Memory Package Utilizing At Least Two Types of Memories

• US 20120198143A1
• Filed: 04/03/2012
• Published: 08/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Tremaine, Robert B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,850,115 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0638 Combination of memories, e.g. ROM and RAM such as to permit replacement or supplementing of words in one module by words in another module address formation of the next microinstruction G06F9/26; masking faults in memories by using spares or by reconfiguring G11C29/70
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

A memory package and methods for writing data to and reading data from the memory package are presented. The memory package includes a volatile memory and a high-density memory. Data is written to the memory package at a bandwidth and latency associated with the volatile memory. A directory map associates a volatile memory address with data in the high-density memory. A copy of the directory map is stored in the high-density memory. The methods allow writing to and reading from the memory package using a first memory read/write interface (e.g. DRAM interface, etc.), though data is stored in a device of a different memory type (e.g. FLASH, etc.).

Claims

1. A memory package comprising:

a volatile memory electrically connected to a high-density memory, the volatile memory allows data to be written to or read from the memory package at a bandwidth and a latency associated with the volatile memory; and

a directory in the volatile memory that maps a volatile memory address to data stored in the high-density memory.

2. The memory package of claim 1 further comprising:

a high-density memory portion that stores the directory between the volatile memory address and the data stored in the high-density memory.

3. The memory package of claim 1 wherein the high-density memory is vertically stacked upon the volatile memory.

4. The memory package of claim 3 wherein the high-density memory is electrically connected to the volatile memory utilizing one or more through-silicon vias.

5. The memory package of claim 1 further comprising:

a queue in the volatile memory for temporarily storing the data for storage in the high-density memory.

6. The memory package of claim 2 wherein the volatile memory includes multiple volatile memories and wherein the high-density memory includes multiple high-density memories.

7. The memory package of claim 3 wherein the high-density memory portion is a dedicated portion within at least one of the high-density memories.

8. A method of storing data on a memory package comprising a volatile memory and a high-density memory, the method comprising:

temporarily storing data associated with a volatile memory address in a volatile memory at a bandwidth and a latency associated with the volatile memory;

mapping the volatile memory address to a high-density memory address in a high-density memory;

storing the data associated with the volatile memory address to the high-density memory address in the high-density memory as indicated by the map; and

storing the map in the high-density memory device.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

incrementing a write count associated with the high-density memory address.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

determining if a write count associated with the high-density memory address is greater than a threshold.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

if the write count is greater than the threshold, blocking data from being stored to the high-density memory address; and

storing the data to a second high-density memory address in the high-density memory device.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

mapping the volatile memory address to the second high-density memory address in the high-density memory device.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the map is initially stored in the volatile memory and a copy of the map is stored in the high-density memory, and wherein the data associated with the volatile memory address is temporarily stored in a queue in the volatile memory.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein storing the data associated with the volatile memory address to the high-density memory address further comprises:

transferring the data stored in the queue to the high-density memory.

15. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

storing the data associated with the volatile memory address to the high-density memory address in the high-density memory device only if the data associated with the volatile memory address is characterized as data that is primarily read.

16. A method of reading data from a memory package comprising a volatile memory and a high-density memory, the method comprising:

receiving a request to read data associated with a volatile memory address in a volatile memory at a bandwidth and a latency associated with the volatile memory; and

reading data at a high-density memory address from a high-density memory that is associated with the volatile memory address.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

querying a map to determine the high-density memory address in the high-density memory that is associated with the volatile memory address.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

determining if a read count associated with the high-density memory address is greater than the threshold;

moving the data associated with the high-density memory address to a second high-density memory address; and

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

storing the association between the volatile memory address and the second high-density memory address in the high-density memory device.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the association between the volatile memory address and the second high-density memory address is stored in a map.