Column repair in memory

• US 10,068,664 B1
• Filed: 05/19/2017
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Penney, Daniel B., Perry, Guy S., Venkata, Harish N., Hush, Glen E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Pho M
• Application Number:
  US15/600,409
• Time in Patent Office: 473 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/702 by replacing auxiliary circuits, e.g. spare voltage generators, decoders or sense amplifiers, to be used instead of defective ones
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/785 with redundancy programming schemes
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/81 using a hierarchical redundancy scheme
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/848 by adjacent switching

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods related to column repair in memory are described. An apparatus can include sensing circuitry. The sensing circuitry can include a first sensing component, a second sensing component, and a third sensing component. The second sensing component can include a defective sense amplifier that is column repaired. The apparatus can include a controller configured to use the sensing circuitry to shift data from the first sensing component to the third sensing component by transferring the data through the second sensing component. The second sensing component can be physically located between the first sensing component and the third sensing component.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

sensing circuitry comprising a first sensing component, a second sensing component, and a third sensing component, wherein the second sensing component includes a defective sense amplifier that is column repaired; and

a controller configured to use the sensing circuitry to;

shift data from the first sensing component to the third sensing component by transferring the data through the second sensing component, wherein the second sensing component is physically located between the first sensing component and the third sensing component.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to prevent the second sensing component from transferring data stored in the sense amplifier of the second sensing component.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising an additional sensing component that is controlled by the controller to replace the defective sensing component in association with shifting data.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to, in response to none of the plurality of sensing components being defective, not use the additional sensing component.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a plurality of column repair circuitries associated with respective sensing components of the sensing circuitry.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a column repair circuitry associated with the second sensing component, wherein the column repair circuitry comprises a set of shift transistors and a set of alternate shift transistors.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the set of shift transistors are configured to, in response to the second sensing component including the defective sense amplifier, be deactivated and prevented from shifting data from the first sensing component to be stored as data in the second sensing component.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the set of alternate shift transistors are configured to be used to, in response to the second sensing component including the defective sense amplifier, perform the shift of the data from the first sensing component to the third sensing component.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a fourth sensing component that is configured to be a redundant sensing component.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein, in response to the second sensing component including the defective sense amplifier, the sensing circuitry is configured to:

store data previously associated with the second sensing component in the third sensing component; and

stored data previously associated with the third sensing component in the redundant sensing component.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the third sensing component is physically between the second sensing component and the redundant sensing component.

12. A method comprising:

in response to a second sensing component physically between a first sensing component and a third sensing component including a sense amplifier that is functional, shifting data stored in the first sensing component to the second sensing component; and

in response to the second sensing component with the sense amplifier being defective, shifting data stored in the first sensing component to the third sensing component.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising, in response to the sense amplifier being defective, shifting data from the third sensing component to an additional sensing component.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, in response to the sense amplifier being functional, not shifting data from the third sensing component to the additional sensing component.

15. The method of claim 12, comprising shifting the data from the first sensing component to the second sensing component through a set of shift transistors, wherein the second sensing component comprises the set of shift transistors.

16. The method of claim 12, comprising shifting the data from the first sensing component to the third sensing component through a set of alternate shift transistors, wherein the second sensing component comprises the alternate shift transistors.

17. An apparatus, comprising:

sensing circuitry comprising a plurality of sensing components, wherein a second of the plurality of sensing components, physically between a first of the plurality of sensing components and a third of the plurality of sensing components, includes a defective sense amplifier that is column repaired; and

a controller configured to use the sensing circuitry to;

shift data from the first sensing component to the third sensing component by transferring the data through the second sensing component;

prevent the second sensing component from transferring data from the defective sense amplifier of the second sensing component; and

in response to the sense amplifier of the second sensing component being defective, shifting data to a redundant sensing component.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the controller is configured to drive a first signal associated with a first pair of signal lines low while driving a second signal associated with a second pair of signal lines high as part of an operation to cause a data value to be shifted from the first respective sense amplifier to the second respective sense amplifier in response to the sense amplifier of the second sensing component not being defective.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the second sensing component comprises a pair of column repair signal lines and the controller is configured to send a column repair signal on the pair of column repair signal lines to block signals carried from the defective sense amplifier.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the second sensing component comprises a second set of column repair signal lines and the controller is configured to send a complementary column repair signal line that is complementary to the column repair signal.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the second sensing component comprises a first set of column repair transistors that are controllable by the controller to be asserted high and a second set of column repair transistors that are controllable by the controller to be asserted low to allow a path for the data to be shifted through the second sensing component.

22. A method, comprising:

in response to a second sensing component physically between a first sensing component and a third sensing component including a sense amplifier that is functional;

shifting data stored in the first sensing component to the second sensing component and shifting data stored in the second sending component to the third sensing component; and

not shifting data to a redundant sensing component; and

in response to the second sensing component including a sense amplifier that is defective;

shifting data stored in the first sensing component to the third sensing component; and

shifting data from the third sensing component to an additional sensing component.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the data shifted from the first sensing component to the third sensing component is shifted through the second sensing component.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the data is shifted through the second sensing component without being stored in the second sensing component.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein data stored in the defective sense amplifier of the second sensing component is prevent from being shifted to another sensing component.