memory device; determine a read voltage offset by performing read level calibration based on the set of embedded servo cells; and apply the read voltage offset for reading a memory page associated with the set of embedded servo cells.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2020
    Publication date: October 28, 2021
    Inventors: Larry J. Koudele, Bruce A. Liikanen, Michael Sheperek
  • Publication number: 20210334035
    Abstract: A data structure that identifies a characteristic of a region that is located between programming distributions of the memory device and that corresponds to read level thresholds at the region is determined. An estimator type is selected from a plurality of estimator types corresponding with the data structure. A read level threshold of the read level thresholds is estimated using the selected estimator type. A read operation is performed at the memory device using the read level threshold estimated using the selected estimator type.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2021
    Publication date: October 28, 2021
    Inventors: Michael Sheperek, Larry J. Koudele, Bruce A. Liikanen
  • Patent number: 11119848
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to logic based read sample offset operations in a memory sub-system. A processing device performs a first read, a second read, and a third read of data from a memory devices using a first center value corresponding to a first read level threshold, a negative offset value, and a positive offset value, respectively. The processing device performs a XOR operation on results from the first and second reads to obtain a first value and a XOR operation on results from the second and third reads to obtain a second value. The processing device performs a first count operation on the first value to determine a first difference bit count and a second count operation on the second value to determine a second difference bit count. The processing device can store or output the first difference bit count and the second difference bit count.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Bruce A. Liikanen, Michael Sheperek
  • Patent number: 11120879
    Abstract: A processing device determines a set of difference error counts corresponding to multiple programming distributions of a memory sub-system. A valley having a lowest valley margin is identified based on a comparison of the set of difference error counts. Based on the set of difference error counts, a program targeting rule from a set of rules. A program targeting operation is performed, based on the program targeting rule, a program targeting operation to adjust a voltage associated with an erase distribution of the memory sub-system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Bruce A. Liikanen, Michael Sheperek, Larry J. Koudele