IP Library Granted Patent US 12681650
Granted Patent B2
US 12681650 · App. 18/958,719 · Granted Jul 14, 2026

Expander device channel locking for a memory device

Inventors: Gyan Prakash (Bangalore, IN); Leonid Minz (Beer Sheva, IL)
Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
G06F3/0625G06F3/0634G06F3/0679
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12681650
App. No.
18/958,719
Granted
Jul 14, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method includes receiving, by a memory device interface, a signal at a front side of a command enable channel from a host, locking, by the memory device interface, a back side of a command enable channel in response to the signal, receiving, by the memory device interface, the command at a data channel from the host, and unlocking, by the memory device interface, the back side of the command enable channel in response to receiving the command at the data channel.

Claims (39)

1 . A method, comprising:

receiving, by a memory device interface, a signal at a front side of a command enable channel from a host, wherein the signal indicates that a command is to be received;

locking, by the memory device interface, a back side of the command enable channel in response to the signal;

receiving, by the memory device interface, the command at a data channel from the host; and

unlocking, by the memory device interface, the back side of the command enable channel in response to receiving the command at the data channel.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising activating the data channel in response to receiving the signal at the front side of the command enable channel.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising deactivating the data channel when the command is a volume select command that includes an instruction to select a different memory device interface.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein locking the back side of the command enable channel prevents signals provided to the front side of the command enable channel from being provided to a memory resource coupled to the back side of the command enable channel.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising deactivating the data channel when the command is received by a different memory device interface.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the signal is a low to high transition signal received from the host.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising identifying a quantity of time between receiving the signal and receiving the command.

8 . An apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of memory dice; and

a memory device interface to transfer communication between a host couplable to the memory device interface and the plurality of memory dice, wherein the memory device interface comprises a controller configured to:

identify a low to high transition signal at a front side of a command enable channel;

lock a back side of the command enable channel in response to identifying the low to high transition signal;

start a command timer to determine when a threshold quantity of time from receiving the low to high transition signal has been met; and

unlock the back side of the command enable channel in response to receiving a command at a data channel within the threshold quantity of time.

9 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the controller is further configured to activate the data channel in response to locking the back side of the command enable channel.

10 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the controller is further configured to deactivate the data channel when the command is not received at the data channel within the threshold quantity of time.

11 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the command passes to a memory die of the plurality of memory dice.

12 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the memory die of the plurality of memory dice does not register the command when the back side of the command enable channel is locked.

13 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the back side of the command enable channel is locked for the threshold quantity of time.

14 . A system comprising:

a host; and

a plurality of memory device interfaces configured to couple the host to a plurality of memory devices of the system;

wherein a first memory device interface of the plurality of memory device interfaces comprises a processing device configured to:

identify a low to high transition signal at a front side of a command enable channel;

lock a back side of the command enable channel in response to identifying the low to high transition signal;

start a command timer to determine when a threshold quantity of time from receiving the low to high transition signal has been met;

unlock the back side of the command enable channel in response to receiving a volume select command that selects the first memory device interface at a data channel within the threshold quantity of time;

deactivate the data channel when the volume select command selects a second memory device interface; and

unlock the back side of the command enable channel when the threshold quantity of time is met.

15 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the host is coupled to the front side of the command enable channel of the first memory device interface and a front side of a command enable channel of the second memory device interface.

16 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the volume select command selects a portion of the plurality of memory devices.

17 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the processing device is further configured to activate the data channel in response to receiving the low to high transition signal.

18 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the processing device is further configured to receive a de-assert signal of the command enable channel from the host.

19 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of memory device interfaces are configured in a multi-drop configuration.

20 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the processing device is further configured to receive a plurality of commands at the data channel prior to receiving the volume select command at the data channel.