Apparatuses and methods for performing compare operations using sensing circuitry
View Patent ↗The present disclosure includes apparatuses and methods related to performing compare and/or report operations using sensing circuitry. An example method can include charging an input/output (IO) line of a memory array to a voltage. The method can include determining whether data stored in the memory array matches a compare value. The determination of whether data stored matches a compare value can include activating a number of access lines of the memory array. The determination can include sensing a number of memory cells coupled to the number of access lines. The determination can include sensing whether the voltage of the IO line changes in response to activation of selected decode lines corresponding to the number of memory cells.
1. A method of operating a system, comprising:
receiving at a memory device, and from a host, a request to perform a compare function;
in response to receiving the request, determining whether a voltage of an input/output (IO) line of a memory array changes in response to simultaneous activation of a number of selected decode lines and a number of access lines corresponding to at least two memory cells of the memory array.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising precharging the IO line of the memory array to a precharge voltage.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising charging the IO line to a supply voltage.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the supply voltage corresponds to a data value of 1.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising charging the IO line to a ground voltage.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the ground voltage corresponds to a data value of 0.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein activating selected decode lines comprises activating a subset of the decode lines of the array.
8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising determining the subset of decode lines based on a set of criteria of the subset.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the host comprises at least a number of processors and wherein receiving from the host the request to perform the compare function further comprises receiving from a processor, from the number of processors, the request to perform the compare function.
10. A system comprising:
an array of memory cells;
control circuitry coupled to the array and configured to cause:
precharging of an input/output (IO) line of the array to a precharge voltage; and
a determination whether the precharge voltage of the IO line changes in response to simultaneous activation of a number of decode lines and a number of access lines corresponding to at least two memory cells of the array.
11. The system of claim 10 , further comprising the controller configured to activate the number of decodes lines and the number of access lines.
12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the control circuitry comprises an external host.
13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the precharge voltage corresponds to a particular data value and a determined change in the precharge voltage of the IO line indicates that a selected memory cell corresponding to an activated decode line stores a data value other than the particular data value.
14. The system of claim 10 , further comprising a secondary sense amp configured to detect whether the precharge voltage of the IO line changes.
15. The system of claim 10 , wherein a determined change in the precharge voltage of the IO line indicates data in a memory cell matches a compare value.
16. The system of claim 10 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to report a determined change in the precharge voltage of the IO line to a host.
17. The system of claim 10 , further comprising sensing circuitry configured to provide an indication that a determined change in the precharge voltage of the IO line was detected.
18. A system comprising:
a memory device configured to cause:
a charging of an input/output (IO) line of an array to a voltage; and
sensing circuitry coupled to the array to sense whether the voltage of the IO line changes in response to activation of selected decode lines of the array to determine whether data stored in at least one of at least two memory cells of the array matches a compare value,
wherein:
the selected decode lines are simultaneously activated in association with sensing the at least two memory cells of the array; and
the sensing circuitry comprises:
a number of primary sense amplifiers coupled to respective pairs of complementary sense lines; and
a number of accumulators coupled to the number of primary sense amplifiers.
19. The system of claim 18 , wherein each of the number of accumulators comprises:
a first pass transistor having a first source/drain region coupled to a first sense line of a pair of complementary sense lines;
a second pass transistor having a first source/drain region coupled to a second sense line of the pair of complementary sense lines; and
a first pair of cross coupled transistors and a second pair of cross coupled transistors.
20. The system of claim 18 , further comprising a host coupled to the memory device, wherein the memory device is configured to cause at least the charging of the IO line responsive to a request from the host.