# US 12,112,808 B2 · Read voltage calibration method, memory storage device, and memory control circuit unit

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- Number: US 12,112,808 B2
- Document ID: US12112808B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/179,372
- Filed: 2023-03-07
- Published: 2024-07-25
- Granted: 2024-10-08
- Earliest claimed: 2023-01-19
- Assignees: Phison Electronics Corp.
- Applicants: Phison Electronics Corp.
- Inventors: Szu-Wei Chen; An-Cin Li; Yu-Hung Lin; Kai-Wei Tsou
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12112808B2

## CPC

- G11C 16/26: Sensing or reading circuits; Data output circuits
- G06F 3/0619: {in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors}
- G06F 3/0659: {Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling}
- G06F 3/0688: {Non-volatile semiconductor memory arrays}
- G06F 11/1068: {in sector programmable memories, e.g. flash disk (G06F11/1072 takes precedence)}
- G11C 11/5642: {Sensing or reading circuits; Data output circuits}
- G11C 16/0483: {comprising cells having several storage transistors connected in series}
- G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B)
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)

## Abstract

A read voltage calibration method, a memory storage device, and a memory control circuit unit are provided. The read voltage calibration method includes: reading data from a first physical unit by using multiple read voltage levels; decoding the data to obtain multiple error evaluation parameters; determining a first vector distance parameter according to a first error evaluation parameter; determining multiple candidate read voltage levels according to the first vector distance parameter and a first read voltage level; determining a target read voltage level according to one of the candidate read voltage levels; and reading the data again from the first physical unit by using the target read voltage level.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A read voltage calibration method, used for a rewritable non-volatile memory module, wherein the rewritable non-volatile memory module comprises a plurality of physical units, the read voltage calibration method comprising:
reading data from a first physical unit among the physical units by using a plurality of read voltage levels;
decoding the data to obtain a plurality of error evaluation parameters, wherein the error evaluation parameters respectively correspond to one of the read voltage levels;
determining a first vector distance parameter according to a first error evaluation parameter among the plurality of error evaluation parameters, wherein the first error evaluation parameter corresponds to a first read voltage level among the read voltage levels;
determining a plurality of candidate read voltage levels according to the first vector distance parameter and the first read voltage level;
determining a target read voltage level according to one of the candidate read voltage levels; and
reading the data again from the first physical unit by using the target read voltage level.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The read voltage calibration method according to claim 1, wherein the step of decoding the data to obtain the plurality of error evaluation parameters comprises:
executing a parity check operation on data read by using the first read voltage level in the data to obtain a syndrome sum; and
obtaining the first error evaluation parameter according to the syndrome sum.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The read voltage calibration method according to claim 1, further comprising:
comparing the error evaluation parameters; and
determining one of the error evaluation parameters as the first error evaluation parameter according to a comparison result.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The read voltage calibration method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining the first vector distance parameter according to the first error evaluation parameter among the plurality of error evaluation parameters comprises:
converting the first error evaluation parameter into the first vector distance parameter according to a conversion function.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The read voltage calibration method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining the candidate read voltage levels according to the first vector distance parameter and the first read voltage level comprises:
determining a first coordinate point in a coordinate space according to the first read voltage level;
obtaining a plurality of second coordinate points in the coordinate space according to the first coordinate point and the first vector distance parameter; and
determining the candidate read voltage levels according to the second coordinate points.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The read voltage calibration method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of candidate read voltage levels comprise a first candidate read voltage level and a second candidate read voltage level, and the step of determining the target read voltage level according to the one of the candidate read voltage levels comprises:
obtaining a first candidate vector distance parameter between the first candidate read voltage level and a second read voltage level among the read voltage levels;
obtaining a second candidate vector distance parameter between the second candidate read voltage level and the second read voltage level; and
determining one of the first candidate read voltage level and the second candidate read voltage level as the target read voltage level according to the first candidate vector distance parameter and the second candidate vector distance parameter.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The read voltage calibration method according to claim 6, wherein the step of determining the one of the first candidate read voltage level and the second candidate read voltage level as the target read voltage level according to the first candidate vector distance parameter and the second candidate vector distance parameter comprises:
determining a second vector distance parameter according to a second error evaluation parameter among the plurality of error evaluation parameters, wherein the second error evaluation parameter corresponds to the second read voltage level;
obtaining a first difference value between the first candidate vector distance parameter and the second vector distance parameter;
obtaining a second difference value between the second candidate vector distance parameter and the second vector distance parameter; and
determining the one of the first candidate read voltage level and the second candidate read voltage level as the target read voltage level according to the first difference value and the second difference value.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The read voltage calibration method according to claim 7, wherein the step of determining the one of the first candidate read voltage level and the second candidate read voltage level as the target read voltage level according to the first difference value and the second difference value comprises:
obtaining a first difference value sum corresponding to the first candidate read voltage level according to the first difference value;
obtaining a second difference value sum corresponding to the second candidate read voltage level according to the second difference value;
determining the first candidate read voltage level as the target read voltage level in response to the first difference value sum being smaller than the second difference value sum; and
determining the second candidate read voltage level as the target read voltage level in response to the second difference value sum being smaller than the first difference value sum.

