IP Library Granted Patent US 11,367,491
Granted Patent B1
US 11,367,491 · App. 17/213,997 · Granted Jun 21, 2022

Technique for adjusting read timing parameters for read error handling

Inventors: Liang Li (Shanghai, CN); Xuan Tian (Shanghai, CN); Vincent Yin (Shanghai, CN); Jiahui Yuan (Fremont, CA)
Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
G11C16/32G11C16/0483G11C16/26
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,367,491
App. No.
17/213,997
Granted
Jun 21, 2022
Kind
B1
Abstract

Apparatuses and techniques are described for recovering from errors in a read operation. When a read operation results in an uncorrectable read error, recovery read operations are performed for each read voltage of a page of data. Each recovery read operation uses a different timing. The different timings can involve a time period which is allocated for a voltage transition, such as a settling time of a word line or bit line voltage, or a time allocated for an under kick or over kick of a word line or bit line voltage. An error count is obtained for each different timing, and an optimum timing is determined based on the lowest error count. A retry read operation is performed in which an optimum timing is used for the voltage transition for each read voltage of the page.

Claims (66)

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a control circuit configured to connect to a set of memory cells, the circuit is configured to:

perform a baseline read operation of a page of data in the set of memory cells, the performing the baseline read operation comprises allocating a first baseline time period for a voltage transition when reading the set of memory cells relative to a first read voltage of the page;

in response to the determining that the baseline read operation results in an uncorrectable read error, perform a first plurality of recovery read operations of the page of data, each recovery read operation of the first plurality of recovery read operations allocates a respective different first time period for the voltage transition when reading the set of memory cells relative to the first read voltage;

determine an optimum first time period based on the first plurality of recovery read operations; and

perform a retry read operation of the page of data, the performing the retry read operation comprises allocating the optimum first time period for the voltage transition when reading the set of memory cells relative to the first read voltage.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

to perform the baseline read operation, the control circuit is configured to allocate a second baseline time period for a voltage transition when reading the set of memory cells relative to a second read voltage of the page; and

to perform each recovery read operation of the first plurality of recovery read operations, the control circuit is configured to allocate the second baseline time period for the voltage transition when reading the set of memory cells relative to the second read voltage.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein:

in response to the determining that the baseline read operation results in the uncorrectable read error, the control circuit is configured to perform a second plurality of recovery read operations of the page of data, each recovery read operation of the second plurality of recovery read operations allocates a respective different second time period for the voltage transition when reading the set of memory cells relative to the second read voltage;

the control circuit is configured to determine a second optimum time period based on the second plurality of recovery read operations; and

to perform the retry read operation, the control circuit is configured to allocate the second optimum time period for the voltage transition when reading the set of memory cells relative to the second read voltage.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein:

to perform each recovery read operation of the second plurality of recovery read operations, the control circuit is configured to allocate the optimum first time period for the voltage transition when reading the set of memory cells relative to the first read voltage.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

to determine the optimum first time period, the control circuit is configured to determine a read error count for each recovery read operation of the first plurality of recovery read operations, determine two recovery read operations of the first plurality of recovery read operations which have a lowest read error count, and interpolate between time periods of the two recovery read operations which have the lowest read error count.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

to determine the optimum first time period, the control circuit is configured to determine a read error count for each recovery read operation of the first plurality of recovery read operations, and determine a recovery read operations of the first plurality of recovery read operations which has a lowest read error count.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

a word line is connected to the set of memory cells; and

the voltage transition when reading the set of memory cells relative to the first read voltage comprises a voltage kick on the word line.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

a word line is connected to the set of memory cells; and

the voltage transition when reading the set of memory cells relative to the first read voltage comprises a voltage settling time on the word line.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

each memory cell in the set of memory cells is in a respective NAND string;

each NAND string is connected to a respective bit line; and

the voltage transition when reading the set of memory cells relative to the first read voltage comprises a voltage kick on the bit line.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

each memory cell in the set of memory cells is in a respective NAND string;

each NAND string is connected to a respective bit line; and

the voltage transition when reading the set of memory cells relative to the first read voltage comprises a voltage settling time on the bit line.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

the control circuit is configured to apply the first read voltage to the set of memory cells when reading the set of memory cells relative to the first read voltage during each recovery read operation of the first plurality of recovery read operations.

