# US 10,310,734 B2 · Tier mode for access operations to 3D memory

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- Number: US 10,310,734 B2
- Document ID: US10310734B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/583,626
- Filed: 2014-12-27
- Published: 2016-06-30
- Granted: 2019-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2014-12-27
- Assignees: Intel Corporation
- Applicants: Intel Corporation
- Inventors: Toru Tanzawa
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10310734B2

## CPC

- G06F 3/0604: {Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management}
- G06F 3/0659: {Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling}
- G06F 3/068: {Hybrid storage device}
- G11C 7/00: Arrangements for writing information into, or reading information out from, a digital store (G11C5/00 takes precedence; auxiliary circuits for stores using semiconductor devices G11C11/4063, G11C11/413)
- G11C 8/12: Group selection circuits, e.g. for memory block selection, chip selection, array selection
- G11C 16/08: Address circuits; Decoders; Word-line control circuits
- G11C 8/08: Word line control circuits, e.g. drivers, boosters, pull-up circuits, pull-down circuits, precharging circuits, for word lines
- G11C 8/14: Word line organisation; Word line lay-out
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B)

## Abstract

Tier access mode for three dimensional (3D) memory devices. A 3D memory device has multiple memory elements that are each addressable by a two dimensional address including a wordline address and a bitline address, and a third dimension with a sub-block selector indicating one of multiple portions of a tier of memory elements in the memory device. A memory controller generates a memory access command, such as read or program, to access a first portion of the memory and sends the command to the memory device. The memory device charges a first wordline and a first sub-block in response to receiving the command. For a consecutive access command to access a second portion of the memory, the memory device maintains the first wordline charged without discharging it, and charges a second sub-block selector in response to the consecutive command.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A three dimensional (3D) memory device, comprising:
multiple memory elements stacked in multiple tiers of wordlines, the memory elements addressable with a bitline address, a wordline address, and a sub-block address; and
logic to:
receive a first command and a second command to access different portions of a first wordline from a memory controller;
in response to receipt of the first command, charge a first wordline, a first bitline, and a first sub-block to select a first portion of the first wordline, and discharge the first bitline and the first sub-block, but not the first wordline, after the access to the first portion;
in response to receipt of the second command after the first command, to maintain charge to the first wordline without the first wordline being discharged and recharged, and charge a second bitline and a second sub-block to select a second portion of the wordline, and after the access to the second portion, discharge the second bitline and the second sub-block, but not the first wordline;
receive a third command to access a second wordline from the memory controller, the memory controller to send the third command only after a determination that a last sub-block of the first wordline has been accessed; and
in response to receipt of a third command, discharge the first wordline, charge the second wordline, a third bitline, and a third sub-block to select a portion of the second wordline.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The memory device of claim 1, wherein the memory device comprises a three dimensional NAND memory device.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The memory device of claim 1, wherein:
the first portion and the second portion comprise different pages of memory data; and
wherein the logic is to maintain the charge to the first wordline to access both the different pages of memory data without the first wordline being discharged and recharged between accesses to the different pages.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The memory device of claim 1, wherein the sub-block address is to select one of 16 sub-blocks.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The memory device of claim 1, wherein the first and second commands comprise read commands, or program commands.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The memory device of claim 1, wherein the logic is to maintain a select voltage to the first wordline and maintain a deselect wordline voltage to all non-selected wordlines without reset of either the first wordline or the non-selected wordlines.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The memory device of claim 1, wherein the first and second commands comprise read commands, and further comprising:
sensing circuitry to read first bits at the first portion in response to the first read command, and to read second bits at the second portion in response to the second read command; and
output circuitry to send data to the memory controller representing the first bits, and the second bits.