### Claim 9

A memory storage device, comprising:
a connection interface unit, used to couple to a host system;
a rewritable non-volatile memory module, wherein the rewritable non-volatile memory module comprises a plurality of physical units; and
a memory control circuit unit, coupled to the connection interface unit and the rewritable non-volatile memory module,
wherein the memory control circuit unit is configured to:
send a plurality of first read command sequences, wherein the first read command sequences are configured to instruct to read data from a first physical unit among the physical units by using a plurality of read voltage levels;
decode the data to obtain a plurality of error evaluation parameters, wherein the error evaluation parameters respectively correspond to one of the read voltage levels;
determine a first vector distance parameter according to a first error evaluation parameter among the plurality of error evaluation parameters, wherein the first error evaluation parameter corresponds to a first read voltage level among the read voltage levels;
determine a plurality of candidate read voltage levels according to the first vector distance parameter and the first read voltage level;
determine a target read voltage level according to one of the candidate read voltage levels; and
send a second read command sequence, wherein the second read command sequence is configured to instruct to read the data again from the first physical unit by using the target read voltage level.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The memory storage device according to claim 9, wherein the operation of the memory control circuit unit decoding the data to obtain the plurality of error evaluation parameters comprises:
executing a parity check operation on data read by using the first read voltage level in the data to obtain a syndrome sum; and
obtaining the first error evaluation parameter according to the syndrome sum.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The memory storage device according to claim 9, wherein the memory control circuit unit is further configured to:
compare the error evaluation parameters; and
determine one of the error evaluation parameters as the first error evaluation parameter according to a comparison result.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The memory storage device according to claim 9, wherein the operation of the memory control circuit unit determining the first vector distance parameter according to the first error evaluation parameter among the plurality of error evaluation parameters comprises:
converting the first error evaluation parameter into the first vector distance parameter according to a conversion function.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The memory storage device according to claim 9, wherein the operation of the memory control circuit unit determining the candidate read voltage levels according to the first vector distance parameter and the first read voltage level comprises:
determining a first coordinate point in a coordinate space according to the first read voltage level;
obtaining a plurality of second coordinate points in the coordinate space according to the first coordinate point and the first vector distance parameter; and
determining the candidate read voltage levels according to the second coordinate points.

### Claim 14 (depends on 9)

The memory storage device according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of candidate read voltage levels comprise a first candidate read voltage level and a second candidate read voltage level, and the operation of the memory control circuit unit determining the target read voltage level according to the one of the candidate read voltage levels comprises:
obtaining a first candidate vector distance parameter between the first candidate read voltage level and a second read voltage level among the read voltage levels;
obtaining a second candidate vector distance parameter between the second candidate read voltage level and the second read voltage level; and
determining one of the first candidate read voltage level and the second candidate read voltage level as the target read voltage level according to the first candidate vector distance parameter and the second candidate vector distance parameter.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The memory storage device according to claim 14, wherein the operation of the memory control circuit unit determining the one of the first candidate read voltage level and the second candidate read voltage level as the target read voltage level according to the first candidate vector distance parameter and the second candidate vector distance parameter comprises:
determining a second vector distance parameter according to a second error evaluation parameter among the plurality of error evaluation parameters, wherein the second error evaluation parameter corresponds to the second read voltage level;
obtaining a first difference value between the first candidate vector distance parameter and the second vector distance parameter;
obtaining a second difference value between the second candidate vector distance parameter and the second vector distance parameter; and
determining the one of the first candidate read voltage level and the second candidate read voltage level as the target read voltage level according to the first difference value and the second difference value.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The memory storage device according to claim 15, wherein the operation of the memory control circuit unit determining the one of the first candidate read voltage level and the second candidate read voltage level as the target read voltage level according to the first difference value and the second difference value comprises:
obtaining a first difference value sum corresponding to the first candidate read voltage level according to the first difference value;
obtaining a second difference value sum corresponding to the second candidate read voltage level according to the second difference value;
determining the first candidate read voltage level as the target read voltage level in response to the first difference value sum being smaller than the second difference value sum; and
determining the second candidate read voltage level as the target read voltage level in response to the second difference value sum being smaller than the first difference value sum.

