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US 9,318,199 B2Granted
Partial page memory operations
AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorsMichael Abraham, Tomoharu Tanaka, Koichi Kawai, Yuichi Einaga
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatuses may include a memory block with strings of memory cells formed in a plurality of tiers. The apparatus may further comprise access lines and data lines shared by the strings, with the access lines coupled to the memory cells corresponding to a respective tier of the plurality of tiers. The memory cells corresponding to at least a portion of the respective tier may comprise a respective page of a plurality of pages. Subsets of the data lines may be mapped into a respective partial page of a plurality of partial pages of the respective page. Each partial page may be independently selectable from other partial pages. Additional apparatuses and methods are disclosed.
Claims34
An apparatus comprising a memory block, the memory block comprising:
- strings of memory cells formed in a plurality of tiers;
- access lines shared by the strings, each access line coupled to the memory cells corresponding to a respective tier of the plurality of tiers, the memory cells corresponding to at least a portion of the respective tier comprising a respective page of a plurality of pages;
- and
- data lines shared by the strings, the data lines comprising a plurality of subsets of data lines, each subset of data lines being mapped into a respective partial page of a plurality of partial pages of the respective page, each partial page independently selectable from other partial pages within the respective page, wherein a particular page of the plurality of pages includes a first partial page and a second partial page, memory cells corresponding to the first partial page are coupled to a particular access line of the access line via a first string driver, and memory cells corresponding to the second partial page are coupled to the particular access line via a second string driver.
1 more element
An apparatus comprising a memory block, the memory block comprising:
- strings of memory cells formed in a plurality of tiers;
- access lines shared by the strings, each access line coupled to the memory cells corresponding to a respective tier of the plurality of tiers, the memory cells corresponding to at least a portion of the respective tier comprising a respective page of a plurality of pages;
- and
- data lines shared by the strings, the data lines comprising a plurality of subsets of data lines, each subset of data lines being mapped into a respective partial page of a plurality of partial pages of the respective page including a first partial page and a second partial page, each partial page independently selectable from other partial pages such that a single memory operation can be independently performed on the first partial page and the second partial page within the respective page, wherein memory cells corresponding to the first partial page of a particular page of the plurality of pages are coupled to a particular access line of the access line via a first string driver, and memory cells corresponding to the second partial page of the particular page are coupled to the particular access line via a second string driver.
1 more element
A method comprising:
- receiving data from a host;
- mapping the data into a page selected from a plurality of pages, each of the plurality of pages corresponding to one of a plurality of tiers in a memory block, the page comprising a plurality of partial pages including a first partial page and a second partial page, each partial page independently selectable from other partial pages, the mapping including mapping a first portion of the data into the first partial page, and a second portion of the data into the second partial page, wherein memory cells corresponding to the first partial page of a particular page of the plurality of pages are coupled to an access line via a first string driver, and memory cells corresponding to the second partial page of the particular page are coupled to the access line via a second string driver;
- programming the first portion of the data into the first partial page;
- and
- programming the second portion of the data into the second partial page independently of the first portion of the data programmed in the first partial page.
2 more elements
A method of operating a memory block, the memory block comprising a plurality of pages, each page of the plurality of pages corresponding to one of a plurality of tiers and each page comprising a plurality of partial pages, the method comprising:
- receiving a request for a memory operation;
- selecting a page from the plurality of pages as a target page;
- selecting a first partial page of the target page to perform the memory operation;
- and
- selecting a second partial page of the target page to perform the memory operation independently of the first partial page, wherein memory cells corresponding to the first partial page of a particular page of the plurality of pages are coupled to an access line via a first string driver, and memory cells corresponding to the second partial page of the particular page are coupled to the access line via a second string driver.
2 more elements
A method comprising:
- receiving, at a memory device, a first partial page of data from a host;
- programming the first partial page of data into a first group of memory cells of a selected page;
- receiving, at the memory device, a second partial page of data after the first partial page of data is programmed into the first group of memory cells of the selected page;
- programming the second partial page of data into a second group of memory cells of the selected page without first erasing the particular page or reprogramming the first partial page of data programmed into the first group of memory cells of the selected page;
- and
- refraining from tracking, in the memory device, which partial pages of the selected page have already been programmed.
3 more elements
A method comprising:
- receiving, at a memory device, a first partial page of data from a host;
- programming the first partial page of data into a first group of memory cells of a selected page;
- receiving, at the memory device, a second partial page of data after the first partial page of data is programmed into the first group of memory cells of the selected page;
- programming the second partial page of data into a second group of memory cells of the selected page without first erasing the particular page or reprogramming the first partial page of data programmed into the first group of memory cells of the selected page;
- refraining from tracking, in the memory device, which partial pages of the selected page have already been programmed;
- and
- refraining from programming partial pages of the selected page into which no data to be written is mapped.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.