Refresh Scheduling Patents (Class 711/106)
  • Patent number: 10867655
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for dynamically adjusting performance of partitioned memory. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving one or more configuration requests for the memory device, determining whether to grant the one or more configuration requests for the memory device, in response to the determining, implementing the one or more configuration requests within the memory device and operating the memory device in accordance with the implementing. The adjusting of the performance for the partitioned memory includes one or more of enabling/disabling refresh operations, altering a refresh rate for the partitioned memory, enabling/disabling error correcting code (ECC) circuitry for the partitioned memory, and/or altering a memory cell architecture for the partitioned memory. Systems and applications that may benefit from the dynamic adjustment of performance are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan D. Harms, David Hulton, Jeremy Chritz
  • Patent number: 10860222
    Abstract: Provided are memory devices configured to perform row hammer handling operations, and memory systems including such memory devices. An example memory device may include a memory cell array including a plurality of memory cell rows; a row hammer handler that is configured to determine whether to perform a row hammer handling operation to refresh adjacent memory cell rows adjacent to a first row that is being intensively accessed from among the memory cell rows, resulting in a determination result; and a refresh manager configured to perform either a normal refresh operation for sequentially refreshing the memory cell rows or the row hammer handling operation, based on the determination result of the row hammer handler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Inventors: Hoon Shin, Do-Yeon Kim, Ho-Young Song
  • Patent number: 10846246
    Abstract: A memory controller of a sender node issues an instruction of a trans-fabric instruction set of instructions to a receiver node across a communication fabric that supports memory semantic operations, to cause a given transaction to be performed at the receiver node in response to the issued instruction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
    Inventors: Melvin K. Benedict, Michael R. Krause, Mitchel E. Wright
  • Patent number: 10832755
    Abstract: A memory device includes a memory medium and a memory controller. The memory medium has a memory cell array and may be configured to generate a self-refresh signal, which varies based on an internal temperature of the memory medium, to control a self-refresh operation performed on the memory cell array. The memory controller may be configured to calculate an auto refresh cycle of an auto refresh control signal for controlling an auto-refresh operation of the memory medium based on the self-refresh signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventors: Youngjae Jin, Jin Wook Kim
  • Patent number: 10825502
    Abstract: A memory system includes: a memory device that includes a plurality of ranks; and a memory controller suitable for deciding a plurality of refresh cycles for respective combinations of the plurality of ranks and at least one program executed onto the memory device based on a performance diagnosis result of each of the ranks when the program is executed, and controlling a refresh operation to be performed onto the ranks based on the decided refresh cycles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Woong-Rae Kim
  • Patent number: 10824939
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a processor for implementing artificial neural networks, for example, convolutional neural networks. The processor includes a memory controller group, an on-chip bus and a processor core, wherein the processor core further includes a register map, an instruction module, a data transferring controller, a data writing scheduling unit, a buffer pool, a data reading scheduling unit and a computation module. The processor of the present disclosure may be used for implementing various neural networks with increased computation efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: XILINX, INC.