### Claim 17

A memory control circuit unit, configured to control a rewritable non-volatile memory module, the memory control circuit unit comprising:
a host interface, configured to couple to a host system;
a memory interface, configured to couple to the rewritable non-volatile memory module, wherein the rewritable non-volatile memory module comprises a plurality of physical units;
an error detection and calibration circuit; and
a memory management circuit, coupled to the host interface, the memory interface, and the error detection and calibration circuit,
wherein the memory management circuit is configured to:
send a plurality of first read command sequences, wherein the first read command sequences are configured to instruct to read data from a first physical unit among the physical units by using a plurality of read voltage levels;
instruct the error detection and calibration circuit to decode the data to obtain a plurality of error evaluation parameters, wherein the error evaluation parameters respectively correspond to one of the read voltage levels;
determine a first vector distance parameter according to a first error evaluation parameter among the plurality of error evaluation parameters, wherein the first error evaluation parameter corresponds to a first read voltage level among the read voltage levels;
determine a plurality of candidate read voltage levels according to the first vector distance parameter and the first read voltage level;
determine a target read voltage level according to one of the candidate read voltage levels; and
send a second read command sequence, wherein the second read command sequence is configured to instruct to read the data again from the first physical unit by using the target read voltage level.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The memory control circuit unit according to claim 17, wherein the operation of the memory management circuit instructing the error detection and calibration circuit to decode the data to obtain the plurality of error evaluation parameters comprises:
instructing the error detection and calibration circuit to execute a parity check operation on data read by using the first read voltage level in the data to obtain a syndrome sum; and
obtaining the first error evaluation parameter according to the syndrome sum.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The memory control circuit unit according to claim 17, wherein the memory management circuit is further configured to:
compare the error evaluation parameters; and
determine one of the error evaluation parameters as the first error evaluation parameter according to a comparison result.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The memory control circuit unit according to claim 17, wherein the operation of the memory management circuit determining the first vector distance parameter according to the first error evaluation parameter among the plurality of error evaluation parameters comprises:
converting the first error evaluation parameter into the first vector distance parameter according to a conversion function.

### Claim 21 (depends on 17)

The memory control circuit unit according to claim 17, wherein the operation of the memory management circuit determining the candidate read voltage levels according to the first vector distance parameter and the first read voltage level comprises:
determining a first coordinate point in a coordinate space according to the first read voltage level;
obtaining a plurality of second coordinate points in the coordinate space according to the first coordinate point and the first vector distance parameter; and
determining the candidate read voltage levels according to the second coordinate points.

### Claim 22 (depends on 17)

The memory control circuit unit according to claim 17, wherein the plurality of candidate read voltage levels comprise a first candidate read voltage level and a second candidate read voltage level, and the operation of the memory management circuit determining the target read voltage level according to the one of the candidate read voltage levels comprises:
obtaining a first candidate vector distance parameter between the first candidate read voltage level and a second read voltage level among the read voltage levels;
obtaining a second candidate vector distance parameter between the second candidate read voltage level and the second read voltage level; and
determining one of the first candidate read voltage level and the second candidate read voltage level as the target read voltage level according to the first candidate vector distance parameter and the second candidate vector distance parameter.

### Claim 23 (depends on 22)

The memory control circuit unit according to claim 22, wherein the operation of the memory management circuit determining the one of the first candidate read voltage level and the second candidate read voltage level as the target read voltage level according to the first candidate vector distance parameter and the second candidate vector distance parameter comprises:
determining a second vector distance parameter according to a second error evaluation parameter among the plurality of error evaluation parameters, wherein the second error evaluation parameter corresponds to the second read voltage level;
obtaining a first difference value between the first candidate vector distance parameter and the second vector distance parameter;
obtaining a second difference value between the second candidate vector distance parameter and the second vector distance parameter; and
determining the one of the first candidate read voltage level and the second candidate read voltage level as the target read voltage level according to the first difference value and the second difference value.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

The memory control circuit unit according to claim 23, wherein the operation of the memory management circuit determining the one of the first candidate read voltage level and the second candidate read voltage level as the target read voltage level according to the first difference value and the second difference value comprises:
obtaining a first difference value sum corresponding to the first candidate read voltage level according to the first difference value;
obtaining a second difference value sum corresponding to the second candidate read voltage level according to the second difference value;
determining the first candidate read voltage level as the target read voltage level in response to the first difference value sum being smaller than the second difference value sum; and
determining the second candidate read voltage level as the target read voltage level in response to the second difference value sum being smaller than the first difference value sum.