Apparatuses and methods for controlling refresh operations

• US 10,607,686 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2018
• Issued: 03/31/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Akamatsu, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Viet Q
• Application Number:
  US16/112,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20190013059A1
• Time in Patent Office: 585 Days
• Field of Search: 365 96, 365222, 36523001
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/408 Address circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/18 Address generation devices; Devices for accessing memories, e.g. details of addressing circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/72 with optimized replacement algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/78 using programmable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/783 with refresh of replacement cells, e.g. in DRAMs
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/804 to prevent clustered faults
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 5/04 Supports for storage elements , e.g. memory modules; Mounting or fixing of storage elements on such supports
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 5/063 Voltage and signal distribution in integrated semi-conductor memory access lines, e.g. word-line, bit-line, cross-over resistance, propagation delay
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 8/12 Group selection circuits, e.g. for memory block selection, chip selection, array selection

Abstract

An apparatus includes a first word line, a second word line and a control. The second word line is contiguous to the first word line. The control circuit includes a first defective address storing circuit and a fast detection circuit. The first defective address storing circuit stores first enable information along with first defective address. The first enable information indicates whether or not the second word line is functional. The first detection circuit provides a first signal when the first word line is accessed. The first signal indicates whether or not the second word line is functional. The control circuit activates the second word line when the first signal indicates that the second word line is functional and does not activate the second word line when the first signal indicates that the second word line is not functional.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a first command to enter a target-row refresh mode;

receiving a second command and a third command during the target-row refresh mode, wherein the second command is accompanied by first address information designating a first word line of a plurality of word lines in a memory array, wherein the third command is accompanied by the first address information designating the first word line, and wherein the plurality of word lines further includes a second word line that is proximate to the first word line; and

performing, responsive to the second command and the third command, a refresh operation on the memory array by;

responsive to the second command, activating the first word line; and

responsive to the third command, activating the second word line if the second word line is functional and not activating the second word line if the second word line is not functional.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

before entering the target-row refresh mode, storing defective address information,

wherein the performing a refresh operation on the memory array further includes;

responsive, at least in part, to the first address information accompanying the third command, providing second address information designating the second word line; and

comparing the second address information with the defective address information to cause the second word line to be activated when the second address information does not match the defective address information due to the second word line being functional and to be not activated when the second address information matches the defective address information due to the second word line being not functional.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each of the first word line and the second word line is a normal word line, and

wherein the plurality of word lines further includes a redundant word line that is to be used in place of the second word line when the second word line is defective.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the performing a refresh operation on the memory array further comprises:

activating the redundant word line when the second address information matches the defective address information as the second word line being defective.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first word line is a first redundant word line and the second word line is a second redundant word line.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

before entering the target-row refresh mode, storing enable information indicating whether the second redundant word line is used or not used,

wherein the performing a refresh operation on the memory array further comprises investigating the enable information to cause the second redundant word line to be activated when the enable information indicates that the second redundant word line is used due to the second word line being functional and to be not activated when the enable information indicates that the second redundant word line is not used due to the second word line being not functional.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

before entering the target-row refresh mode, storing defective address information,

wherein the second word line is activated when second address information designating the second word line does not match the defective address information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

before entering the target-row refresh mode, storing defective address information,

wherein the second word line is not activated when second address information designating the second word line does not match the defective address information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second word line is determined to be functional when address information provided to designate the second word line is not defective.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second word line is determined to be not functional when address information provided to designate the second word line is defective.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first word line and the second word line is a normal word line.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first word is a normal word line and the second word line is a redundant word line.

13. A method comprising:

receiving a first command to enter a target-row refresh mode;

receiving a second command and a third command during the target-row refresh mode, wherein the second command is accompanied by first address information designating a first word line of a plurality of word lines in a memory array, wherein the plurality of word lines further includes a second word line that is proximate to the first word line, and wherein enable information indicating whether the second word line is used or not used is stored before entering the target-row refresh mode; and

performing a refresh operation on the memory array by activating the first or second word line responsive to the second or third command, respectively.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first word line is a normal word line and the second word line is a redundant word line.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the performing a refresh operation on the memory array further includes investigating the enable information to cause the redundant word line to be activated when the enable information indicates that the redundant word line is used due to the second word line being functional and to be not activated when the enable information indicates that the redundant word line is not used due to the second word line being not functional.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the performing a refresh operation on the memory array further includes investigating the enable information to cause the redundant word line to be activated when the enable information indicates that the redundant word line is used.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the performing a refresh operation on the memory array further includes investigating the enable information to cause the redundant word line to be not activated when the enable information indicates that the redundant word line is not used.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the performing a refresh operation on the memory array includes:

responsive to the second command, activating the first word line; and

responsive to the third command, activating the second word line if the second word line is functional and not activating the second word line if the second word line is not functional, and

wherein the second word line is activated based on the stored enable information.

