# US 2022/0035535 A1 · Life expectancy monitoring for memory devices

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 2022/0035535 A1
- Document ID: US20220035535A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/365,013
- Filed: 2021-07-01
- Published: 2022-02-03
- Earliest claimed: 2020-07-28
- Assignees: Micron Technology, Inc.
- Applicants: Micron Technology, Inc.
- Inventors: Scott D. Van De Graaff; Todd Jackson Plum; Scott E. Schaefer; Aaron P. Boehm; Mark D. Ingram
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20220035535A1

## CPC

- G06F 3/0616: {in relation to life time, e.g. increasing Mean Time Between Failures [MTBF]}
- G11C 11/4076: Timing circuits (for regeneration management G11C11/406)
- G06F 3/0659: {Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling}
- G06F 3/0679: {Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]}
- G11C 29/50: Marginal testing, e.g. race, voltage or current testing
- G06F 3/0653: {Monitoring storage devices or systems}
- G11C 11/4072: Circuits for initialization, powering up or down, clearing memory or presetting
- G11C 11/4078: Safety or protection circuits, e.g. for preventing inadvertent or unauthorised reading or writing; Status cells; Test cells (protection of memory contents during checking or testing G11C29/52)
- G11C 2029/0409: {Online test}
- G11C 2029/5002: {Characteristic}
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B)

## Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for life expectancy monitoring for memory devices are described. Some memory devices may degrade over time, and this degradation may include or refer to a reduction of an ability of the memory device to reliably store, read, process, or communicate information, among other degradation. In accordance with examples as disclosed herein, a system may include components configured for monitoring health or life expectancy of the memory device, such as components that perform comparisons between signals or other operating characteristics resulting from operating at the memory device and one or more threshold values that may be indicative of a life expectancy of the memory device. In various examples, a memory device may perform a subsequent operation based on such a comparison, or may provide an indication of a life expectancy to a host device based on one or more comparisons or determinations about health or life expectancy.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method, comprising:
performing a first operation at a memory device in response to at least one of a refresh command, an activate command, a read command, a write command, or a power-up sequence, or any combination thereof;
comparing a signal level resulting from the first operation to a threshold value that is indicative of a life expectancy of the memory device; and
performing a second operation at the memory device based at least in part on comparing the signal level resulting from the first operation to the threshold value that is indicative of the life expectancy of the memory device.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
the signal level resulting from the first operation comprises a voltage resulting from the first operation; and
comparing the signal level to the threshold value comprises comparing the voltage resulting from the first operation to a voltage threshold that is indicative of the life expectancy of the memory device.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
the signal level resulting from the first operation comprises a duration associated with performing the first operation; and
comparing the signal level to the threshold value comprises comparing the duration associated with performing the first operation to a duration threshold that is indicative of the life expectancy of the memory device.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining, based at least in part on comparing the signal level resulting from the first operation to the threshold value, an estimated percentage of remaining life of the memory device, or an estimated duration of remaining life of the memory device, or that an estimate of remaining life of the memory device satisfies a threshold of remaining life.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold value is associated with an age or an operating history of the memory device, the method further comprising:
determining that a degradation of the memory device satisfies a threshold degradation based at least in part on comparing the signal level resulting from the first operation to the threshold value.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein performing the second operation at the memory device comprises:
adjusting a voltage parameter of the memory device, a timing parameter of the memory device, or both based at least in part on comparing the signal level resulting from the first operation to the threshold value.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein performing the second operation at the memory device comprises:
disabling a first circuit component of the memory device based at least in part on comparing the signal level resulting from the first operation to the threshold value; and
enabling a second circuit component of the memory device based at least in part on comparing the signal level resulting from the first operation to the threshold value.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein performing the second operation at the memory device comprises:
signaling, to a host device coupled with the memory device, a status of the memory device based at least in part on comparing the signal level resulting from the first operation to the threshold value.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein signaling the status of the memory device comprises:
signaling an indication that a remaining life of the memory device satisfies a threshold of remaining life.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein performing the second operation at the memory device comprises storing, in a non-volatile storage component of the memory device, an indication that a remaining life of the memory device satisfies a threshold of remaining life, the method further comprising:
receiving, from a host device, a request for status information of the memory device; and
transmitting, based at least in part on receiving the request for status information, the indication stored in the non-volatile storage component that the remaining life of the memory device satisfies the threshold of remaining life.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
performing a third operation at the memory device;
comparing a second signal level resulting from the third operation to a second threshold value that is indicative of the life expectancy of the memory device; and
performing the second operation at the memory device based at least in part on comparing the second signal level resulting from the third operation to the second threshold value that is indicative of the life expectancy of the memory device.

