Systems and Methods for Temporarily Retiring Memory Portions
First Claim
1. Flash memory apparatus including:
- a plurality of memory portions, and a controller operative to;
reserve for data retention purposes, for at least a first duration of time, only certain memory portions from among said plurality of memory portions;
allocate data, during said first duration of time, only to said certain memory portions, thereby to define at least one of the plurality of memory portions other than to said certain portions as a retired memory portion for said first duration of time;
determine to copy data from a certain memory portion of said certain memory portions to a retired memory portion based upon a relationship between an effective cycle count of the certain memory portion and an effective cycle count of the retired memory portion;
wherein an effective cycle count of an memory portion is responsive to a number of erase-write cycles that the memory portion has undergone and to an effective duration of time the memory portion had available to recover from erase-write cycles it has undergone; and
copy the data from the certain memory portion to the retired memory portion.
9 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A flash memory apparatus that may include a plurality of memory portions, and a controller operative to reserve for data retention purposes, for at least a first duration of time, only certain memory portions; allocate data, during said first duration of time, only to said certain memory portions, thereby to define a retired memory portion for said first duration of time; determine to copy data from a certain memory portion to a retired memory portion based upon a relationship between effective cycle counts of the certain memory portion and the retired memory portion, an effective cycle count of any memory portion is responsive to a number of erase-write cycles and to an effective duration of time the memory portion had available to recover from erase-write cycles; and copy the data from the certain memory portion to the retired memory portion.
18 Citations
27 Claims
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1. Flash memory apparatus including:
- a plurality of memory portions, and a controller operative to;
reserve for data retention purposes, for at least a first duration of time, only certain memory portions from among said plurality of memory portions;
allocate data, during said first duration of time, only to said certain memory portions, thereby to define at least one of the plurality of memory portions other than to said certain portions as a retired memory portion for said first duration of time;
determine to copy data from a certain memory portion of said certain memory portions to a retired memory portion based upon a relationship between an effective cycle count of the certain memory portion and an effective cycle count of the retired memory portion;
wherein an effective cycle count of an memory portion is responsive to a number of erase-write cycles that the memory portion has undergone and to an effective duration of time the memory portion had available to recover from erase-write cycles it has undergone; and
copy the data from the certain memory portion to the retired memory portion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
- a plurality of memory portions, and a controller operative to;
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24. A memory device comprising:
- an array of semiconductor cells undergoing cycling causing deterioration of said cells; and
at least one heating element operative to heat at least one cell of said array of semiconductor cells without heating at least one other cell of said array of semiconductor cells thereby reducing the cell'"'"'s deterioration due to said cycling.
- an array of semiconductor cells undergoing cycling causing deterioration of said cells; and
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25. A method for operating a flash memory device comprising a multiplicity of flash memory cells, said method comprising:
- programming selected ones from among said multiplicity of cells; and
for at least one individual cell of said multiplicity of cells, tracking the amount of time since programming last occurred in said individual cell. - View Dependent Claims (26)
- programming selected ones from among said multiplicity of cells; and
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27. A method for using a flash memory apparatus, the method including:
- reserving for data retention purposes, for at least a first duration of time, only certain portions from among said plurality of memory portions including allocating data, during said first duration of time, only to said certain portions, thereby to define at least one of the plurality of memory portions other than said certain portions as a retired memory portion for said first duration of time;
determining to copy data from a certain memory portion of said certain memory portions to a retired memory portion based upon a relationship between an effective cycle count of the certain memory portion and an effective cycle count of the retired memory portion;
wherein an effective cycle count of any memory portion is responsive to a number of erase-write cycles that the memory portion has undergone and to an effective duration of time the memory portion had available to recover from erase-write cycles it has undergone; and
copying the data from the certain memory portion to the retired memory portion.
- reserving for data retention purposes, for at least a first duration of time, only certain portions from among said plurality of memory portions including allocating data, during said first duration of time, only to said certain portions, thereby to define at least one of the plurality of memory portions other than said certain portions as a retired memory portion for said first duration of time;
Specification