IP Library Granted Patent US 9,384,821
Granted Patent B2
US 9,384,821 · App. 14/108,830 · Granted Jul 5, 2016

Row hammer monitoring based on stored row hammer threshold value

Inventors: Kuljit S Bains (Olympia, WA); John B Halbert (Beaverton, OR)
Assignee: INTEL CORPORATION
G11C11/4078G06F13/1636G11C11/408G11C11/40611G11C29/50G11C29/50012G11C2029/0409
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,384,821
App. No.
14/108,830
Granted
Jul 5, 2016
Kind
B2
Abstract

Detection logic of a memory subsystem obtains a threshold for a memory device that indicates a number of accesses within a time window that causes risk of data corruption on a physically adjacent row. The detection logic obtains the threshold from a register that stores configuration information for the memory device, and can be a register on the memory device itself and/or can be an entry of a configuration storage device of a memory module to which the memory device belongs. The detection logic determines whether a number of accesses to it row of the memory device exceeds the threshold. In response to detecting the number of accesses exceeds the threshold, the detection logic can generate a trigger to cause the memory device to perform a refresh targeted to a physically adjacent victim row.

Claims (26)

1. A system comprising:

a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) device, the SDRAM device including:

a memory array having one or more rows of memory cells;

a mode register to store a Maximum Activate Count (tMAC) for the SDRAM device;

a memory controller coupled to the SDRAM device, the memory controller to include:

detection logic capable to obtain the tMAC from the mode register, and capable to monitor the number of activates within a maximum activate window (tMAW) for the one or more rows of the SDRAM device; and

command and control logic to issue an activate command (ACT) to initiate a target row refresh (TRR) mode if tMAC is exceeded.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein a row in which the tMAC is exceeded is a target row (TRn).

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the TRR mode refreshes rows adjacent to the TRn.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the mode register further includes tMAC decode values.

5. The system of claim 2 , wherein the tMAC decode values include a threshold value for the SDRAM device.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the tMAC decode values include threshold values for at least one memory device that is different from the SDRAM device.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the SDRAM device includes a DDR4 SDRAM device.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the SDRAM device includes a LPDDR4 SDRAM device.

9. A synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) device, the SDRAM device comprising:

a memory array having one or more rows of memory cells;

a mode register to hold a Maximum Activate Count (tMAC) value for the SDRAM device, and

the mode register to hold a maximum activate window (MAW) value for the SDRAM device.

10. The SDRAM device of claim 9 , wherein the SDRAM device includes a DDR4 SDRAM device.

11. The SDRAM device of claim 9 , wherein the SDRAM device includes a LPDDR4 SDRAM device.

12. A memory controller comprising:

detection logic capable of obtaining a Maximum Activate Count (tMAC) from a mode register of a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) device, and capable of monitoring the number of activates within a maximum activate window (tMAW) for one or more rows of memory cells of the SDRAM device; and

command and control logic to issue an Activate (ACT) command to initiate a targeted row refresh (TRR) mode if tMAC is exceeded.

13. The memory controller of claim 12 , wherein the memory controller is integrated onto the same integrated circuit as a processor.

14. The memory controller of claim 12 , wherein the SDRAM device includes a DDR4 SDRAM device.

15. The memory controller of claim 12 , wherein the SDRAM device includes a LPDDR4 SDRAM device.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 12, 2017
From: BAINS, KULJIT S.; HALBERT, JOHN B.
To: INTEL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 042671/0477 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 9, 2014
From: BAINS, KULJIT S.; HALBERT, JOHN B.
To: INTEL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 033694/0053 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation In Part 13690523 · Nov 30, 2012
Related Publication 20150109871A1 · Apr 23, 2015