    Inventors: Shaoxia Fang, Lingzhi Sui, Qian Yu, Junbin Wang, Yi Shan
  • Patent number: 10818339
    Abstract: A semiconductor memory apparatus includes a plurality of memory banks and a refresh control circuit. The refresh control circuit, in each plurality of cycles, performs a refresh operation on at least one memory bank of the plurality of memory banks at a first refresh rate, and performs a refresh operation on the other memory banks of the plurality of memory banks at a second refresh rate. The refresh control circuit circulates the at least one memory bank on which the refresh operation is performed at the first refresh rate in each one or more cycles of the plurality of cycles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: No Geun Joo
  • Patent number: 10818337
    Abstract: A semiconductor memory device is provided with a row control circuit, in order to dissolve a Row Hammer issue. The row control circuit is configured to: (A) latches one of (a) a target address upon issuing of an ACTIVE command to the semiconductor memory device, and (b) a row address of a victim cell in which data of a memory cell is affected by the target address, as a victim address by using a predetermined row address latch method; and then, (B) refreshes the victim cell having the victim address by a predetermined refresh method upon issuing of a REFRESH command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: ZENTEL JAPAN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bunsho Kuramori, Mineo Noguchi, Akihiro Hirota, Masahiro Ishihara, Mitsuru Yoneyama, Takashi Kubo, Masaru Haraguchi, Jun Setogawa, Hironori Iga
  • Patent number: 10811076
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are mechanisms and methods for reducing power consumed by various DRAM technologies (e.g., high-capacity DRAM and/or 3D DRAM) which may impact battery life of the platform. These mechanisms and methods may opportunistically reduce the power consumed by DRAM by inhibiting periodic refresh commands to memory ranks that are not in-use. Since these mechanisms and methods may be based on enhancements to memory controllers, they may accordingly be operating system (OS) agnostic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Ramkumar Jayaraman, Krishnaprasad H, Kausik Ghosh
  • Patent number: 10795613
    Abstract: A convergence memory device includes a plurality of memories and a controller configured to control the plurality of memories. When an access request for accessing a storage region included in one or more of the memories is received, the controller determines whether the access request has been received a preset number of times or more within a refresh cycle. When the controller determines that the access request has been received the preset number of times or more, the controller postpones processing of the received access request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Wan-Jun Roh
  • Patent number: 10790009
    Abstract: A memory device comprises a memory cell array, a plurality of sense amplifiers and a memory controller for controlling the plurality of sense amplifiers. The memory cell array includes a plurality of bit lines, where a bit line is coupled to a plurality of memory cells. A sense amplifier is coupled to a bit line and provides a sensing current to access data from one or more memory cells of the plurality of memory cells corresponding to the bit line. The memory controller performs operations comprising: during a pre-charging stage of a memory access cycle, providing, to a particular sense amplifier, a first voltage; and during a sensing stage of the memory access cycle, providing, to the particular sense amplifier, a second voltage, where the second voltage is a non-zero voltage that is lower than the first voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: Macronix International Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chung-Kuang Chen, Han-Sung Chen
  • Patent number: 10725670
    Abstract: A system including a stack of two or more layers of volatile memory, such as layers of a 3D stacked DRAM memory, places data in the stack based on a temperature or a refresh rate. When a threshold is exceeded, data are moved from a first region to a second region in the stack, the second region having one or both of a second temperature lower than a first temperature of the first region or a second refresh rate lower than a first refresh rate of the first region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES, INC.
    Inventors: Jagadish B. Kotra, Karthik Rao, Joseph L. Greathouse
  • Patent number: 10725695
    Abstract: A memory system includes: a memory device including a plurality of banks; and a memory controller suitable for: controlling an operation of the memory device, calculating row hammer information for each of the banks for each program having a command set requested from a host, and scheduling the banks based on the row hammer information for each of the banks corresponding to a specific program when the specific program is requested from the host.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Woong-Rae Kim
  • Patent number: 10713156
    Abstract: Methods of mapping memory regions to processes based on thermal data of memory regions are described. In some embodiments, a memory controller may receive a memory allocation request. The memory allocation request may include a logical memory address. The method may further include mapping the logical memory address to an address in a memory region of the memory system based on thermal data for memory regions of the memory system. Additional methods and systems are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Walker, David A. Roberts
  • Patent number: 10706909
    Abstract: A system for refresh operations including multiple refresh activations, and a method and an apparatus therefore, are described. The system includes, for example, a memory array; a command address input circuit configured to provide a command for a per bank refresh operation or an all-bank refresh operation, a command control circuit configured to receive the command, and provide first and second internal control signals; a refresh control circuit configured to provide a first refresh control signal; and a row control circuit configured to provide a second refresh control signal. The provided first internal control signal is based on the provided command. For the per bank refresh operation, the provided second internal control signal is based on the second refresh control signal, and, for the all-bank refresh operation, the provided second internal control signal is based on the first internal control signal delayed by the command control circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Shinji Bessho, Toru Ishikawa, Takuya Nakanishi
  • Patent number: 10656856
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a data access apparatus includes a memory device including a plurality of addresses, an address mapping unit configured to map the addresses of the memory device with respective predetermined addresses such that they correspond to each other, a data division unit, a data mapping unit configured to map respective predetermined specific addresses in regions divided by the data division unit, and a control unit configured to control the data such that the data is stored in the addresses of the memory device mapped with the respective specific addresses in the regions divided by the data division unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: LSIS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tae-Bum Park
  • Patent number: 10650902
    Abstract: A method for processing blocks of flash memory to decrease raw bit errors from the flash memory is provided. The method includes identifying one or more blocks of the flash memory for a refresh operation and writing information regarding the identified blocks, to a data structure. The method includes issuing background reads to the identified blocks, according to the data structure, as the refresh operation. The method may be embodied on a computer readable medium. In some embodiments the background reads may be based on a time based refresh responsive to an increase in raw bit error count in the flash memory over time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Pure Storage, Inc.