12. A method, comprising:

performing a baseline read operation of a page of data in a set of memory cells, the performing the baseline read operation comprises reading the set of memory cells relative to a first read voltage and a second read voltage;

based on a result of the baseline read operation, re-reading the page of data a first plurality of times and re-reading the page of data a second plurality of times, the re-reading the page of data the first plurality of times comprises reading the page relative to the first read voltage with different allocated voltage transition times and reading the page relative to the second read voltage with a baseline allocated voltage transition time;

determining a first optimum voltage transition time based on the re-reading the page of data the first plurality of times, the re-reading the page of data the second plurality of times comprises reading the page relative to the second read voltage with different allocated voltage transition times and reading the page relative to the first read voltage with the first optimum transition time;

determining a second optimum voltage transition time based on the re-reading the page of data the second plurality of times; and

reading the page of data relative to the first read voltage with the first optimum voltage transition time and relative to the second read voltage with the second optimum voltage transition time.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

applying the first read voltage to the set of memory cells during each time of the first plurality of times of reading the set of memory cells relative to the first read voltage; and

applying the second read voltage to the set of memory cells during each time of the second plurality of times of reading the set of memory cells relative to the second read voltage.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein:

the first optimum transition time is a time from a word line voltage inflection point to a sense time for reading the set of memory cells relative to the first read voltage.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein:

the first optimum transition time is a time allocated for a word line voltage kick, from a start of the word line voltage kick to an end of the word line voltage kick.

16. An apparatus, comprising:

a control circuit configured to connect to a set of memory cells; and

an interface connected to the control circuit, the control circuit is configured to issue commands via the interface to:

perform a first plurality of recovery read operations for the set of memory cells, each recovery read operation of the first plurality of recovery read operations allocates a different first time period for a voltage transition for reading the set of memory cells relative to a first read voltage;

determine an optimum first time period based on the first plurality of recovery read operations; and

perform a retry read operation of the set of memory cells, the performing the retry read operation comprises allocating the optimum first time period for the voltage transition when reading the set of memory cells relative to the first read voltage.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the control circuit is configured to issue commands via the interface to:

perform a baseline read operation of the set of memory cells;

determine that the baseline read operation results in an uncorrectable read error; and

perform the first plurality of recovery read operations in response to the determining that the baseline read operation results in the uncorrectable read error.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein:

the voltage transition comprises a word line voltage settling time.

19. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein:

the voltage transition comprises a word line voltage kick.

20. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein:

each memory cell in the set of memory cells is in a respective NAND string;

each NAND string is connected to a respective bit line; and

the voltage transition comprises a bit line voltage settling time.

Assignments (10)
PARTIAL RELEASE OF SECURITY INTERESTS Recorded Apr 25, 2025
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS AGENT
To: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 071382/0001 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 25, 2025
From: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 071050/0001 →
PATENT COLLATERAL AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 23, 2024
From: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS THE AGENT
Reel/Frame 068762/0494 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jun 27, 2024
From: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 067982/0032 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 29, 2024
From: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 067567/0682 →
PATENT COLLATERAL AGREEMENT - DDTL LOAN AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 21, 2023
From: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 067045/0156 →
PATENT COLLATERAL AGREEMENT - A&R LOAN AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 21, 2023
From: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 064715/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL 056285 FRAME 0292 Recorded Feb 8, 2022
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
To: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 058982/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 19, 2021
From: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS AGENT
Reel/Frame 056285/0292 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 26, 2021
From: LI, LIANG; TIAN, XUAN; YIN, VINCENT; YUAN, JIAHUI
To: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 055738/0965 →