### Claim 8

A memory controller for accessing data in a three dimensional (3D) memory device, comprising:
logic to:
receive a request to read or write data to the 3D memory device;
identify a first portion of the data with a first wordline address, a first bitline address, and a first sub-block selector;
generate a first command to access the first portion of the data;
identify a second portion of the data with the first wordline address and a second sub-block selector;
generate a second command to access the second portion of the data;
determine whether a last sub-block of the first wordline has been accessed;
in response to a determination that the last sub-block of the first wordline has been accessed, identify a third portion of the data with a second wordline address;
generate a third command to access the third portion of the data; and
I/O (input/output) circuitry to:
send the first command to the memory device to cause the memory device to charge a first wordline, a first bitline, and a first sub-block, and after the access to the first portion of the data, discharge the first bitline and the first sub-block, but not the first wordline;
send the second command to the memory device to cause the memory device to maintain charge to the first wordline; and
send the third command to the memory device only after the determination that the last sub-block of the first wordline has been accessed, the third command to cause the memory device to discharge the first wordline and charge a second wordline.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The memory controller of claim 8, wherein the first portion of the data comprises a first page of memory data.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The memory controller of claim 8, wherein: the logic is to identify a range of addresses; and wherein the memory device is to maintain charge to the first wordline for all portions of data in the first wordline within the identified range of addresses.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The memory controller of claim 8, wherein the logic is to generate a read command, or a program command.

### Claim 12

A system comprising:
a three dimensional (3D) memory device including multiple memory elements, the memory elements addressable with a bitline address, a wordline address, and a sub-block selector;
a memory controller coupled to the memory device, the memory controller including:logic to:
receive a request to read or write data to the 3D memory device;
identify a first portion of the data with a first wordline address, a first bitline address, and a first sub-block selector;
generate a first command to access the first portion of the data;
identify a second portion of the data with the first wordline address and a second sub-block selector;
generate a second command to access the second portion of the data;
determine whether a last sub-block of the first wordline has been accessed;
in response to a determination that the last sub-block of the first wordline has been accessed, identify a third portion of the data with a second wordline address;
generate a third command to access the third portion of the data; and
I/O (input/output) circuitry to:
send the first command to the memory device to cause the memory device to charge a first wordline, a first bitline, and a first sub-block, and after the access to the first portion of the data, discharge the first bitline and the first sub-block, but not the first wordline;
send the second command to the memory device to cause the memory device to maintain charge to the first wordline; and
send the third command to the memory device only after the determination that the last sub-block of the first wordline has been accessed, the third command to cause the memory device to discharge the first wordline and charge a second wordline; and
a touchscreen display coupled to generate a display based on data accessed from the memory device.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein: the first portion comprises a first page of memory data, wherein each wordline of the memory device stores multiple pages.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein the logic is to identify a range of addresses for the first command; and wherein the memory device is to maintain charge to the first wordline for all portions of data in the first wordline within the identified range of addresses.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein the logic is to generate a read command, or a program command.

### Claim 16

A method for accessing a three dimensional (3D) memory device, comprising:
receiving one or more access commands from a memory controller, wherein memory elements of the memory device are addressable with a bitline address, a wordline address, and a sub-block selector, wherein the one or more access commands identify a first portion of memory elements to read with a first wordline address, a first bitline address, and a first sub-block selector;
in response to the one or more access commands, generating multiple access operations to access a first wordline at a first sub-block and a second sub-block;
charging the first wordline, a first bitline, and the first sub-block to execute the operations;
accessing the first wordline at the first sub-block;
discharging the first bitline and the first sub-block, but not the first wordline;
maintaining the first wordline charged without discharging the first wordline, and charging a second bitline and second sub-block;
accessing the first wordline at the second sub-block;
receiving one or more second access commands from the memory controller, wherein the one or more second access commands identify a second portion of memory elements to read with a second wordline address;
in response to the one or more second access commands, generating multiple second access operations to access the second wordline; and
in response to receipt of the one or more second access commands, discharging the first wordline and charging a second wordline.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein generating the multiple access operations comprises generating the multiple access operations in response to a request to access a section of data including multiple portions, wherein each access operation accesses a single portion.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein generating the multiple access operations comprises generating one or more read operations, program operations, or verify operations, or a combination.

### Claim 19 (depends on 8)

The memory controller of claim 8, wherein the first portion of the data and the second portion of the data are not adjacent sub-blocks.

### Claim 20 (depends on 8)

The memory controller of claim 8, wherein the logic is to further:
program a mode register to cause the memory device to be in a first mode or a second mode, wherein the memory device is to discharge a wordline after each access in the first mode, and wherein the memory device is to maintain charge to a given wordline for multiple accesses to the given wordline in the second mode.