IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,512,141
Granted Patent B2
US 12,512,141 · App. 18/454,104 · Granted Dec 30, 2025

Refresh address counting circuit and method, refresh address read-write circuit and electronic device

Inventors: Xian Fan (Hefei, CN); Yinchuan Gu (Hefei, CN); Xianlei Cao (Hefei, CN); Yu Yang (Hefei, CN); Hsin-Cheng Su (Hefei, CN)
Assignee: CHANGXIN MEMORY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
G11C11/40615G11C11/40618G11C11/4072
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,512,141
App. No.
18/454,104
Granted
Dec 30, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A refresh address counting circuit, a refresh address counting method, and a refresh address read-write circuit are provided. The refresh address counting circuit includes: a self-oscillation clock generation circuit, configured to generate, in each of refresh cycles, a self-oscillation clock signal based on at least one array activation signal upon acquiring a refresh signal; a self-oscillation mask circuit, configured to generate a self-oscillation mask signal under a preset refresh command; and a refresh address counter, configured to counting a refresh address based on the self-oscillation clock signal and the self-oscillation mask signal and to output a self-oscillation refresh address.

Claims (38)

1 . A refresh address counting circuit, comprising:

a self-oscillating clock generation circuit, configured to generate a self-oscillating clock signal based on at least one bank activation signal in each of refresh cycles, upon acquiring a refresh signal;

a self-oscillating mask circuit configured to generate a mask signal under a preset refresh command; and

a refresh address counter configured to count refresh addresses based on the self-oscillating clock signal and the mask signal and to output a self-oscillating refresh address;

wherein the preset refresh command comprises a same-bank refresh command, an all-bank refresh command, or a self-refresh command;

wherein the mask signal comprises: a mask sub-signal for masking the self-oscillating clock signal, and a non-mask sub-signal for not masking the self-oscillating clock signal;

wherein the self-oscillating mask circuit comprises an all-bank refresh mask sub-circuit and a same-bank refresh mask sub-circuit, and wherein

the all-bank refresh mask sub-circuit is configured to: in response to reception of the all-bank refresh command in a normal refresh mode, generate the mask sub-signal in a normal refresh mode when a lowest bit of a current refresh address is an odd number; and

the same-bank refresh mask sub-circuit is configured to: in response to reception of the same-bank refresh command, generate the mask sub-signal before all banks are refreshed.

2 . The refresh address counting circuit of claim 1 , wherein the all-bank refresh mask sub-circuit is further configured to: in response to reception of the all-bank refresh command in the normal refresh mode, generate the non-mask sub-signal in the normal refresh mode when the lowest bit of the current refresh address is an even number.

3 . The refresh address counting circuit of claim 1 , wherein the all-bank refresh mask sub-circuit is further configured to turn off the mask sub-signal and generate the non-mask sub-signal in response to generating a system reset signal or receiving a cycle refresh command in the next refresh cycle.

4 . The refresh address counting circuit of claim 1 , wherein the same-bank refresh mask sub-circuit comprises a bank refresh counter, a reset signal generator, and a-mask signal generator, wherein

the bank refresh counter is configured to obtain a refresh state of each of banks, and generate a refresh cycle signal after each bank has been refreshed once;

the mask signal generator is configured to generate the mask sub-signal or the non-mask sub-signal based on the refresh state of each bank; and

the reset signal generator is configured to generate, based on the all-bank refresh command, a self-refresh command, a system reset signal and the refresh cycle signal, a reset signal for resetting the bank refresh counter to generate the non-mask sub-signal.

5 . The refresh address counting circuit of claim 4 , wherein the mask signal generator comprises a second NOT gate, a second NAND gate, and a second latch, wherein

a first input terminal of the second NAND gate is configured to receive the refresh cycle signal through the second NOT gate, a second input terminal of the second NAND gate is configured to receive the same-bank refresh command, and an output terminal of the second NAND gate is connected to a reset terminal of the second latch; and

a set terminal of the second latch is configured to receive the reset signal, and an output terminal of the second latch is configured to output the mask signal.

