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US 8,806,303 B2Granted
Apparatuses, systems, devices, and methods of replacing at least partially non-functional portions of memory
AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorsChris Bueb, Sean Eilert
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Subject matter disclosed herein relates to determining that a portion of a memory is at least partially non-functional, replacing the portion of at least partially non-functional memory; and adjusting an error detection and/or correction process responsive to determining that the portion of the memory is at least partially non-functional and/or replacing the portion of at least partially non-functional memory.
Claims22
A method for operating a memory device, comprising:
- determining that a portion of a memory is at least partially non-functional;
- replacing the portion of at least partially non-functional memory with a portion of memory allocated to error detection and/or error correction, thereby decreasing a total amount of memory allocated to error detection and/or error correction from an original level, wherein the total amount of memory allocated to error detection and/or error correction does not increase after being decreased;
- and
- adjusting an error detection and/or error correction process responsive to the decrease in the total amount of memory allocated to error detection and/or error correction.
1 more element
A method comprising:
- adaptively reducing memory error detection and/or error correction ability in response to identifying an error-prone memory location in a portion of a memory;
- and
- using an error code (EC) memory portion to store signal or state information previously stored in the identified memory location, thereby reducing a total amount of EC memory from an original level, wherein a total amount of EC memory portion does not increase after reduction.
A non-volatile memory device comprising:
- a memory, the memory including one or more portions allocated to store error code (EC)-related signal or state information and one or more portions allocated to store non-EC signal or state information;
- and
- a controller configured to remap memory locations in the one or more non-EC portions that are determined to be error prone to memory locations in the one or more EC-related portions, thereby decreasing a total amount of EC-related portions from an original level, wherein the total amount of EC-related portions does not increase after being decreased;
- wherein the controller is able to adjust error correction and/or error detection used with the memory.
1 more element
A system comprising:
- memory including a first plurality of memory sectors for storing error code (EC)-related signal or state information and a second plurality of memory sectors for storing other signal or state information, the memory further including a memory controller configured to:
- access signal or state information stored in memory locations in the second plurality of memory sectors;
- identify one or more at least partially non-functional sectors of the second plurality of memory sectors;
- and
- use one or more sectors of the first plurality of memory sectors as substitutes for the one or more at least partially non-functional sectors, thereby decreasing a total number of sectors in the first plurality of memory sectors from an original level, wherein the total amount of sectors in the first plurality of memory sectors does not increase after being decreased.
2 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of integrated circuit memory chips;
- and
- a memory controller configured to:
- determine that one or more memory sectors of the memory chips is at least partially non-functional;
- adjust error correction and/or error detection for one or more sectors of the integrated circuit memory chips;
- and
- replace the one or more at least partially non-functional sectors with one or more sectors allocated to error detection and/or error correction, thereby reducing an amount of sectors allocated to error detection and/or error correction, wherein the amount of sectors allocated to error detection and/or error correction does not increase after being reduced.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.