Operating memory with specified cache address

• US 8,850,119 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2013
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Pekny, Theodore T., Yu, Jeff
• Primary Examiner(s): RUTZ, JARED IAN
• Application Number:
  US13/867,897
• Publication Number:
  US 20130238846A1
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• Field of Search: 711/103, 711/118
• US Class Current: 711/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0804 with main memory updating G06F12/0806 takes precedence

Abstract

Embodiments are provided for operating a memory device by issuing certain instructions to the memory device that specify a cache and/or memory array address where an operation is to occur. One such method may include loading data into a specified address of a cache of the memory device, in which the specified address of the cache of the memory device may be specified by a first program sequence received at an interface of the memory device from a host external to the memory device. The method may also include writing the data from the specified address of the cache of the memory device to a specified address of a memory array of the memory device, in which the specified address of the memory array of the memory device may be specified by a second program sequence received at the interface from the host.

Claims

1. A method for operating a memory device comprising:

loading data into a specified address of a cache of the memory device, wherein the specified address of the cache of the memory device is specified by a first program sequence received at an interface of the memory device from a host external to the memory device; and

writing data from the specified address of the cache of the memory device to a specified address of a memory array of the memory device, wherein the specified address of the memory array of the memory device is specified by a second program sequence received at the interface from the host.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein loading the data into the address of the cache of the memory device comprises issuing the first program sequence from the host, wherein the first program sequence comprises a program load sequence to the interface to load data into the cache.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the program load sequence comprises a command, a column address corresponding to the address of the cache, and data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein writing the data from the cache of the memory device to the address of the memory array of the memory device comprises issuing the second program sequence from the host, wherein the second program sequence comprises a program execute sequence to the interface to write data to the address of the memory array.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising executing error correction code when a chip select signal is driven to a disabled state at the interface of the memory device.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising polling to determine the status of the data being written by issuing a read status command from the host to the interface of the memory.

7. A method for operating a memory device comprising:

issuing a first instruction from a host to a memory interface to load new data into a column address of a cache of the memory device without initializing data stored at nearby column addresses of the cache, wherein the first instruction specifies the column address; and

issuing a second instruction from the host to the memory interface to load data stored in the cache at or near the one of the plurality of column addresses of the cache to a specified address of a memory array of the memory device, wherein the second instruction specifies the specified address of the memory array, wherein the data stored in the cache at or near the one of the plurality of column addresses of the cache comprises the new data.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first instruction comprises a command, a column address, and data.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the first instruction comprises a dummy bit to align the address to a byte format.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the first instruction comprises a serial signal and the memory interface comprises a serial memory interface.

11. A method for operating a memory device comprising:

communicating with a memory interface from a host, wherein communicating comprises generating a first sequence to read data from a first address of a memory array of the memory device into a specified cache address of the memory device, wherein the first sequence specifies the specified cache address, and generating a second sequence to write the data from the specified cache address of the memory device to a second address of the memory array of the memory device, wherein the second sequence specifies the second address of the memory array.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first sequence comprises a page read command and the second sequence comprises a program execute command.

13. A method for operating a memory device comprising:

issuing a first instruction from a host to a memory interface to read data from a first address of a memory array of the memory device and load the data into a specified cache address of the memory device, wherein the first instruction specifies the specified cache address of the memory device;

issuing a second instruction from the host to the memory interface to load new data into one of a plurality of column addresses associated with the specified cache address of the memory device, wherein the second instruction specifies the one of the plurality of column addresses; and

issuing a third instruction from the host to the memory interface to write data from the specified cache address of the memory device to a second address of the memory array of the memory device, wherein the third instruction specifies the second address of the memory array of the memory device.

14. The method if claim 13, wherein the second instruction only modifies the data overwritten by the new data.

15. The method of claim 13, comprising moving the data between the first address and second address of the memory array of the memory device based at least partly on a wear leveling algorithm.

16. A method for operating a memory device comprising:

loading first data to a specified cache address of the memory device by issuing a first issuance of a first instruction that specifies the specified cache address to a memory interface from a host;

writing the first data from the specified cache address to a first address of a memory array of the memory device by issuing a first issuance of a second instruction that specifies the first address of the memory array of the memory device to the memory interface from the host;

polling a status of the cache by issuing a first issuance of a third instruction to the memory interface;

if polling indicates that the cache is ready, then loading a portion of the specified cache address with second data by issuing a second issuance of the first instruction that specifies at least the portion of the specified cache address to the memory interface from the host;

polling the status of the cache and the memory device by issuing a second issuance of the third instruction to the memory interface; and

if polling indicates that the cache is ready and the device is ready, writing the second data from the specified cache address to a second address of the memory array of the memory device by issuing a second issuance of the second instruction that specifies the second address of the memory array of the memory device to the memory interface from the host.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the method is repeated for additional sets of data to be written to the memory array of the memory device.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein polling the status of the cache of the memory device comprises receiving from the memory interface a contents of a status register that comprises a cache status indicator.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein polling the status of the memory device comprises receiving from the memory interface a contents of a status register that comprises a device status indicator.

20. The method of claim 16, comprising polling the status of the cache and the memory device to determine if writing the second data to the second address of the memory array of the memory device has completed.