6 . The refresh address counting circuit of claim 1 , wherein the self-oscillating clock generation circuit comprises an edge generation circuit and a delay circuit, and wherein

the edge generation circuit is configured to acquire each of the at least one bank activation signal in the refresh cycle, and extract falling edge information of the bank activation signal; and

the delay circuit is configured to adjust timing of the falling edge information.

7 . A refresh address counting method, performed by a refresh address counting circuit including a self-oscillating clock generation circuit, a self-oscillating mask circuit, and a refresh address counter, the method comprising:

generating, by the self-oscillating clock generation circuit, a self-oscillating clock signal based on at least one bank activation signal in each of refresh cycles, upon acquiring a refresh signal;

generating, by the self-oscillating mask circuit, a mask signal under a preset refresh command; and

counting, by the refresh address counter, refresh addresses based on the self-oscillating clock signal and the mask signal and outputting, by the refresh address counter, a self-oscillating refresh address;

wherein the preset refresh command comprises a same-bank refresh command, an all-bank refresh command, or a self-refresh command;

the mask signal comprises: a mask sub-signal for masking the self-oscillating clock signal, and a non-mask sub-signal for not masking the self-oscillating clock signal;

the self-oscillating mask circuit comprises an all-bank refresh mask sub-circuit and a same-bank refresh mask sub-circuit, and wherein

generating, by the all-bank refresh mask sub-circuit, the mask sub-signal in a normal refresh mode when a lowest bit of a current refresh address is an odd number, in response to reception of the all-bank refresh command in a normal refresh mode; and

generating, by the same-bank refresh mask sub-circuit, the mask sub-signal before all banks are refreshed in response to reception of the same-bank refresh command.

8 . A refresh address read-write circuit, comprising a latch circuit, a decoder, a reading circuit, and a refresh address counting circuit, wherein

an output terminal of the refresh address counting circuit is connected to an input terminal of the latch circuit, an output terminal of the latch circuit is connected to an input terminal of the decoder, and an output terminal of the decoder is connected to the reading circuit, and wherein

the refresh address counting circuit includes:

a self-oscillating clock generation circuit, configured to generate a self-oscillating clock signal based on at least one bank activation signal in each of refresh cycles, upon acquiring a refresh signal;

a self-oscillating mask circuit, configured to generate a mask signal under a preset refresh command; and

a refresh address counter, configured to count refresh addresses based on the self-oscillating clock signal and the mask signal and to output a self-oscillating refresh address.

9 . The refresh address read-write circuit of claim 8 , wherein the latch circuit comprises a multiplexer and a latch, and wherein

an input terminal of the multiplexer is configured to receive a self-oscillating refresh address and activation address from the refresh address counting circuit, a control terminal of the multiplexer is configured to receive a refresh cycle signal, an output terminal of the multiplexer is connected to an input terminal of the latch, and an output terminal of the latch is connected to the decoder.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 10, 2023
From: FAN, XIAN; GU, YINCHUAN; CAO, XIANLEI; YANG, YU; SU, HSIN-CHENG
To: CHANGXIN MEMORY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 065518/0580 →
Priority Claims (1)
CN 202110935931.0 · Aug 16, 2021 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTCN2022090625 · Apr 29, 2022
Related Publication 20230395119A1 · Dec 7, 2023
References Cited (11)
US 10665273B2 · Kim et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20130332669A1 · Matsumoto · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 20170069371A1 · Shin · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20170316818A1 · Saifuddin et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20190189194A1 · Kim · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20200401476A1 · Cha et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20210043246A1 · Lee · 2021 [cited by applicant]
CN 109949844A · 2019 [cited by applicant]
CN 112837727A · 2021 [cited by applicant]
International Search Report in the international application No. PCT/CN2022/090625, mailed on Jul. 27, 2022. 2 pages. [cited by applicant]
Extended European Search Report in U.S. Appl. No. 22/857,334, mailed on Jul. 1, 2024. [cited by applicant]