    Inventors: Hari Kannan, Robert Lee, Yuhong Mao
  • Patent number: 10649690
    Abstract: In an example, there is disclosed a memory controller, including: a data buffer to drive a determinate value to a data bus to communicatively couple to a memory; and a register clock driver to: receive a memory initialization command from a processor; and incrementally step through a plurality of initialization addresses, sequentially driving each initialization address to an address bus to communicatively couple to the memory. There is also disclosed a computing device comprising the memory controller, and a method of initializing memory comprising incrementally stepping through a plurality of initialization addresses and sequentially writing a determinate value to each address.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Mohan J. Kumar, George Vergis, Sarathy Jayakumar
  • Patent number: 10607683
    Abstract: A semiconductor memory device and a memory system having the same are provided. The semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array including plural memory cell array blocks, and a refresh controller configured to control the memory cell array blocks to perform a normal refresh operation and a hammer refresh operation. The refresh controller controls one or more third memory cell array blocks excluding a first memory cell array block and one or more second memory cell array blocks adjacent to the first memory cell array block to perform the hammer refresh operation while the normal refresh operation is performed on the first memory cell array block among the memory cell array blocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hoon Shin, Do Yeon Kim, Ho Young Song
  • Patent number: 10572377
    Abstract: A method of operating a memory device may include receiving, during each phase of a row hammer refresh (RHR) interval, at least one row hammer address (RHA) of a content addressable memory (CAM). The method may further include storing, during each phase of the RHR interval, a received RHA of the at least one received RHA in an address register. Moreover, the method may include refreshing each stored RHA of the CAM via a RHR during the RHR interval. Semiconductor devices and an electronic system are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Yu Zhang, Jun Wu, Yuan He
  • Patent number: 10553300
    Abstract: A system for detecting an address decoding error of a semiconductor device, includes: decoding an original address, with an address decoder of the semiconductor device, to form a corresponding decoded address; recoding the decoded address, with an encoder of the semiconductor device, to form a recoded address; making a comparison, with a comparator of the semiconductor device, of the recoded address and the original address; and detecting an address decoding error based on the comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Hidehiro Fujiwara, Ching-Wei Wu, Chun-Hao Chang
  • Patent number: 10545692
    Abstract: Apparatuses, systems, methods, and computer program products are disclosed for memory maintenance operations. A non-volatile memory device comprises a non-volatile memory medium. A non-volatile memory device is configured to receive a refresh command from a controller over a bus. A non-volatile memory device is configured to perform one or more maintenance operations on a non-volatile memory medium during a predefined period of time after receiving a refresh command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Nathan Franklin, Ward Parkinson
  • Patent number: 10535393
    Abstract: An electronic device including a memory functional block having multiple ranks of memory and a memory controller functional block coupled to the memory. The memory controller includes refresh logic that detects, based on buffered memory accesses for each rank of memory of the ranks of memory, two or more ranks of memory for which a refresh is to be performed during a refresh interval. Based at least in part on one or more properties of buffered memory accesses for the two or more ranks of memory, the refresh logic determines a refresh order for performing refreshes for the two or more ranks of memory during the refresh interval. The memory controller then performs, in the refresh order, refreshes for the two or more ranks of memory during the refresh interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES, INC.
