# US 10,482,945 B2 · Methods for independent memory bank maintenance and memory devices and systems employing the same

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- Number: US 10,482,945 B2
- Document ID: US10482945B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/375,105
- Filed: 2019-04-04
- Published: 2019-07-25
- Granted: 2019-11-19
- Earliest claimed: 2017-12-29
- Assignees: Micron Technology, Inc.
- Applicants: Micron Technology, Inc.
- Inventors: George B. Raad; Jonathan S. Parry; James S. Rehmeyer; Timothy B. Cowles
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10482945B2

## CPC

- G11C 11/40618: {Refresh operations over multiple banks or interleaving}
- G11C 11/005: {comprising combined but independently operative RAM-ROM, RAM-PROM, RAM-EPROM cells}
- G11C 11/1675: {Writing or programming circuits or methods}
- G11C 11/2275: {Writing or programming circuits or methods}
- G11C 13/0033: {Disturbance prevention or evaluation; Refreshing of disturbed memory data}
- G11C 13/0069: {Writing or programming circuits or methods}
- G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B)

## Abstract

Memory devices, systems including memory devices, and methods of operating memory devices in which multiple counters are provided to permit memory refresh commands greater freedom in targeting subsets of the memory device for data refresh operations. In one embodiment, a memory device is provided, comprising a plurality of memory banks, and circuitry configured to (i) store a plurality of values, each of the plurality of values corresponding to one of the plurality of memory banks; (ii) refresh first data stored in a first one of the plurality of memory banks; and (iii) update a first one of the plurality of values corresponding to the first one of the plurality of memory banks based at least in part on refreshing the first data.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
refreshing first data stored in a first memory bank of a plurality of memory banks of a memory device; and
subsequent to refreshing the first data, and before refreshing data stored in any of the other ones of the plurality of memory banks, refreshing second data stored in the first memory bank of the plurality of memory banks.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein refreshing the first data is performed in response to receiving a first command instructing the memory device to perform a refresh operation on less than all of the plurality of memory banks.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein refreshing the first data is performed in response to receiving a first command instructing the memory device to perform a refresh operation on only the first one of the plurality of memory banks.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein refreshing the second data is performed at least in part on a determination corresponding to a tracked number of operations performed on the first memory bank.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein refreshing the second data is performed at least in part on a determination corresponding a rate at which operations are performed on the first memory bank.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein refreshing the first data and refreshing the second data are performed in separate, sequential refresh operations.

### Claim 7

A method comprising:
storing a plurality of counters, each value of the plurality of counters corresponding to one memory bank of a plurality of memory banks of a memory device,
in response to refreshing first data stored in a first memory bank of the plurality of memory banks, updating a first counter of the plurality of counters corresponding to the first memory bank.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein updating the first counter of the plurality of counters corresponding to the first memory bank comprises writing a row address corresponding to the first data to the first counter.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, further comprising:
in response to refreshing second data stored in a second memory bank of the plurality of memory banks, updating a second counter of the plurality of counters corresponding to the second memory bank.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein updating the second counter of the plurality of counters corresponding to the second memory bank comprises writing a row address corresponding to the second data to the first counter.

### Claim 11 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of counters is stored in a memory of the memory device.

### Claim 12 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of counters is stored in a memory of a host device operably connected to the memory device.

### Claim 13

A method comprising:
storing a plurality of counters, each value of the plurality of counters corresponding to one memory bank of a plurality of memory banks of a memory device,
refreshing first data stored in a first memory bank of the plurality of memory banks,
in response to refreshing the first data, updating a first counter of the plurality of counters that corresponds to the first memory bank with a first row address corresponding to the first data.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, further comprising:
refreshing second data stored in a second memory bank of the plurality of memory banks, and
in response to refreshing the second data, updating a second counter of the plurality of counters that corresponds to the second memory bank with a second row address corresponding to the second data.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of counters is stored in a memory of the memory device.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of counters is stored in a memory of a host device operably connected to the memory device.

### Claim 17 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein refreshing the first data is performed in response to receiving a command instructing the memory device to perform a refresh operation on only the first one of the plurality of memory banks.

### Claim 18 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein refreshing the first data is performed in response to receiving a command instructing the memory device to perform a refresh operation on less than all of the plurality of memory banks.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, wherein the command is received at the memory device from a host device operably connected thereto.

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, wherein the memory device comprises a controller, and wherein first command is generated by the controller.