# US 10,121,527 B2 · Memory device, refresh method, and system including the same

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- Number: US 10,121,527 B2
- Document ID: US10121527B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/637,067
- Filed: 2017-06-29
- Published: 2017-10-19
- Granted: 2018-11-06
- Earliest claimed: 2015-11-30
- Assignees: SK hynix Inc.
- Applicants: SK hynix Inc.
- Inventors: Chang Hyun Kim
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10121527B2

## CPC

- G11C 11/406: Management or control of the refreshing or charge-regeneration cycles
- G06F 12/00: Accessing, addressing or allocating within memory systems or architectures (digital input from, or digital output to record carriers, e.g. to disk storage units, G06F3/06)
- G06F 12/10: Address translation
- G11C 11/40615: {Internal triggering or timing of refresh, e.g. hidden refresh, self refresh, pseudo-SRAMs}
- G11C 11/40618: {Refresh operations over multiple banks or interleaving}
- G11C 11/40622: {Partial refresh of memory arrays}
- G11C 11/408: Address circuits
- G06F 12/109: for multiple virtual address spaces, e.g. segmentation (G06F12/1036 takes precedence)
- G06F 2212/1028: Power efficiency
- G06F 2212/1032: Reliability improvement, data loss prevention, degraded operation etc
- G06F 2212/657: Virtual address space management
- Y02D 10/00: Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
- G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B)
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE

## Abstract

A memory device may be provided. The memory device may include an active control section configured to output a row active signal in response to a refresh signal when an active signal is activated. The memory device may include a refresh management section configured to control the refresh signal to skip a refresh operation for an unused row address in response to a refresh command signal and a refresh skip signal, and output an active row address for controlling the refresh operation. The memory device may include a memory section configured to perform a refresh operation for only an area of a cell array corresponding to a used row address in response to the row active signal and the active row address.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A refresh method comprising the steps of:
mapping a virtual address to a physical address in a table of a memory management unit, loading a specific bit of the physical address;
extracting a row address information for performing a refresh operation for only an area, in which a program is executed, from the physical address;
setting a signal for masking the refresh operation of a memory device in a mode register set of the memory device;
outputting a refresh command signal and an address in response to the row address information applied from the memory management unit;
controlling a refresh signal in response to the refresh command signal and a refresh skip signal for masking the refresh operation;
performing the refresh operation in response to the refresh command signal, the address applied from a memory controller and the refresh skip signal for only a used memory area in correspondence to the row address information and a refresh signal set in the mode register set when a refresh management mode is entered;
releasing the refresh management mode; and
resetting the mode register set in response to an active signal and an external address.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The refresh method of claim 1, wherein the setting the signal for masking the refresh operation comprises:
loading address bits for a specific area in the physical address as the row address information; and
logically combining the address bits for the specific area with each other to generate the refresh skip signal and controlling a refresh for an area having a row address of “0” or “1” to be skipped.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The refresh method of claim 1, wherein the performing the refresh operation comprises:
outputting a row active signal in response to the refresh signal when the active signal is activated;
controlling the refresh signal to skip the refresh operation for an unused row address in response to the refresh command signal and the refresh skip signal;
outputting an active row address for controlling the refresh operation; and
performing the refresh operation for only an area of a cell array corresponding to a used row address in response to the row active signal and the active row address.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The refresh method of claim 3, wherein the performing the refresh operation further comprises:
decoding a command signal applied from an exterior;
outputting the active signal, the refresh command signal, and the refresh skip signal; and
outputting a precharge signal in response to the refresh signal.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The refresh method of claim 3, wherein the performing the refresh operation further comprises:
receiving information on the unused row address and the used row address from an external memory management unit.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The refresh method of claim 3, wherein the performing the refresh operation further comprises:
outputting a row control signal in response to the refresh skip signal and a free signal;
counting the refresh signal and outputs a row address;
combining the row address with the row control signal and outputting a refresh enable signal;
controlling the refresh signal in response to the refresh command signal and the refresh enable signal; and
selecting any one of an output counting address and the external address in response to the refresh signal and output the active row address.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The refresh method of claim 6:
wherein the refresh operation not to be performed when the refresh enable signal enters a row level when a specific first row address of the row addresses is at a high level and the row control signal is at a high level, and
wherein the refresh operation to be performed when the refresh enable signal enters a high level when the first row address is at a low level and the row control signal is at the high level.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The refresh method of claim 6, wherein the selecting further comprises:
selecting the counting address when the refresh signal is activated; and
selecting the external address when the refresh signal is deactivated.