METHOD FOR CHANGING READ PARAMETER FOR IMPROVING READ PERFORMANCE AND APPARATUSES USING THE SAME

• US 20120084490A1
• Filed: 09/21/2011
• Published: 04/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: SON, Hong Rak, CHO, Kyoung Lae, KONG, Jun Jin, LEE, Sang Hoon, CHOI, Seong Hyeog
• Granted Patent: US 9,009,390 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/00 Interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units interface circuits for specific input/output devices G06F3/00 ; multiprogram control therefor G06F9/46; multiprocessor systems G06F15/16
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/5642 Sensing or reading circuits; Data output circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/00 Erasable programmable read-only memories G11C14/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/02 electrically programmable
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/06 Auxiliary circuits, e.g. for writing into memory
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/3418 Disturbance prevention or evaluation; Refreshing of disturbed memory data
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/349 Arrangements for evaluating degradation, retention or wearout, e.g. by counting erase cycles
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/42 using error correcting codes [ECC] or parity check

Abstract

A memory system including a non-volatile memory device and a memory controller is provided. When a read operation on a first data initially output from the non-volatile memory device during a first read operation is successful, the memory controller may change a read voltage for reading a second data stored in the non-volatile memory device during a second read operation.

Claims

1. A method of operating a memory, the method comprising:

reading data stored in a region of the memory using a current regional read parameter;

determining whether reading is successful; and

when reading is successful, determining an updated regional read parameter in accordance with current cell conditions of the region and transmitting the data read using the current regional read parameter to a host.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, after transmitting the data, saving the updated regional read parameter.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, after transmitting the data, using the updated regional read parameter in reading further data stored in the region of the memory.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, after transmitting the data, using the updated regional read parameter in subsequent reading of associated cells.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein associated cells are in a same block.

6. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein associated cells are in a same page.

7. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein associated cells are coupled to a same wordline.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein determining whether reading is successful includes decoding the data.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising, before decoding the data, determining current cell conditions includes counting a number of ones or zeroes in the data.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein, when the number of ones or zeroes in the data is less than a reference number, updating the read parameter includes increasing a read voltage.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein, when the number of ones or zeroes in the data is greater than a reference number, updating the read parameter includes decreasing a read voltage.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein determining current cell conditions includes reading predetermined data from a spare area.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein determining current cell conditions includes counting a number of ones or zeroes in the predetermined data.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein, when the number of ones or zeroes in the predetermined data differs from a reference number, altering a read voltage.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein, when the number of ones or zeroes in the data is greater than a reference number, altering the read voltage includes decreasing the read voltage.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein, when the number of ones or zeroes in the data is less than a reference number, altering the read voltage includes increasing the read voltage.

17. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein updating the read parameter includes increasing or decreasing a read voltage.

18. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the memory includes non-volatile memory cells.

19. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the memory includes a plurality of multi-level cells for storing data, each of the plurality of multi-level cells being programmed to have one of a plurality of states.

20. A method of operating a memory controller, the method comprising:

receiving data output from a memory during reading of a region of the memory using a current regional read parameter;

determining whether reading is successful; and

when reading is successful, determining an updated regional read parameter in accordance with current cell conditions of the region and transmitting the data read using the current regional read parameter to a host.

21. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein determining whether reading is successful includes error correction decoding the data.

22. The method as claimed in claim 21, further comprising, before error correction decoding, determining current cell conditions including counting a number of ones or zeroes in the data.

23. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein, when the number of ones or zeroes in the data is less than a reference number, updating the read parameter includes decreasing a read voltage.

24. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein, when the number of ones or zeroes in the data is greater than a reference number, updating the read parameter includes decreasing a read voltage.

25. The method as claimed in claim 21, wherein transmitting includes transmitting the error correction decoded data to the host.

26. The method as claimed in claim 25, after transmitting the error correction decoded data, saving the updated regional read parameter.

27. The method as claimed in claim 20, further comprising outputting the updated regional read parameter.

28. A method of operating a memory system, the method comprising:

reading data stored in a region of a memory device using a current regional read parameter;

transmitting data read using the current regional read parameter to a memory controller;

determining, by the memory controller, whether reading is successful; and

when reading is successful, determining, by the memory controller, an updated regional read parameter in accordance with current cell conditions of the region and transmitting the data read using the current regional read parameter to a host.

29. The method as claimed in claim 28, further comprising storing the updated regional read parameter in the memory controller.

30. The method as claimed in claim 28, wherein determining whether reading is successful includes error correction decoding data.

31. The method as claimed in claim 30, comprising, before error correction decoding, determining current cell conditions including counting a number of ones or zeroes in the data.

32. The method as claimed in claim 30, after transmitting the data, saving the updated regional read parameter.

33. The method as claimed in claim 30, after transmitting the data, using the updated regional read parameter in reading data stored in the region of the memory.

34. The method as claimed in claim 30, after transmitting the data, using the updated regional read parameter in subsequent reading of associated cells.

35. The method as claimed in claim 34, wherein associated cells are one of a same block, a same page, and coupled to a same wordline.

36. The method as claimed in claim 28, comprising:

transmitting, by the memory controller, the updated regional read parameter to the memory device;

reading further data stored in the region of the memory device using the updated regional read parameter; and

transmitting data read using the updated regional read parameter to the memory controller.

37-60. -60. (canceled)