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US 8,572,333 B2Granted
Non-volatile memory with extended operating temperature range
AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorsEmanuele Confalonieri, Daniele Vimercati
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus are described for measuring a temperature within a non-volatile memory and refreshing at least a portion of the non-volatile memory when the temperature exceeds a threshold temperature for an amount of time.
Claims22
An apparatus comprising:
- a temperature sensor within a non-volatile memory to measure a temperature within the non-volatile memory;
- a first counter to store a first level of granularity of time the non-volatile memory operates at a temperature above a threshold temperature, the first level of granularity of time the non-volatile memory operates at a temperature above the threshold temperature to be stored in a volatile memory;
- a second counter to store a second level of granularity of time the non-volatile memory operates at a temperature above the threshold temperature, the second counter to be incremented by the first counter each time the first counter reaches a unit of the second level of granularity, the second level of granularity of time the non-volatile memory operates at a temperature above the threshold temperature to be stored within the non-volatile memory;
- and
- a controller to refresh at least a portion of the non-volatile memory when the temperature exceeds a threshold temperature for a period of time.
2 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- a temperature sensor within a non-volatile memory to measure an instant temperature within the non-volatile memory;
- a timer to track an amount of time the instant temperature exceeded a threshold temperature;
- a trigger logic to calculate a mathematical integral of the instant temperature by cumulatively combining a series of instantaneous temperatures measured by the temperature sensor with the amount of time each of the series of instantaneous temperatures exceeded the threshold temperature as measured by the timer, the mathematical integral corresponding to the area of a temperature versus time curve for the amount of time the threshold temperature is exceeded, a value of the calculated mathematical integral to be stored in the non-volatile memory and summed with a previous value of a previously calculated integral to produce a total value;
- and
- a controller to refresh at least a portion of the non-volatile memory when the total value of the calculated mathematical integral exceeds an integral threshold value.
2 more elements
A method comprising:
- measuring a temperature within a non-volatile memory;
- storing a value of a first level of granularity of time the non-volatile memory operates at a temperature above the threshold temperature in a volatile memory;
- incrementing a value of a second level of granularity of time the non-volatile memory operates at a temperature above the threshold temperature each time the value of the first level of granularity reaches a unit of the second level of granularity;
- storing the value of the second level of granularity in the non-volatile memory;
- and
- refreshing at least a portion of the non-volatile memory when the temperature exceeds a threshold temperature for a period of time as determined by at least the value of the second level of granularity.
3 more elements
A method comprising:
- measuring an instant temperature within a non-volatile memory;
- tracking an amount of time the instant temperature exceeds the threshold temperature;
- calculating a mathematical integral of the instant temperature by cumulatively combining a series of instantaneous temperatures measured by the temperature sensor with the amount of time each of the series of instantaneous temperatures exceeds the threshold temperature, the mathematical integral corresponding to the area of a temperature versus time curve for the amount of time the threshold temperature is exceeded, a value of the calculated mathematical integral to be stored in the non-volatile memory and summed with a previous value of a previously calculated integral to produce a total value;
- and
- refreshing at least a portion of the non-volatile memory when the total value of the calculated mathematical integral exceeds an integral threshold value.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.