Error correction in multiple semiconductor memory units

An apparatus comprising:

• a first semiconductor memory unit including a first physical memory location having memory cells configured to store a first data having a first value;
• a second semiconductor memory unit including a second physical memory location having memory cells configured to store a second data having a second value;
• a third semiconductor memory unit including a third physical memory location having memory cells configured to store error correction information to recover one of first data and the second data, the error correction information having a value based in part on the first and second values, wherein at least one of the first, second, and third semiconductor memory units includes dice arranged in a stack, the first semiconductor memory unit configured to store a new data in the first physical memory location to replace the first data in the first physical memory location, and the third semiconductor memory unit configured to update the value of the error correction information after the first data is replaced by the new data;
• and
• lines to transfer address between a controller and the first, second, and third semiconductor memory units, wherein the first semiconductor memory unit is selected to store the first data based on a value of a first group of bits of the address, and the third semiconductor memory unit is selected to store the error correction information based on a value of a second group of bits of the address.

An apparatus comprising:

• a first semiconductor memory unit including a first physical memory location configured to store a first data having a first value and a second physical memory location configured a first error correction information having a value based at least in part on a second value of a second data and a third value of at a third data, wherein the first error correction information is used to recover the second data based on the value of the first error correction information and the value of at least the third data if an error occurs in the second data, the first semiconductor memory unit configured to store a new data in the first physical memory location to replace the first data in the first physical memory location, and the first semiconductor memory unit configured to update the value of the error correction information after the first data is replaced by the new data;
• a second semiconductor memory unit configured to store the second data and a second error correction information having a value based at least in part on the first value and a fourth value of a fourth data, wherein the second error correction information is used to recover the first data based on the value of the second error correction information and the value of at least the fourth data if an error occurs in the first data, wherein at least one of the first and second semiconductor memory units includes dice arranged in a stack;
• and
• lines to transfer address between a controller and the first and second semiconductor memory units, wherein the first semiconductor memory unit is selected to store the first data based on a value of a first group of bits of the address, and the second semiconductor memory unit is selected to store the second error correction information based on a value of a second group of bits of the address.

An apparatus comprising:

• semiconductor memory units, at least one of the semiconductor memory units configured to store error correction information having a value based on a value of data stored in a physical memory location in at least a first semiconductor memory unit among the semiconductor memory units, wherein at least one of the semiconductor memory units includes dice arranged in a stack, the at least one of the semiconductor memory units configured to store a new data in the physical memory location to replace the data in the physical memory location, and the at least one of the semiconductor memory units configured to update the value of the error correction information after the data is replaced by the new data;
• a controller configured to recover the data in the first semiconductor memory unit based on the value of the error correction information and a value of data in at least one of the semiconductor memory units, except the value of the data in the first semiconductor memory unit, if an error occurs in the data in the first semiconductor memory unit;
• and
• lines to transfer address between the controller and the semiconductor memory units, wherein at least one of the first semiconductor memory units is selected to store data based on a value of a first group of bits of the address, and at least one of the second semiconductor memory units is selected to store the error correction information based on a value of a second group of bits of the address.

A method comprising:

• storing a first data having a first value a physical memory location in a first semiconductor memory unit, wherein the first semiconductor memory unit is selected to store the first data based on a value of a first group of bits of an address;
• storing a second data having a second value in a second semiconductor memory unit, wherein at least one of the first and second semiconductor memory units includes dice arranged in a stack;
• storing error correction information having a value based in part on the first and second values to recover a selected data of the first data and the second data if an error occurs in the selected data, wherein the error correction information is stored in a third semiconductor memory unit, and the third semiconductor memory unit is selected to store the error correction information based on a value of a second group of bits of the address;
• storing a new data in the physical memory location to replace the data in the physical memory location;
• and
• updating the value of the error correction information after the data is replaced by the new data.

A method comprising:

• transferring data to be stored in a first physical memory location in a first semiconductor memory unit, wherein the data replaces previous data, the previous data being another data stored in the first physical memory location before the data is stored in the first physical memory location, wherein the first semiconductor memory unit is selected to store the data based on a value of a first group of bits of an address;
• obtaining update information based on a value of the data;
• and
• updating a value of error correction information based on a value of the update information, the error correction information being stored in a second physical memory location in a second semiconductor memory unit, wherein the second semiconductor memory unit is selected to store the error correction information based on a value of a second group of bits of the address, and wherein at least one of the first and second semiconductor memory units includes dice arranged in a stack.

A method comprising:

• receiving a notification indicating that an error has occurred in a first data stored in a first physical memory location in a first semiconductor memory unit, wherein the first semiconductor memory unit is selected to store the first data based on a value of a first group of bits of an address;
• retrieving error correction information stored in a second location in a second semiconductor memory unit, the error correction information having a value based in part on a value of a second data stored in a third physical memory location in a third semiconductor memory unit and a value of the first data before the error occurs, wherein the second semiconductor memory unit is selected to store the error correction information based on a value of a second group of bits of the address, and wherein at least one of the first, second, and third semiconductor memory units includes dice arranged in a stack;
• retrieving the second data;
• recovering the first data after the error correction information and the second data are retrieved;
• storing a new data in the first physical memory location to replace the first data;
• and
• updating the value of the error correction information after the first data is replaced by the new data.

A method comprising:

• transferring a first data to be stored in a first physical memory location of a first semiconductor memory unit, wherein the first semiconductor memory unit is selected to store the first data based on a value of a first group of bits of an address;
• calculating a first value difference between a value of the first data and a value of a previous first data, the previous first data being data stored in the first physical memory location before the first data is stored in the first physical memory location;
• updating a value of error correction information stored in a second physical memory location in a second semiconductor memory unit based on the first value difference to produce a value of a first updated error correction information, wherein the second semiconductor memory unit is selected to store the error correction information based on a value of a second group of bits of the address;
• transferring a second data to be stored in a third physical memory location of a third semiconductor memory unit, wherein at least one of the first, second, and third semiconductor memory units includes dice arranged in a stack;
• calculating a second value difference between a value of the second data and a value of a previous second data, the previous second data being a data stored in the third physical memory location before the second data is stored in the third physical memory location;
• updating the value of the first updated error correction information based on the second value difference to produce a second updated error correction information;
• storing the first data in the first physical memory location to replace the previous first data;
• and
• updating the value of the error correction information after the previous first data is replaced by the first data.