### Claim 12

A method, comprising:
receiving, from a memory device, an indication of a life expectancy of the memory device;
determining a parameter for performing one or more access operations on the memory device based at least in part on receiving the indication of the life expectancy of the memory device; and
performing an access operation on the memory device based at least in part on determining the parameter for performing the one or more access operations.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein determining the parameter for performing the one or more access operations on the memory device comprises:
determining to change a parameter for operating the memory device based at least in part on receiving the indication of the life expectancy of the memory device.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein determining the parameter for performing the one or more access operations on the memory device comprises:
determining to refrain from performing a second access operation on the memory device based at least in part on receiving the indication of the life expectancy of the memory device.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, further comprising:
determining to perform the second access operation using a second memory device based at least in part on receiving the indication of the life expectancy of the memory device.

### Claim 16 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, further comprising:
transmitting an indication of a status of the memory device to a device different than the memory device based at least in part on receiving the indication of the life expectancy of the memory device.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, further comprising:
determining that a degradation of the memory device satisfies a threshold degradation based at least in part on comparing the indication of the life expectancy to a threshold associated with an age or operating history of the memory device, wherein transmitting the indication of the status of the memory device is based at least in part on determining that the degradation of the memory device satisfies the threshold degradation.

### Claim 18 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, further comprising:
determining an estimated life expectancy parameter associated with an age or operating history of the memory device; and
determining the parameter for performing the one or more access operations on the memory device based at least in part on comparing the indication of the life expectancy of the memory device to the estimated life expectancy parameter.

### Claim 19 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein receiving the indication of the life expectancy comprises:
receiving an indication of an estimated percentage of remaining life of the memory device, or an indication of an estimated duration of remaining life of the memory device, or an indication that an estimate of remaining life of the memory device satisfies a threshold of remaining life.

### Claim 20 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein receiving the indication of the life expectancy of the memory device comprises:
polling a non-volatile storage component of the memory device.

### Claim 21

An apparatus, comprising:
a memory array comprising a plurality of memory cells; and
circuitry coupled with the memory array and operable to:
perform a first operation in response to at least one of a refresh command, an activate command, a read command, a write command, or a power-up sequence, or any combination thereof;
compare a signal level resulting from the first operation to a threshold value that is indicative of a life expectancy of the apparatus; and
perform a second operation based at least in part on comparing the signal level resulting from the first operation to the threshold value that is indicative of the life expectancy of the apparatus.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The apparatus of claim 21, wherein:
the signal level resulting from the first operation comprises a voltage resulting the first operation; and
to compare the signal level to the threshold value, the circuitry is operable to compare the voltage resulting from the first operation to a voltage threshold that is indicative of the life expectancy of the apparatus.

### Claim 23 (depends on 21)

The apparatus of claim 21, wherein:
the signal level resulting from the first operation comprises a duration associated with performing the first operation; and
to compare the signal level to the threshold value, the circuitry is operable to compare the duration associated with performing the first operation to a duration threshold that is indicative of the life expectancy of the apparatus.

### Claim 24 (depends on 21)

The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the circuitry is further operable to:
determine, based at least in part on comparing the signal level resulting from the first operation to the threshold value, an estimated percentage of remaining life of the apparatus, or an estimated duration of remaining life of the apparatus, or that an estimate of remaining life of the apparatus satisfies a threshold of remaining life.

### Claim 25 (depends on 21)

The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the threshold value is associated with an age or an operating history of the apparatus, and wherein the circuitry is further operable to:
determine that a degradation of the apparatus satisfies a threshold degradation based at least in part on comparing the signal level resulting from the first operation to the threshold value.

### Claim 26

An apparatus, comprising:
circuitry configured for coupling with a memory device, the circuitry operable to:
receive, from the memory device, an indication of a life expectancy of the memory device;
determine a parameter for performing one or more access operations on the memory device based at least in part on receiving the indication of the life expectancy of the memory device; and
perform an access operation on the memory device based at least in part on determining the parameter for performing the one or more access operations.