Low overhead refresh management of a memory device
AssigneeRambus Inc.
InventorJ. James Tringali
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method for performing a low overhead refresh management of a memory device. The method includes receiving, by a controller from a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) device via a feedback interface, a signal indicative of an occurrence of a row hammer event. The method includes determining, by the controller based on the signal, whether to schedule a refresh event. The method includes sending, by the controller responsive to determining whether to schedule the refresh event, a first command to the DRAM device to execute a refresh operation.
Claims20
A method of controlling a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) device, the method comprising:
- receiving, by a controller from the DRAM device via a feedback interface, a signal indicative of an occurrence of a row hammer event;
- determining, by the controller based on the signal, whether to schedule a refresh event;
- and
- sending, by the controller responsive to determining whether to schedule the refresh event, a first command to the DRAM device, to execute a refresh operation.
A controller integrated circuit (IC) device, comprising:
- a command interface to be coupled to a memory device;
- a data interface to be coupled to the memory device;
- a feedback interface to be coupled to the memory device;
- a controller circuit coupled to the command interface and the feedback interface, the controller circuit to:
- receive, from the memory device via the feedback interface, a signal indicative of an occurrence of a row hammer event;
- determine a refresh event based on the signal;
- and
- send, via the command interface responsive to determining to schedule the refresh event, a first command to the memory device to cause the memory device to perform a refresh operation.
A dynamic random access memory (DRAM) device, comprising:
- an array of memory cells;
- a command interface to receive commands from a controller integrated circuit (IC) device;
- a feedback interface to send, to the controller IC device, a signal indicative of an occurrence of a row hammer event;
- and
- a control circuit coupled to the array of memory cells, the command interface, and the feedback interface, the control circuit to detect the occurrence of the row hammer event.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.