IP Library Granted Patent US 11,138,064
Granted Patent B2
US 11,138,064 · App. 16/711,354 · Granted Oct 5, 2021

Dynamic control of error management and signaling

Inventors: Michael Dieter Richter (Ottobrunn, DE); Thomas Hein (Munich, DE); Wolfgang Anton Spirkl (Germering, DE); Martin Brox (Munich, DE); Peter Mayer (Neubiberg, DE)
Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
G06F11/1004G01K1/024G06F11/1068
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,138,064
App. No.
16/711,354
Granted
Oct 5, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for error detection, error correction, and error management by memory devices are described. Error thresholds for a memory device are configurable based on parameters such as a type of data or a location of stored data. When retrieving the data, the memory device tracks or counts errors in the data and determines whether the error threshold has been satisfied. The memory device transmits (e.g., to a host device) an indication of whether the error threshold has been satisfied, and the system is configured to perform functions to correct the errors and/or prevent further errors. The memory device is also configured to identify errors in received commands or to identify errors introduced in data after the data was received (e.g., using an error detecting code associated with a command or bus).

Claims (76)

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, from a host device, an indication of a first threshold quantity of errors for first data at a memory device, wherein the first threshold quantity of errors is based on a first application associated with the first data, and wherein the first threshold quantity of errors is different than a second threshold quantity of errors that is based on a second application associated with second data at the memory device;

determining a set of errors in the first data retrieved from the memory device;

determining that the set of errors satisfies the first threshold quantity of errors based at least in part on the first threshold quantity of errors; and

transmitting, to the host device, an indication that the first threshold quantity of errors has been satisfied based at least in part on determining that the set of errors satisfies the first threshold quantity of errors.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, from the host device, a command to transmit the indication that the first threshold quantity of errors has been satisfied, wherein the indication is transmitted in response to the command.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

detecting the set of errors for a bank of the memory device, wherein determining that the set of errors satisfy the first threshold quantity of errors is based at least in part on detecting the set of errors for the bank; and

transmitting an indication of the set of errors to the host device.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

incrementing a counter for each error of the set of errors in the first data based at least in part on determining the set of errors; and

operating, based at least in part on incrementing the counter for each error of the set of errors, the memory device in a first mode that refrains from executing access commands.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:

receiving, from the host device, a command to reset the counter based at least in part on the set of errors being recoverable; and

operating, based at least in part on the set of errors being recoverable, the memory device in a second mode in which access commands are executed.

6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:

disabling the memory device based at least in part on the set of errors being non-recoverable.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining the set of errors based at least in part on an error correcting code associated with the first data retrieved from the memory device;

correcting the set of errors in the first data using the error correcting code, wherein correcting the set of errors is based at least in part on receiving an access command or a command to refresh a portion of the memory device; and

transmitting, to the host device, the first data after correcting the set of errors in the first data using the error correcting code.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining, based at least in part on an error correcting code, that a first subset of the set of errors are correctable errors; and

refraining from transmitting an indication of the first subset of correctable errors based at least in part on the determination that the first subset of the set of errors are correctable errors.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

determining, based at least in part on the error correcting code, that a second subset of the set of errors are uncorrectable errors; and

transmitting, to the host device, an indication of the uncorrectable errors based at least in part on the determination that the second subset of the set of errors are uncorrectable errors.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

adjusting a refresh rate of the memory device based at least in part on detecting the set of errors.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

identifying a temperature of the memory device; and

transmitting, to the host device, an indication of the temperature of the memory device based at least in part on detecting the set of errors.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving a signal that indicates whether to perform the determination that the set of errors satisfy the first threshold quantity of errors, or transmit the indication that the first threshold quantity of errors has been satisfied, or a combination thereof, wherein the signal is based at least in part on the data stored at the memory device; and

determining, based at least in part on the signal, whether to perform the determination that the set of errors satisfy the first threshold quantity of errors, or transmit the indication that the first threshold quantity of errors has been satisfied, or a combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the indication further comprises a threshold type of errors, or a threshold of errors at a location of the memory device, or a threshold frequency of errors, or a combination thereof.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first threshold quantity of errors is based at least in part on a type of the data, or a location of the data at the memory device, or a combination thereof.

15. A method, comprising:

receiving, from a host device, an access command for accessing data at a memory device;

determining that the access command includes an error based at least in part on an error detection code associated with the access command or a bus of the memory device, the error detection code comprising one or more check bits;

transmitting an indication that the error was detected in the access command based at least in part on the access command and determining that the access command includes the error; and

performing one or more self-refresh operations based at least in part on transmitting the indication that the error was detected in the access command.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

receiving, from the host device, a second access command for accessing second data at the memory device;

determining that the second access command does not include an error based at least in part on an error detection code associated with the second access command or the bus of the memory device;

executing the second access command based at least in part on determining that the second access command does not include an error based at least in part on the error detection code, wherein transmitting the indication comprises:

transmitting, to the host device, an indication that the second access command is error free based at least in part on determining that the second access command does not include an error.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

refraining from executing the access command based at least in part on determining that the access command includes the error based at least in part on the error detection code, wherein transmitting the indication

that the error was detected in the access command is based at least in part on determining that the access command includes the error.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:

transitioning, by the memory device, to a state that refrains from executing the access command and one or more additional commands received after the access command;

receiving, from the host device, a command to exit the state based at least in part on the error being correctable; and

receiving, based at least in part on receiving the command to exit the state, a retransmission of the access command having the error corrected.

19. A method, comprising:

determining a first threshold quantity of errors for first data at a memory device, wherein the first threshold quantity of errors is based on a first application associated with the first data, and wherein the first threshold quantity of errors is different than a second threshold quantity of errors that is based on a second application associated with second data at the memory device;

transmitting, to the memory device, an indication of the first threshold quantity of errors based at least in part on an access operation associated with the first data; and

receiving, from the memory device, an indication that the first threshold quantity of errors has been satisfied based at least in part on retrieving the first data at the memory device.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:

determining the first threshold quantity of errors based at least in part on a type of the first data, or a location of the first data at the memory device, or a combination thereof.

21. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:

receiving, from the memory device, an indication of one or more errors associated with a first location of the memory device; and

writing additional data to a second location of the memory device based at least in part on the indication of the one or more errors, the second location being different than the first location.

22. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:

analyzing one or more errors in the data associated with the first threshold quantity of errors based at least in part on receiving the indication that the first threshold quantity of errors has been satisfied; and

transmitting, to the memory device, a command that comprises corrected first data based at least in part on analyzing the one or more errors.

23. A method, comprising:

generating an error detection code associated with an access command for accessing data at a memory device;

transmitting, to the memory device, the access command including the error detection code; and

receiving, from the memory device, an indication that an error was detected in the access command based at least in part on the error detection code, wherein the memory device is configured to perform one or more self-refresh operations based at least in part on the error in the access command being detected.

24. The method of claim 23 , further comprising:

identifying the error in the access command based at least in part on receiving the indication that the error was detected; and

retransmitting the access command with the identified error corrected.

25. The method of claim 23 , further comprising:

transmitting, to the memory device, an indication to exit from a state that refrains from executing commands, wherein the indication to exit from the state is based at least in part on a set of errors in the access command being correctable.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 1, 2021
From: RICHTER, MICHAEL DIETER; HEIN, THOMAS; SPIRKL, WOLFGANG ANTON; BROX, MARTIN; MAYER, PETER
To: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC
Reel/Frame 056732/0409 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62779024 · Dec 13, 2018
Related Publication 20200192749A1 · Jun 18, 2020
Cited By (2)
US 12,537,036 US 12,670,052