    Inventor: Kedarnath Balakrishnan
  • Patent number: 10497447
    Abstract: A memory device includes: memory cells of first and second planes; and a control circuit suitable for performing multiple read operations on the memory cells in response to a read command. The multiple read operations may include a first read operation which is performed on the memory cells of the first plane in a first read period and a second read operation which is performed on the memory cells of the second plane in a second read period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Kye-Wan Shin
  • Patent number: 10431323
    Abstract: A memory system includes a calibration engine, a memory, and a memory controller coupled to the memory by a channel used to transmit a plurality of commands from the memory controller to the memory. The memory controller estimates a total energy consumed based on the first plurality of commands in a first sampling period and determines a first temperature change of the memory based on the first total energy consumed. The memory controller transmits an impedance calibration command to the calibration engine if the first temperature change of the memory exceeds a first threshold. The calibration engine changes an impedance of an I/O terminal of the memory based on the calibration command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: Toshiba Memory Corporation
    Inventor: Jason Griffin
  • Patent number: 10423548
    Abstract: A memory controller accessing a memory including a plurality of blocks is provided. The memory controller includes a storage circuit and a control circuit. The storage circuit stores a refresh value and a data table. The data table has a plurality of bits. Each bit indicates whether a corresponding block has valid data. The control circuit selects a specific block according to the refresh value and determines whether the specific block stores valid data according to the data table. When the specific block stores valid data, the control circuit accesses the memory after a first waiting time. When the specific block does not store any data or stores invalid data, the control circuit accesses the memory after a second waiting time. The second waiting time is shorter than the first waiting time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Chih-Yen Lo, Jenn-Shiang Lai
  • Patent number: 10394719
    Abstract: A method for replacing data on a volatile memory cache is provided. The volatile memory cache includes one or more memory banks and each of the memory banks includes a plurality of memory lines. The method includes: identifying a replacement ID for at least one of the memory lines to be replaced; identifying a refresh bank ID for one of the memory banks to be refreshed; determining whether or not a conflict exists between the replacement ID and the refresh bank ID; and selecting a new replacement ID if the conflict exists.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mu-Tien Chang, Dimin Niu, Hongzhong Zheng
  • Patent number: 10321209
    Abstract: An improved data packet design that can be used in a variety of data communication standards used in smart meter systems is disclosed. In an embodiment a smart meter system that comprises of a local server, a coordinator and a plurality of smart meters in the many-to-one data communication system configuration. The smart meter uses a variety of types of radio frequency data packets. The data packets contain the commands, parameters, and data for system control and data transmission. The data packet designs are disclosed for a route discovery command, a get parameter command, a set parameter command, a get data command, a reset command, a relay command, a start command, and a calibration command that are used in the smart meter system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: International Technological University
    Inventor: Karl L. Wang
  • Patent number: 10304515
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes apparatuses and methods related to refresh circuitry. An example apparatus can include a memory array including a main portion and a redundant portion. The apparatus can include refresh circuitry configured to, responsive to a determination of a hammering event, refresh at least a portion of the redundant portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard N. Hedden
  • Patent number: 10296650
    Abstract: A method of indexing documents to support frequent field updates without reindexing may include receiving, from an indexing application, first fields from a document to be indexed. The method may also include receiving, from the indexing application, second fields from the document to be indexed. The method may additionally include writing the first fields to an index file associated with the indexing application. The method may further include writing the second fields to a datastore that is external to the indexing application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: ORACLE INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Aditya Mani Tripathi, Hasari Tosun, Anthony Arnone, Shane Strasser, Karthikeyan Nagarajan
  • Patent number: 10268585
