IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,451,208
Granted Patent B2
US 12,451,208 · App. 18/647,731 · Granted Oct 21, 2025

Charge loss tracking through targeted bit count

Inventors: Steven Michael Kientz (Westminster, CO); Pitamber Shukla (San Jose, CA); Tarun Singh Yadav (Boise, ID)
Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
G11C29/50004
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,451,208
App. No.
18/647,731
Granted
Oct 21, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Memory cells may store multiple bits per cell. For example, three-level cell (TLC) memory stores three bits per cell using eight voltage levels. The number of memory cells at each voltage is approximately the total number of cells divided by the number of voltage levels. The number of memory cells above a certain read voltage is the CFByte value for the read voltage. Based on a difference between the CFByte value and a target CFByte value for the read voltage, an adjustment value is determined. Characteristics of an individual memory device may be determined by finding several CFByte values for a small range of read voltages. Using the gathered CFByte values, a DAC adjustment value is determined for the individual memory device.

Claims (52)

1. A memory system comprising:

a memory component comprising a plurality of memory cells; and

a processing device programmed to perform operations comprising:

determining, for the memory component, a first count fail byte (CFByte) value at a first threshold voltage;

determining a second threshold voltage based on the first threshold voltage and a predetermined offset;

determining, for the memory component, a second CFByte value at the second threshold voltage;

determining a slope based on the predetermined offset, the first CFByte value, and the second CFByte value;

determining a third voltage based on the slope and a target CFByte value; and

using the third voltage as a threshold voltage for the memory component.

2. The memory system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:

based on the first CFByte value and a lookup table, determining a voltage adjustment;

determining a candidate voltage by applying the voltage adjustment to the first threshold voltage;

determining, for the memory component, a third CFByte value at the candidate voltage; and

determining that a difference between the third CFByte value and the target CFByte value exceeds a predetermined threshold.

3. The memory system of claim 2 , wherein the lookup table stores piecewise linear approximations for a model of the memory component.

4. The memory system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise determining a third CFByte value at the third voltage, wherein the using of the third voltage as the threshold voltage for the memory component is based on the third CFByte value and the target CFByte value.

5. The memory system of claim 4 , wherein the using of the third voltage as the threshold voltage for the memory component is based on a difference between the third CFByte value and the target CFByte value being less than a predetermined threshold.

6. The memory system of claim 5 , wherein the predetermined threshold is less than 1% of a number of memory cells in the memory component.

7. The memory system of claim 5 , wherein the predetermined threshold is less than 0.1% of a number of memory cells in the memory component.

8. The memory system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise determining a third CFByte value at a fourth voltage, wherein the determining of the slope is further based on the third CFByte value and the fourth voltage.

9. A method comprising:

determining, by a memory controller and for a memory component, a first count fail byte (CFByte) value at a first threshold voltage;

determining, by the memory controller and for the memory component, a second threshold voltage based on the first threshold voltage and a predetermined offset;

determining, by the memory controller and for the memory component, a second CFByte value at the second threshold voltage;

determining, by the memory controller, a slope based on the predetermined offset, the first CFByte value, and the second CFByte value;

determining, by the memory controller, a third voltage based on the slope and a target CFByte value; and

using the third voltage as a threshold voltage for the memory component.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

based on the first CFByte value and a lookup table, determining a voltage adjustment;

determining a candidate voltage by applying the voltage adjustment to the first threshold voltage;

determining, for the memory component, a third CFByte value at the candidate voltage; and

determining that a difference between the third CFByte value and the target CFByte value exceeds a predetermined threshold.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the lookup table stores piecewise linear approximations for a model of the memory component.

12. The method of claim 9 , further comprising determining a third CFByte value at the third voltage, wherein the using of the third voltage as the threshold voltage for the memory component is based on the third CFByte value and the target CFByte value.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the using of the third voltage as the threshold voltage for the memory component is based on a difference between the third CFByte value and the target CFByte value being less than a predetermined threshold.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the predetermined threshold is less than 1% of a number of memory cells in the memory component.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the predetermined threshold is less than 0.1% of a number of memory cells in the memory component.

16. The method of claim 9 , further comprising determining a third CFByte value at a fourth voltage, wherein the determining of the slope is further based on the third CFByte value and the fourth voltage.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

determining, for a memory component, a first count fail byte (CFByte) value at a first threshold voltage;

determining a second threshold voltage based on the first threshold voltage and a predetermined offset;

determining, for the memory component, a second CFByte value at the second threshold voltage;

determining a slope based on the predetermined offset, the first CFByte value, and the second CFByte value;

determining a third voltage based on the slope and a target CFByte value; and

using the third voltage as a threshold voltage for the memory component.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the operations further comprise:

based on the first CFByte value and a lookup table, determining a voltage adjustment;

determining a candidate voltage by applying the voltage adjustment to the first threshold voltage;

determining, for the memory component, a third CFByte value at the candidate voltage; and

determining that a difference between the third CFByte value and the target CFByte value exceeds a predetermined threshold.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18 , wherein the lookup table stores piecewise linear approximations for a model of the memory component.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the operations further comprise determining a third CFByte value at the third voltage, wherein the using of the third voltage as the threshold voltage for the memory component is based on the third CFByte value and the target CFByte value.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 29, 2024
From: KIENTZ, STEVEN MICHAEL; SHUKLA, PITAMBER; YADAV, TARUN SINGH
To: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 068439/0360 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63462709 · Apr 28, 2023
Related Publication 20240363188A1 · Oct 31, 2024
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