19. A method comprising:

receiving a first command to enter a target-row refresh mode;

receiving a second command and a third command during the target-row refresh mode, wherein the second command is accompanied by first address information designating a first word line of a plurality of word lines in a memory array, wherein the third command is accompanied by the first address information designating the first word line, and wherein the plurality of word lines further includes a second word line that is proximate to the first word line; and

performing, responsive to the second command and the third command, a refresh operation on the memory array,

wherein enable information used to cause the second word line to be activated is stored before entering the target-row refresh mode.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the performing a refresh operation on the memory array further includes investigating the enable information to cause the second word line to be activated when the enable information indicates that the second word line is used.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the performing a refresh operation on the memory array further includes investigating the enable information to cause the second word line to be not activated when the enable information indicates that the second word line is not used due to the second word line being not functional.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the first word line is a first redundant word line and the second word line is a second redundant word line.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the performing a refresh operation on the memory array further includes investigating the enable information to cause the second redundant word line to be activated when the enable information indicates that the second redundant word line is used.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the performing a refresh operation on the memory array further includes investigating the enable information to cause the second redundant word line to be activated when the enable information indicates that the second redundant word line is used and to be not activated when the enable information indicates that the second redundant word line is not used.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the performing a refresh operation on the memory array further includes investigating the enable information to cause the second redundant word line to be activated when the enable information indicates that the second redundant word line is used due to the second word line being functional and to be not activated when the enable information indicates that the second redundant word line is not used due to the second word line being not functional.

26. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

before entering the target-row refresh mode, storing defective address information; and

activating the second word line when second address information designating the second word line does not match the defective address information as the second word line being defective.

27. A method comprising:

receiving a first command to enter a target-row refresh mode;

receiving a second command and a third command during the target-row refresh mode, wherein the second command is accompanied by first address information designating a first word line of a plurality of word lines in a memory array, wherein the third command is accompanied by the first address information designating the first word line, wherein the plurality of word lines further includes a second word line and a third word line, wherein the second word line is proximate to the first word line, and wherein the third word line is proximate to the first word line so that the first word line is sandwiched between the second word line and the third word line; and

performing, responsive to the second command and the third command, a refresh operation on the memory array by;

responsive to the second command, activating the second word line if the second word line is functional and not activating the second word line if the second word line is not functional; and

responsive to the third command, activating the third word line if the third word line is functional and not activating the third word line if the third word line is not functional.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

receiving a fourth command accompanied by the first address information during the target-row refresh mode before receiving each of the second command and the third command.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the first word line, the second word line and the third word line are a first normal word line, a second normal word line and a third normal word line, respectively.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

before entering the target-row refresh mode, storing a plurality of defective address information,

wherein the performing a refresh operation on the memory array further comprises;

responsive, at least in part, to the first address information accompanying the second command, providing second address information designating the second normal word line; and

responsive, at least in part, to the first address information accompanying the third command, providing third address information designating the third normal word line, and

wherein the plurality of word lines further includes a first redundant word line and a second redundant word line, the first redundant word line to be used in place of the second normal word line when the second word line is defective, and the second redundant word line to be used in place of the third normal word line when the third word line is defective.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the performing a refresh operation on the memory array further comprises:

activating the first redundant word line when the second address information matches any one of the plurality of defective address information due to the second word line being not functional; and

activating the second redundant word line when the third address information matches any one of the plurality of defective address information due to the third word line being not functional.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

before entering the target-row refresh mode, storing a plurality of defective address information and further storing enable information, the enable information indicating whether each of the first and second redundant word lines is used or not used.

33. An apparatus comprising:

a memory array comprising a plurality of word lines, the plurality of word lines including first, second and third word lines, the second word line being proximate to the first word line, and the third word line being proximate to the first word line so that the first word line is sandwiched between the second word line and the third word line;

a command/address circuit configured to, during a target-row refresh mode, receive first, second and third commands, each of the first, second and third commands being accompanied by first address information designating the first word line; and

a refresh control circuit configured to;

responsive to the first command, activate the first word line,

responsive to the second command, activate the second word line if the second word line is functional and not activate the second word line if the second word line is not functional, and

responsive to the third command, activate the third word line if the third word line is functional and not activate the third word line if the third word line is not functional.