    Abstract: An apparatus having a memory controller is described. The memory controller includes prefetch circuitry to prefetch, from a memory, data having a same row address in response to the memory controller's servicing of its request stream being stalled because of a timing constraint that prevents a change in row address. The memory controller also includes a cache to cache the prefetched data. The memory controller also includes circuitry to compare addresses of read requests in the memory controller's request stream against respective addresses of the prefetched data in the cache and to service those of the requests in the memory controller's request stream having a matching address with corresponding ones of the prefetched data in the cache.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Ashish Ranjan, Vivek Kozhikkottu
  • Patent number: 10269445
    Abstract: A memory device includes a memory array, an error correction code (ECC) circuit, and a control circuit. The memory array includes plural memory rows and stores a plurality of data. The control circuit is configured to enter the memory device into a power saving mode with a first refresh rate to refresh the memory array, to control the ECC circuit to generate a first ECC according to first data during refreshing the memory array by the first refresh rate, to reduce the first refresh rate to a second refresh rate, to control the ECC circuit to determine whether an error exists in the first data during refreshing the memory array by the second refresh rate. If the error exists in the first data, the control circuit is further configured to control the ECC circuit to correct the first data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: NANYA TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chung-Hsun Lee, Hsien-Wen Liu
  • Patent number: 10248343
    Abstract: Techniques to utilize a very low power state with a memory subsystem that includes one or more non-volatile memory devices and a volatile memory system. A memory controller is coupled with the one or more non-volatile memory devices and the volatile memory system. The memory controller comprising at least an embedded control agent and memory locations to store state information. The memory controller to selectively enable and disable the one or more non-volatile memory devices. The memory controller transfers the state information to the volatile memory system prior to entering a low power state. Control circuitry is coupled with the memory controller. The control circuitry to selectively enable and disable operation of the memory controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Jason B. Akers, Knut S. Grimsrud, Robert J. Royer, Jr., Richard P. Mangold, Sanjeev N. Trika
  • Patent number: 10225168
    Abstract: An exemplary interface apparatus includes: a header generator which receives, in a first order, a plurality of request headers extracted from a plurality of request packets, generates response headers associated with the request headers, and then stores the response headers so that the response headers are read in the first order; and a header order controller which controls the header generator so that if the plurality of request data have been transmitted to the memory in a second order, the respective response headers are read in the second order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co. Ltd
    Inventors: Tomoki Ishii, Takao Yamaguchi, Atsushi Yoshida, Satoru Tokutsu, Yuuki Soga
  • Patent number: 10210925
    Abstract: A memory controller issues a targeted refresh command. A specific row of a memory device can be the target of repeated accesses. When the row is accessed repeatedly within a time threshold (also referred to as “hammered” or a “row hammer event”), physically adjacent row (a “victim” row) may experience data corruption. The memory controller receives an indication of a row hammer event, identifies the row associated with the row hammer event, and sends one or more commands to the memory device to cause the memory device to perform a targeted refresh that will refresh the victim row.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Kuljit S. Bains, John B. Halbert, Christopher P. Mozak, Theodore Z. Schoenborn, Zvika Greenfield
  • Patent number: 10198494
    Abstract: There is provided a method of using a central computer system, which has a central relational database, systematically to refresh a distributed database that is distributed over a plurality of distributed computer systems and that includes distributed database fields that are for storing contingent values that are contingent on sporadic interactions between terminal computer systems and the distributed computer systems and that are affiliated with central database fields in the central relational database. The method includes recurrently, at receiving times, receiving contingent values of the distributed database fields from the distributed computer systems. The received contingent values are stored, in the central relational database, in succession with previously received and stored contingent values of the distributed database fields, so that, for each distributed computer system an associated series of successive contingent values is built.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: Allotz.com Limited
    Inventors: Martin McConnachie, Helen Johnson, Geoffrey Toogood, Daniel Paul Ruul
  • Patent number: 10198221
