IP Library Granted Patent US 11,321,008
Granted Patent B2
US 11,321,008 · App. 16/674,955 · Granted May 3, 2022

Temperature-based memory management

Inventors: Peter Mayer (Neubiberg, DE); Thomas Hein (Munich, DE); Wolfgang Anton Spirkl (Germering, DE); Martin Brox (Munich, DE); Michael Dieter Richter (Ottobrunn, DE)
Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
G06F3/0653G06F3/0604G06F3/0673G11C7/04G11C11/4074
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,321,008
App. No.
16/674,955
Granted
May 3, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for temperature-based memory management are described. A system may include a memory device and a host device. The host device may identify a temperature (e.g., of the memory device). The host device may determine a value for a parameter for operating the memory device—such as a timing, voltage, or frequency parameter—based on the temperature of the memory device. The host device may transmit signaling to the memory device or another component of the system based on the value of the parameter. In some cases, the host device may determine the temperature of the memory device based on an indication (e.g., provided by the memory device). In some cases, the host device may determine the temperature of the memory device based on a temperature of the host device or a temperature of another component of the system.

Claims (55)

1. A method, comprising:

identifying, at a host device coupled with a memory device with memory cells comprising capacitors, a temperature of the memory device based at least in part on sensing a temperature of the host device;

determining, at the host device, a value of a parameter for operating the memory device based at least in part on the temperature of the memory device falling below a threshold; and

transmitting signaling from the host device to the memory device based at least in part on the value of the parameter.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining, at the host device, a change in temperature of the host device based at least in part on sensing the temperature of the host device;

transmitting, to the memory device based at least in part on determining the change in temperature of the host device, a request for an indication of the temperature of the memory device; and

receiving, from the memory device based at least in part on transmitting the request, the indication of the temperature of the memory device, wherein identifying the temperature of the memory device is based at least in part on the indication.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

identifying an offset between the temperature of the host device and the temperature of the memory device, wherein the host device identifying the temperature of the memory device is based at least in part on the offset.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

transmitting a command to the memory device at a time that is based at least in part on the value of the parameter, wherein the signaling comprises the command.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the parameter comprises a refresh rate and the command comprises a refresh command.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the parameter comprises a write recovery time (tWR) and the command comprises a precharge command.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

transmitting a first command and a second command to the memory device, wherein a quantity of time between the first command the second command is based at least in part on the value of the parameter, and wherein the signaling comprises the first command and the second command.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the parameter comprises a voltage or a frequency for operating the memory device and the signaling comprises an indication of the voltage or the frequency.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining that the temperature of the memory device is within a range of temperatures; and

determining a set of values for a corresponding set of parameters for operating the memory device based at least in part on the range of temperatures, wherein the set of values comprises the value of the parameter.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

identifying a second temperature of the memory device;

determining a second value of the parameter for operating the memory device based at least in part on comparing the second temperature of the memory device to a second threshold; and

transmitting signaling to the memory device based at least in part on the second value of the parameter.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

identifying the second threshold based at least in part on whether the second temperature of the memory device is above or below the temperature.

12. A method, comprising:

storing a plurality of sets of values of parameters for operating a memory device with memory cells comprising capacitors, wherein each set of values of the plurality of sets of values is associated with a respective range of temperatures;

transmitting, to the memory device, a request for an indication of a temperature of the memory device;

receiving, based at least in part on transmitting the request, the indication of the temperature of the memory device;

selecting a set of values of the parameters from the plurality of sets of values for which the respective range of temperatures corresponds to the indicated temperature of the memory device; and

transmitting signaling to the memory device based at least in part on the selected set of values of the parameters.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

storing the plurality of sets of values for the parameters in a basic input/output system (BIOS).

14. A method, comprising:

receiving an indication of a temperature of a memory device with memory cells comprising capacitors;

determining values of parameters for operating the memory device based at least in part on a range of temperatures that includes the temperature of the memory device, wherein the range of temperatures has an upper limit and a lower limit, and at least one of the upper limit or the lower limit has a first value for a first direction of temperature change for the memory device and a second value for a second direction of temperature change for the memory device; and

transmitting signaling to the memory device based at least in part on the determined values of the parameters.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

storing a plurality of sets of values of the parameters, wherein each set of values in the plurality is associated with a respective range of temperatures; and

selecting a set of values from the plurality for which the respective range of temperatures corresponds to the temperature of the memory device, wherein the determined values for the parameters comprise the selected set of values.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

storing the plurality of sets of values for the parameters in a basic input/output system (BIOS).

17. A method, comprising:

receiving, from a host device at a memory device with memory cells comprising capacitors, a request for an indication of a temperature of the memory device;

transmitting, from the memory device to the host device, the indication of the temperature of the memory device based at least in part on receiving the request; and

receiving, at the memory device, a command from the host device at a time based at least in part on the indicated temperature of the memory device.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:

receiving, at the memory device, a first command and a second command from the host device, wherein an elapsed time between the first command the second command is based at least in part on the indicated temperature of the memory device.

19. A method, comprising:

receiving, from a host device at a memory device with memory cells comprising capacitors, a request for an indication of a temperature of the memory device;

transmitting, from the memory device to the host device, the indication of the temperature of the memory device based at least in part on receiving the request;

receiving, at the memory device, signaling from the host device based at least in part on transmitting the indication of the temperature of the memory device, wherein the signaling comprises an indication of a value of a parameter for operating the memory device, and wherein the value of the parameter is based at least in part on the indicated temperature of the memory device; and

storing the value of the parameter at the memory device.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the parameter comprises a timing parameter, a frequency parameter, or a voltage parameter for the memory device.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 6, 2019
From: MAYER, PETER; HEIN, THOMAS; SPIRKL, WOLFGANG ANTON; BROX, MARTIN; RICHTER, MICHAEL DIETER
To: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC
Reel/Frame 050939/0188 →