IP Library Granted Patent US 12,430,241
Granted Patent B2
US 12,430,241 · App. 18/460,516 · Granted Sep 30, 2025

Memory controller, memory controller control method, and memory system

Inventors: Katsuyuki Shimada (Tokyo, JP); Yuki Komatsu (Yokohama Kanagawa, JP)
Assignee: Kioxia Corporation
G06F12/0246G06N3/0455G11C16/0483G11C16/10
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,430,241
App. No.
18/460,516
Granted
Sep 30, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

According to one embodiment, a memory controller includes a compression unit that compresses two or more determination voltage values for threshold voltages of a memory cell to a vector quantity, the memory cell being capable of storing three or more data values. The memory controller further includes a storing unit that stores the vector quantity into a memory region. The memory controller further includes a decompression unit that decompresses the stored vector quantity to provide the determination voltage values.

Claims (29)

1. A memory controller, comprising:

a compression unit configured to compress n determination voltage values for threshold voltages of a memory cell to a vector quantity including a total of m vector components, where n and m are integers satisfying the relationship n>m≥2, the memory cell being capable of storing three or more data values therein according to the n determination voltage values;

a storing unit configured to store the vector quantity into a memory region; and

a decompression unit configured to decompress the stored vector quantity to provide the n determination voltage values for reading data values from or writing data values to the memory cell.

2. The memory controller according to claim 1 , wherein the compression unit is configured to compress a shift value for the n determination voltage values from a predetermined voltage to the vector quantity.

3. The memory controller according to claim 1 , wherein the n determination voltage values are set for each block of a memory array.

4. The memory controller according to claim 1 , wherein the n determination voltage values are set for each word line of a memory array.

5. The memory controller according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the compression unit and the decompression unit is trained based on an error between a determination voltage value before being compressed by the compression unit and a corresponding determination voltage value after being decompressed from the stored vector quantity by the decompression unit.

6. The memory controller according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the compression unit and the decompression unit is trained based on a fail bit count (FBC) value for data read from a memory array.

7. The memory controller according to claim 6 , wherein the storing unit is configured to store the vector quantity in associated with the FBC value in the memory region.

8. The memory controller according to claim 1 , wherein the compression unit is configured to compress the n determination voltage values to the vector quantity by converting a subset of values selected from the n determination voltage values to the m vector components of the vector quantity.

9. The memory controller according to claim 8 , wherein the decompression unit is configured to decompress the vector quantity to provide the n determination voltage values by estimating each determination voltage value from the vector quantity.

10. The memory controller according to claim 9 , wherein the decompression unit is configured to adjust the estimation of each determination voltage value from the vector quantity to reduce an error between estimated determination voltage value and a corresponding determination voltage value.

11. The memory controller according to claim 1 , wherein the compression unit is configured to compress the n determination voltage values to the vector quantity by a first neural network.

12. The memory controller according to claim 11 , wherein the decompression unit is configured to decompress the vector quantity to provide the n determination voltage values by a second neural network.

13. A memory controller control method, comprising:

compressing n determination voltage values for threshold voltages of a memory cell to a vector quantity including a total of m vector components, where n and m are integers satisfying the relationship n>m≥2, the memory cell being capable of storing three or more data values therein according to the n determination voltage values;

storing the vector quantity into a memory region; and

decompressing the stored vector quantity to provide the n determination voltage values for reading data values from or writing data values to the memory cell.

14. The memory controller control method according to claim 13 , further comprising:

compressing a shift value of the n determination voltage values from a predetermined voltage to the vector quantity.

15. A memory system, comprising:

a memory array including a memory cell capable of storing three or more data values therein according to different threshold values of the memory cell; and

a memory controller including:

a compression unit configured to compress n determination voltage values for the threshold voltages of the memory cell to a vector quantity including a total of m vector components, where n and m are integers satisfying the relationship n>m≥2;

a storing unit configured to store the vector quantity into a memory region of the memory array; and

a decompression unit configured to decompress the stored vector quantity to provide the n determination voltage values.

16. The memory system according to claim 15 , wherein the n determination voltage values are set for each block of the memory array.

17. The memory system according to claim 15 , wherein the n determination voltage values are set for each word line of the memory array.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 18, 2023
From: SHIMADA, KATSUYUKI; KOMATSU, YUKI
To: KIOXIA CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 065262/0046 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2022-148516 · Sep 16, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240095162A1 · Mar 21, 2024
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