    Abstract: A method of scrubbing errors from a semiconductor memory device including a memory cell array and an error correction circuit, can be provided by accessing a page of the memory cell array to provide a data that includes sub units that are separately writable to the page of memory and to provide parity data configured to detect and correct a bit error in the data and selectively enabling write-back of a selected sub unit of the data responsive to determining that the selected sub unit of data includes a correctable error upon access as part of an error scrubbing operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sang-Uhn Cha, Hoi-Ju Chung, Uk-Song Kang
  • Patent number: 10199079
    Abstract: A semiconductor memory device may include a memory cell array area, a peripheral area, and an interface area. The memory cell array area may include at least one memory plane. The peripheral area may be formed adjacent to one side of the memory cell array area. The interface area may be formed adjacent to one side of the peripheral area and include a plurality of data input/output pads. The peripheral area may include a data path logic area formed between the memory cell array area and the interface area. The interface area may include at least one SerDes (serializer/deserializer) area configured to transmit, to the memory cell array area, data inputted through the data input/output pads, or output, through the data input/output pads, data received from the memory cell array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Myung Jin Kim
  • Patent number: 10141034
    Abstract: Providing for an electronic memory apparatus having high-density, non-volatile memory arrays in conjunction with a high-speed communication interface is disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the electronic memory apparatus can include multiple banks of two-terminal memory, communicatively connected to a modified dynamic random access memory bus and configured to operate according to a modified communication protocol. In one or more embodiments, the high-speed communication interface can comprise more than ten command and address pins to identify individual memory banks (or subsets of memory banks) of the multiple banks of memory, to facilitate bank-specific addressing for memory array operations. In some embodiments, the electronic memory can facilitate status information for subsets of memory banks to facilitate informed array operations, increasing duty cycle of the memory device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: CROSSBAR, INC.
    Inventor: Cliff Zitlaw
  • Patent number: 10133645
    Abstract: Data is programmed in a respective block of non-volatile three dimensional memory. The block contains a plurality of rows of subblocks, each row having S subblocks. Programming data in the respective block includes successively programming data in individual rows of the respective block. Programming data in each row is completed prior to programming data in a next row. Programming data in a row includes successively programming data in individual subblocks of the row, in a predefined order. The programming of data in each subblock is completed prior to programming data in a next subblock. While programming data in each individual subblock, a number of XOR signatures, sufficient in number to enable recovery from a short circuit that disables two or three word lines, are generated in volatile memory, and then copied to non-volatile memory prior to programming data in a next subblock in the respective block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Ofer Shapira, Idan Alrod, Eran Sharon
  • Patent number: 10114829
    Abstract: A technique for storing data in a data storage system includes receiving, from a host, a request specifying a set of data to be written to a first file system, the first file system realized as a file within a second file system. A first log entry is created for the set of data in a first data log, which logs data to be written to the first file system, and a second log entry is created for the set of data in a second data log, which logs data to be written to the second file system. The first log entry provides a reference to the second log entry. The technique further includes storing the data in the cache page and acknowledging the host.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: EMC IP Holding Company LLC
    Inventors: Jean-Pierre Bono, Philippe Armangau
  • Patent number: 10108365
    Abstract: A memory area is protected from rowhammer attacks by placing an extra sacrificial row at the top and the bottom of the memory addresses defining the area to be protected. The sacrificial rows of memory are written with a known bit pattern that may be read periodically to detect any rowhammer attacks that may be in progress.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Clive D. Bittlestone
  • Patent number: 10083737
    Abstract: Detection logic of a memory subsystem obtains a threshold for a memory device that indicates a number of accesses within a time window that causes risk of data corruption on a physically adjacent row. The detection logic obtains the threshold from a register that stores configuration information for the memory device, and can be a register on the memory device itself and/or can be an entry of a configuration storage device of a memory module to which the memory device belongs. The detection logic determines whether a number of accesses to a row of the memory device exceeds the threshold. In response to detecting the number of accesses exceeds the threshold, the detection logic can generate a trigger to cause the memory device to perform a refresh targeted to a physically adjacent victim row.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Kuljit S. Bains, John B. Halbert
