# US 9,437,316 B2 · Continuous adjusting of sensing voltages

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- Number: US 9,437,316 B2
- Document ID: US9437316B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/844,722
- Filed: 2015-09-03
- Published: 2015-12-31
- Granted: 2016-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 2013-09-05
- Assignees: Micron Technology, Inc.
- Applicants: Micron Technology, Inc.
- Inventors: Larry J. Koudele
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9437316B2

## CPC

- G11C 16/26: Sensing or reading circuits; Data output circuits
- G11C 5/14: Power supply arrangements {, e.g. power down, chip selection or deselection, layout of wirings or power grids, or multiple supply levels}
- G11C 11/5628: {Programming or writing circuits; Data input circuits}
- G11C 16/0483: {comprising cells having several storage transistors connected in series}
- G11C 16/28: using differential sensing or reference cells, e.g. dummy cells
- G11C 29/021: {in voltage or current generators}
- G11C 29/028: {with adaption or trimming of parameters}
- G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B)

## Abstract

The present disclosure includes apparatuses and methods for continuous adjusting of sensing voltages. A number of embodiments include continuously monitoring an error rate associated with sense operations performed on a group of memory cells, and continuously adjusting a sensing voltage used to determine a state of the memory cells of the group based, at least partially, on the error rate.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for operating memory, comprising:
monitoring a current error rate associated with a number of sense operations currently performed on a group of memory cells;
comparing the current error rate with a previous error rate associated with a number of sense operations previously performed on the memory cells of the group, wherein comparing the current error rate with the previous error rate includes determining a difference between the current error rate and the previous error rate; and
adjusting a sensing voltage used to determine a state of the memory cells of the group based, at least partially, on whether the difference between the current error rate and the previous error rate is greater than a threshold deviation.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the current error rate associated with the number of sense operations currently performed on the group of memory cells is a sum of current error rates associated with the number of sense operations currently performed on the memory cells of the group.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the previous error rate associated with the number of sense operations previously performed on the memory cells of the group is a sum of previous error rates associated with the number of sense operations previously performed on the memory cells of the group.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the number of currently performed sense operations is the same as the number of previously performed sense operations.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes adjusting the sensing voltage used to determine the state of the memory cells of the group upon the number of sense operation currently performed on the group of memory cells reaching a particular number.

### Claim 6

An apparatus, comprising:
a memory comprising a number of groups of memory cells; and
a controller coupled to the memory and configured to:
continuously monitor an error rate associated with sense operations performed on the memory cells of each of the number of groups by continuously performing an accumulation loop that monitors the error rate associated with each sense operation performed on the memory cells of each respective group during operation of the memory; and
continuously adjust a sensing voltage used to determine a state of the memory cells of each respective group based, at least partially, on the error rate associated with the sense operations performed on the memory cells of that respective group.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to continuously adjust the sensing voltage used to determine the state of the memory cells of each respective group during the operation of the memory.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to continuously monitor the error rate associated with sense operations performed on the memory cells of each of the number of groups by monitoring the error rate associated with each sense operation performed on the memory cells of each respective group throughout a lifetime of the memory.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the sense operations performed on the memory cells of each of the number of groups are sense operations initiated by a user of the apparatus.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to continuously adjust the sensing voltage used to determine the state of the memory cells of each respective group by continuously performing a correction loop during the operation of the memory.

### Claim 11 (depends on 6)

The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to determine the state of the memory cells of each respective group using the adjusted sensing voltage for that respective group.

### Claim 12 (depends on 6)

The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the number of groups of memory cells include:
a number of dies of memory cells; and
a number of blocks of memory cells.

### Claim 13

A method for operating memory, comprising:
continuously, during operation of the memory, monitoring an error rate associated with sense operations performed on a group of memory cells; and
continuously, during the operation of the memory, adjusting a sensing voltage used to determine a state of the memory cells of the group based, at least partially, on the error rate by continuously performing a correction loop during the operation of the memory.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the method includes continuously, during the operation of the memory, compensating for threshold voltage change in the memory cells of the group by continuously adjusting the sensing voltage used to determine the state of the memory cells of the group.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the method includes:
continuously, throughout a lifetime of the memory, monitoring the error rate associated with sense operations performed on the group of memory cells; and
continuously, throughout the lifetime of the memory, adjusting the sensing voltage used to determine a state of the memory cells of the group based, at least partially, on the error rate.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the error rate associated with the sense operations performed on the group of memory cells includes a quantity of bits corrected during the sense operations.

### Claim 17 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the method includes:
continuously monitoring the error rate associated with the sense operations performed on the group of memory cells using a controller; and
continuously adjusting the sensing voltage used to determine the state of the memory cells of the group using a controller.