IP Library Granted Patent US 10,176,860
Granted Patent B1
US 10,176,860 · App. 15/688,945 · Granted Jan 8, 2019

Refresh in non-volatile memory

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,176,860
App. No.
15/688,945
Granted
Jan 8, 2019
Kind
B1
Abstract

The present disclosure includes apparatuses and methods related to refresh in memory. An example apparatus can refresh a memory cell of an array of memory cells in response to the array of memory cells being accessed a threshold number of accesses.

Claims (56)

1. An apparatus, comprising:

an array of memory cells;

a counter configured to:

determine an access count of the array of memory cells; and

a controller configured to:

refresh a memory cell of the array of memory cells in response to the access count of the array of memory cells being a threshold number.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine a refresh rate based on the threshold number.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine refresh rate based on a threshold miss rate.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the refresh rate based on a static workload.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the refresh rate periodically based on a dynamic workload.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to identify a type of workload based on locations of accesses and an access rate.

7. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the refresh rate periodically based on dynamic data.

8. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the refresh rate periodically based on a type of workload.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

an array of memory cells;

a counter configured to:

determine an access count of the array of memory cells; and

a controller configured to:

determine a refresh rate of the array of memory cells; and

refresh a memory cell of the array of memory cells in response to the access count of the array of memory cells being a threshold number, wherein the threshold number is based on the refresh rate.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to refresh the memory cell of the array of memory cells that was last accessed.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to refresh a randomly selected memory cell of the array of memory cells.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to refresh a memory cell with an access count that is above the threshold number.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the counter is included in a self-monitoring, analysis and reporting technology (SMART) system used to control host and background accesses.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

an array of memory cells;

a counter configured to:

determine an access count of the array of memory cells; and

a controller configured to:

determine a refresh rate of the array of memory cells; and

refresh a memory cell of the array of memory cells that was last accessed in response to the access count of the array of memory cells being a threshold number, wherein the threshold number is based on the refresh rate and the refresh rate is based on a miss rate of the array of memory cells.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the refresh rate based on a threshold miss rate.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the miss rate based on a number of memory cells that fail to refresh within the threshold number.

17. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to reduce the miss rate by increasing the refresh rate.

18. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the refresh rate to reduce write amplification.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the refresh rate that increases the threshold number based on a threshold miss rate.

20. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the refresh rate that makes the threshold number 500 accesses or more based on a threshold miss rate.

21. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to refresh the memory cell of the array of memory cells that was last accessed to protect the array of memory cells from attacks that continuously access a memory cell or a number of memory cells.

22. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to refresh the memory cell of the array of memory cells that was last accessed to protect the array of memory cells from heavy access loads that continuously access a memory cell or a number of memory cells.

23. A method, comprising:

accessing a memory cell of an array of memory cells; and

refreshing the memory cell of the array of memory cells in response to an access count of the array of memory cells being a threshold number.

24. The method of claim 23 , further comprising determining a refresh rate based on the threshold number.

25. The method of claim 23 , further comprising determining a refresh rate based on a threshold miss rate.

26. The method of claim 25 , further comprising determining the refresh rate based on a static workload by access locations and rate of accesses.

27. The method of claim 25 , further comprising determining the refresh rate based on a dynamic workload by access locations and access rate.

28. A method, comprising:

determining a refresh rate of an array of memory cells;

accessing a memory cell of the array of memory cells; and

refreshing the memory cell of the array of memory cells in response to an access count of the array of memory cells being a threshold number, wherein the threshold number is based on the refresh rate and the refresh rate is based on a miss rate of the array of memory cells.

29. The method of claim 28 , wherein the threshold number includes background accesses and host accesses.

30. The method of claim 28 , further comprising determining the refresh rate based on a number of memory cells that fail to refresh within the threshold number.

31. The method of claim 28 , further comprising increasing the threshold number to decrease the miss rate.

32. The method of claim 28 , further comprising determining the refresh rate to decrease write amplification.

33. The method of claim 28 , further comprising refreshing the memory cell of the array to protect the array of memory cells from attacks that continuously access a memory cell or a number of memory cells.

34. The method of claim 28 , further comprising refreshing the memory cell of the array of memory cells to protect the array of memory cells from heavy access loads that continuously access a memory cell or a number of memory cells.

Assignments (7)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 12, 2019
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.; MICRON SEMICONDUCTOR PRODUCTS, INC.
Reel/Frame 051028/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Oct 10, 2019
From: MORGAN STANLEY SENIOR FUNDING, INC., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 050709/0838 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jul 20, 2018
From: U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS AGENT
To: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 046597/0333 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jul 13, 2018
From: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.; MICRON SEMICONDUCTOR PRODUCTS, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 047540/0001 →
SUPPLEMENT NO. 6 TO PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Nov 1, 2017
From: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
To: MORGAN STANLEY SENIOR FUNDING, INC., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 044653/0333 →
SUPPLEMENT NO. 6 TO PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Nov 1, 2017
From: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
To: U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 044348/0253 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 29, 2017
From: MYLAVARAPU, SAI KRISHNA
To: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 043430/0852 →
Cited By (4)
US 12,300,296 US 12,406,717 US 12,592,271 US 12,597,459