  • Patent number: 10079051
    Abstract: There is provided an information processing apparatus including a region detection unit configured to detect a region that satisfies a predetermined condition among a plurality of regions included in a data storage apparatus, and a refresh processing unit configured to skip refresh with respect to the region that satisfies the predetermined condition when performing refresh processing on the plurality of regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Fudono, Shusuke Saeki, Atsushi Ochiai, Kazumi Sato
  • Patent number: 10049716
    Abstract: An apparatus and system associated with memory are disclosed herein. In various embodiments, an apparatus may include first circuitry to determine a number of queued pending refresh requests for a memory bank based on a comparison of a count from a refresh-request counter to a count from a refresh-address counter; and second circuitry to set a refresh flag in response to a determination that the number of queued pending refresh requests exceeds a predetermined number. Other embodiments may be disclosed and/or claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: INTELLECTUAL VENTURES I LLC
    Inventor: Robert J. Proebsting
  • Patent number: 10014046
    Abstract: Device, system, and method of memory allocation. For example, an apparatus includes: a Dual In-line Memory Module (DIMM) including a plurality of Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) units to store data, wherein each DRAM unit includes a plurality of banks and each bank is divided into a plurality of sub-banks; and a memory management unit to allocate a set of interleaved sub-banks of said DIMM to a memory page of an Operating System, wherein a combined memory size of the set of interleaved sub-banks is equal to a size of the memory page of the Operating System.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Jim Kardach, Nikos Kaburlasos
  • Patent number: 9990163
    Abstract: A method of scrubbing errors from a semiconductor memory device including a memory cell array and an error correction circuit, can be provided by accessing a page of the memory cell array to provide a data that includes sub units that are separately writable to the page of memory and to provide parity data configured to detect and correct a bit error in the data and selectively enabling write-back of a selected sub unit of the data responsive to determining that the selected sub unit of data includes a correctable error upon access as part of an error scrubbing operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sang-Uhn Cha, Hoi-Ju Chung, Uk-Song Kang
  • Patent number: 9989948
    Abstract: Methods and systems for transfer-switch controller backup and transfer-switch controller operation are provided. An example backup apparatus includes a memory configured to store transfer-switch data related to a first transfer-switch controller, wherein the first transfer switch-controller is a controller for a given transfer switch. The apparatus is capable of interfacing with a communication interface of the first transfer-switch controller. The apparatus is further capable of being removed from the communication interface of the first transfer-switch controller and thereafter interfacing with a communication interface of a second transfer-switch controller, wherein the second transfer-switch controller is a replacement controller for the given transfer switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: ASCO Power Technologies, L.P.
    Inventors: Mario Ibrahim, Robert Siciliano, John Hayes
  • Patent number: 9972377
    Abstract: A refresh controller of a memory device may include a timing controller, a refresh counter and an address generator. The timing controller generates a counter refresh signal in response to receiving a refresh command provided from an external device, and generates a hammer refresh signal that is activated periodically. The refresh counter generates a counter refresh address signal in response to the counter refresh signal, such that the counter refresh address signal represents a row address, the refresh counter being configured sequentially change the counter refresh address signal. The address generator generates a hammer refresh address signal in response to the hammer refresh signal, the hammer refresh address signal representing an address of a row of the memory device that is physically adjacent to a row of the memory device corresponding to a hammer address that is accessed intensively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jong-Min Oh, Ho-Young Song
  • Patent number: 9953696
    Abstract: A semiconductor memory device may include: a memory cell region including a plurality of memory cells coupled between a plurality of word lines and a plurality of bit lines; and a refresh control block suitable for performing a first refresh operation onto the plurality of the word lines in response to a refresh signal, counting the number of active signals that are inputted between at least two neighboring refresh signals and when the counted number of the active signals is equal to or greater than a reference number, performing a second refresh operation onto a word line corresponding to a target address.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Jung-Hyun Kim