IP Library Granted Patent US 12,379,990
Granted Patent B2
US 12,379,990 · App. 18/232,538 · Granted Aug 5, 2025

Single block mode block handling for single-side GIDL erase

Inventors: Abhijith Prakash (Milpitas, CA); Xiang Yang (Santa Clara, CA)
Assignee: Sandisk Technologies, Inc.
G06F11/106G06F3/0619G06F3/0652G06F3/0679G06F11/076
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,379,990
App. No.
18/232,538
Granted
Aug 5, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A memory device includes a memory block including a plurality of sub-blocks each including a plurality of memory cells and control circuitry configured to perform single-side erase operations on the memory block in a sub-block mode in which a selected sub-block of the plurality of sub-blocks in the memory block is erased while unselected sub-blocks of the plurality of sub-blocks in the memory block are not erased and selectively perform data scrubbing and relocation operations on the plurality of sub-blocks of the memory block. To perform a data scrubbing and relocation operation, the control circuitry is configured to determine whether to perform the data scrubbing and relocation operation on a first sub-block based on a position of the first sub-block relative to an erase side of the memory block and selectively perform the data scrubbing and relocation operation on the first sub-block in response to the determination.

Claims (32)

1. A memory device, comprising:

a memory block including a plurality of sub-blocks, each of the plurality of sub-blocks including a plurality of memory cells; and

control circuitry configured to (i) perform single-side erase operations on the memory block in a sub-block mode in which a selected sub-block of the plurality of sub-blocks in the memory block is erased while unselected sub-blocks of the plurality of sub-blocks in the memory block are not erased and (ii) selectively perform data scrubbing and relocation operations on the plurality of sub-blocks of the memory block, wherein, to perform a data scrubbing and relocation operation, the control circuitry is configured to

determine whether to perform the data scrubbing and relocation operation on a first sub-block based on a position of the first sub-block relative to an erase side of the memory block, and

selectively perform the data scrubbing and relocation operation on the first sub-block in response to the determination.

2. The memory device of claim 1 , wherein, to determine whether to perform the data scrubbing and relocation operation on the first sub-block, the control circuitry is configured to determine whether a first interval has elapsed since a last time the first sub-block was programmed.

3. The memory device of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to (i) assign different intervals to respective sub-blocks of the plurality of sub-blocks and (ii) determine whether any of the assigned different intervals has elapsed since a last time a corresponding one of the respective sub-blocks was programmed.

4. The memory device of claim 3 , wherein the assigned different intervals decrease as a distance of a corresponding one of the respective sub-blocks from the erase side of the memory block increases.

5. The memory device of claim 1 , wherein, to determine whether to perform the data scrubbing and relocation operation on the first sub-block, the control circuitry is configured to (i) perform a failed bit count (FBC) check on the first sub-block based on the position of the first sub-block relative to the erase side of the memory block and (ii) selectively perform the data scrubbing and relocation operation on the first sub-block in response to the FBC check.

6. The memory device of claim 1 , wherein, to determine whether to perform the data scrubbing and relocation operation on the first sub-block, the control circuitry is configured to determine whether to perform the data scrubbing and relocation operation on the first sub-block based on a number of erase cycles performed on any of the plurality of sub-blocks further from the erase side than the first sub-block.

7. The memory device of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine whether to perform the data scrubbing and relocation operation on the first sub-block further based on a distance of the first sub-block from voltage driver-side of the memory block.

8. A method for operating a memory device including a memory block, the memory block including a plurality of sub-blocks, each of the sub-blocks including a plurality of memory cells, the method comprising:

performing single-side erase operations on the memory block in a sub-block mode in which a selected sub-block of the plurality of sub-blocks in the memory block is erased while unselected sub-blocks of the plurality of sub-blocks in the memory block are not erased; and

selectively performing data scrubbing and relocation operations on the plurality of sub-blocks of the memory block, wherein performing a data scrubbing and relocation operation includes

determining whether to perform the data scrubbing and relocation operation on a first sub-block based on a position of the first sub-block relative to an erase side of the memory block; and

selectively performing the data scrubbing and relocation operation on the first sub-block in response to the determination.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein determining whether to perform the data scrubbing and relocation operation on the first sub-block includes determining whether a first interval has elapsed since a last time the first sub-block was programmed.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising (i) assigning different intervals to respective sub-blocks of the plurality of sub-blocks and (ii) determining whether any of the assigned different intervals has elapsed since a last time a corresponding one of the respective sub-blocks was programmed.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the assigned different intervals decrease as a distance of a corresponding one of the respective sub-blocks from the erase side of the memory block increases.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein determining whether to perform the data scrubbing and relocation operation on the first sub-block includes (i) performing a failed bit count (FBC) check on the first sub-block based on the position of the first sub-block relative to the erase side of the memory block and (ii) selectively performing the data scrubbing and relocation operation on the first sub-block in response to the FBC check.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein determining whether to perform the data scrubbing and relocation operation on the first sub-block includes determining whether to perform the data scrubbing and relocation operation on the first sub-block based on a number of erase cycles performed on any of the plurality of sub-blocks further from the erase side than the first sub-block.

14. The method of claim 8 , further comprising determining whether to perform the data scrubbing and relocation operation on the first sub-block further based on a distance of the first sub-block from voltage driver-side of the memory block.

15. A memory device, comprising:

a memory block including a plurality of sub-blocks, each of the plurality of sub-blocks including a plurality of memory cells; and

control means for (i) performing single-side erase operations on the memory block in a sub-block mode in which a selected sub-block of the plurality of sub-blocks in the memory block is erased while unselected sub-blocks of the plurality of sub-blocks in the memory block are not erased and (ii) selectively performing data scrubbing and relocation operations on the plurality of sub-blocks of the memory block, wherein, to perform a data scrubbing and relocation operation, the control means

determines whether to perform the data scrubbing and relocation operation on a first sub-block based on a position of the first sub-block relative to an erase side of the memory block, and

selectively performs the data scrubbing and relocation operation on the first sub-block in response to the determination.

16. The memory device of claim 15 , wherein, to determine whether to perform the data scrubbing and relocation operation on the first sub-block, the control means determines whether a first interval has elapsed since a last time the first sub-block was programmed.

17. The memory device of claim 15 , wherein the control means (i) assigns different intervals to respective sub-blocks of the plurality of sub-blocks and (ii) determines whether any of the assigned different intervals has elapsed since a last time a corresponding one of the respective sub-blocks was programmed.

18. The memory device of claim 17 , wherein the assigned different intervals decrease as a distance of a corresponding one of the respective sub-blocks from the erase side of the memory block increases.

19. The memory device of claim 15 , wherein, to determine whether to perform the data scrubbing and relocation operation on the first sub-block, the control means (i) performs a failed bit count (FBC) check on the first sub-block based on the position of the first sub-block relative to the erase side of the memory block and (ii) selectively performs the data scrubbing and relocation operation on the first sub-block in response to the FBC check.

20. The memory device of claim 15 , wherein, to determine whether to perform the data scrubbing and relocation operation on the first sub-block, the control means determines whether to perform the data scrubbing and relocation operation on the first sub-block based on a number of erase cycles performed on any of the plurality of sub-blocks further from the erase side than the first sub-block.

Assignments (8)
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- A&R Recorded Nov 21, 2023
From: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 065656/0649 →
PATENT COLLATERAL AGREEMENT - DDTL Recorded Nov 21, 2023
From: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 065657/0158 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 18, 2023
From: PRAKASH, ABHIJITH; YANG, XIANG
To: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 065270/0671 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63522559 · Jun 22, 2023
Related Publication 20240427662A1 · Dec 26, 2024
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