US 7,409,473 B2 · Off-chip data relocation

Abstract

The on-chip copy process is extended so that the data may be copied between two blocks that may be on different chips, different planes on the same chip, or the same plane of the same chip. More specifically, the methods described here provide a single data copying mechanism that allows data to be copied between any two locations in a memory system. An exemplary embodiment uses an EDO-type timing. According to another aspect, selected portions of the relocated data, such as chosen words in a transferred page, can be updated in the controller on the fly. In addition to transferring a data set directly from a read buffer of a source array to a write buffer of a destination array, the data set can concurrently be copied, if desired, into the controller where an error detection and correction operation can be performed on it.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A memory system, comprising:

a plurality of memory chips, each including:
a memory array;
and
a read/write buffer associated with the memory array;
a controller for managing data stored in the memory system and controlling the transfer of data within the memory system;
and
a bus connectable to the controller and the memory arrays for the transfer of data within the memory system,
wherein the controller can select any of said arrays as a source array and any of the other of said arrays as a destination array for a transfer of a page of data between the respective buffers of said source and destination arrays along said bus a subunit of said page at a time, and
wherein the controller can modify selected subunits in the controller as part of said transfer without temporarily storing the non-selected subunits in the controller as part of said transfer.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Off-chip data relocation

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Off-chip data relocation

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims10