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US 2018/0122465 A1Published application
Apparatuses and methods for sensing a phase-change test cell and determining changes to the test cell resistance due to thermal exposure
AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorsJason Brand, Jason Snodgress
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A phase change memory array may include at least one cell used to determine whether the array has been altered by thermal exposure over time. The cell may be the same or different from the other cells. In some embodiments, the cell is only read in response to an event. If, in response to that reading, it is determined that the cell has changed state or resistance, it may deduce whether the change is a result of thermal exposure. Corrective measures may then be taken.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- measuring a respective resistance of selected phase change memory cells of a phase change memory array;
- determining whether the respective resistance of a phase change memory cell of the selected phase change memory cells is within a tolerance range of a respective initial resistance;
- and
- refreshing the phase change memory array responsive to a determination that a count of the selected phase change memory cells having the respective measured resistance outside the tolerance range of the respective initial resistance exceeds a refresh required count.
1 more element
A method, comprising:
- measuring a respective characteristic of selected phase change memory cells of a phase change memory array;
- and
- refreshing the phase change memory array responsive to a determination that a count of the selected phase change memory cells having a respective measured characteristic outside the tolerance range of an respective initial characteristic exceeds a refresh required count.
An apparatus comprising:
- measuring a respective resistance of selected phase change memory cells of a phase change memory array;
- and
- determining whether the respective resistance of a phase change memory cell of the selected phase change memory cells has changed from a respective initial resistance by more than a threshold amount.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.