Data operations in non-volatile memory

• US 9,859,013 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2014
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Lasser, Menahem
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Vu
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHO, SUNG IL
• Application Number:
  US14/270,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20150325290A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,337 Days
• Field of Search: 365148, 365222
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 13/0002 using resistive RAM [RRAM] elements
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 13/0033 Disturbance prevention or evaluation; Refreshing of disturbed memory data
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 13/0069 Writing or programming circuits or methods
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/3418 Disturbance prevention or evaluation; Refreshing of disturbed memory data
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2213/71 Three dimensional array

Abstract

A method includes receiving an in-place refresh command to refresh data at a particular location in a non-volatile memory. The method also includes re-writing the data into the particular location of the non-volatile memory to refresh the data at the particular location in response to the in-place refresh command.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

in a data storage device including a non-volatile memory configured to, responsive to receiving a write command to write data including a “

0”

value and a “

1”

value to a particular location, skip writing at least one value of the “

0”

value and the “

1”

value into a storage element when the storage element already contains the at least one value, performing;

receiving by the non-volatile memory a single in-place refresh command to refresh the data at the particular location in the non-volatile memory; and

in response to the single in-place refresh command, executing an in-place refresh operation by;

reading the data from the particular location,

performing one or more write operations on the particular location such that each storage element of the particular location is programmed at least once without being skipped, and

writing the data to the particular location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a resistive random access memory (ReRAM).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the in-place refresh operation includes reading the data from the particular location to a latch on the non-volatile memory and writing the data from the latch into the particular location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular location corresponds to a page.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular location corresponds to a block.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein re-writing the data includes performing a page-by-page refresh of the data in the block.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a three-dimensional (3D) memory configuration that is monolithically formed in one or more physical levels of arrays of memory cells having an active area disposed above a silicon substrate, and wherein the data storage device includes circuitry associated with operation of the memory cells.

8. A method comprising:

in a data storage device including a non-volatile memory that is configured, for at least one value from the group containing the values zero and one, to execute a write command to write data including a “

0”

value and a “

1”

value to a particular location by skipping writing of the at least one value of the “

0”

value and the “

1”

value into a storage element based on determining that the storage element already stores the at least one value, performing;

receiving by the non-volatile memory a single in-place refresh command to refresh the data at the particular location in the non-volatile memory; and

in response to the single in-place refresh command,

disabling the skipping writing of the at least one value for the particular location, and

re-writing the data into the particular location of the non-volatile memory to refresh the data at the particular location, wherein the re-writing includes for each storage element of the particular location for which the data is equal to the at least one value, writing the at least one value into the storage element in response to the disabled skipping.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a resistive random access memory (ReRAM).

10. The method of claim 8, wherein re-writing the data includes bringing the storage elements of the particular location to a same value prior to writing the data to the storage elements of the particular location.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a three-dimensional (3D) memory configuration that is monolithically formed in one or more physical levels of arrays of memory cells having an active area disposed above a silicon substrate, and wherein the data storage device includes circuitry associated with operation of the memory cells.

12. A method comprising:

in a data storage device including a non-volatile memory, performing;

receiving by the non-volatile memory an in-place refresh command to refresh data at a particular location in the non-volatile memory;

performing one or more write operations on the particular location such that each storage element of the particular location is programmed at least once without being skipped; and

in response to the in-place refresh command, re-writing the data into the particular location of the non-volatile memory to refresh the data at the particular location,

wherein performing the one or more write operations includes bringing the storage elements of the particular location to a first common value and bringing the storage elements of the particular location to a second common value different from the first common value prior to writing the data to the storage elements of the particular location.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a resistive random access memory (ReRAM).

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a three-dimensional (3D) memory configuration that is monolithically formed in one or more physical levels of arrays of memory cells having an active area disposed above a silicon substrate, and wherein the data storage device includes circuitry associated with operation of the memory cells.

15. A method comprising:

in a memory device that is configurable, for at least one value from the group containing the values zero and one, to skip writing the at least one value into a storage element when the storage element already contains the at least one value, performing;

receiving, from a controller, a write command to write data including a “

0”

value and a “

1”

value into a particular location in a non-volatile memory;

in response to receiving the write command, determining whether to write the data according to a first mode that skips writing the at least one value into storage elements based on the storage elements already storing the at least one value or according to a second mode that writes the at least one value into the storage elements that already store the at least one value; and

performing one or more write operations on the particular location in the second mode such that each storage element of the particular location is programmed at least once without being skipped.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a resistive random access memory (ReRAM).

17. The method of claim 15, wherein determining whether to write the data according to the first mode or according to the second mode is based on a counter value that indicates a number of write operations that have been performed at the particular location according to the first mode since a most recent write operation was performed at the particular location according to the second mode.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein determining whether to write the data according to the first mode or according to the second mode is based on a probabilistic decision.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a three-dimensional (3D) memory configuration that is monolithically formed in one or more physical levels of arrays of memory cells having an active area disposed above a silicon substrate, and wherein the memory device includes circuitry associated with operation of the memory cells.

20. A method comprising:

in a storage device that includes a controller and a memory device that is configurable, for at least one value from the group containing the values “

0” and

“

1”

, to skip writing the at least one value into a storage element when the storage element already contains the at least one value, performing;

receiving, by the controller, a write command to write data including a “

0”

value and a “

1”

value into a particular location in a non-volatile memory;

in response to receiving the write command, determining by the controller whether to write the data according to a first mode that skips writing the at least one value into storage elements based on the storage elements already storing the at least one value or according to a second mode that writes the at least one value into the storage elements that already store the at least one value; and

performing one or more write operations on the particular location in the second mode such that each storage element of the particular location is programmed at least once without being skipped.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a resistive random access memory (ReRAM).

22. The method of claim 20, wherein determining whether to write the data according to the first mode or according to the second mode is based on a counter value that indicates a number of write operations that have been performed at the particular location according to the first mode since a most recent write operation was performed at the particular location according to the second mode.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein determining whether to write the data according to the first mode or according to the second mode is based on a probabilistic decision.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a three-dimensional (3D) memory configuration that is monolithically formed in one or more physical levels of arrays of memory cells having an active area disposed above a silicon substrate, and wherein the memory device includes circuitry associated with operation of the memory cells.

25. A method comprising:

in a data storage device including a non-volatile memory that is configured, for at least one value from the group containing the values zero and one, to execute a write command by skipping writing of the at least one value into a storage element when the storage element already contains the at least one value, performing;

receiving by the non-volatile memory a write-all command to write data at a particular location in the non-volatile memory;

in response to the write-all command, disabling the skipping writing of the at least one value for the particular location; and

in response to the write-all command, writing the data into the particular location without skipping writing of the storage elements of the particular location that already contain the at least one value.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a resistive random access memory (ReRAM).

27. The method of claim 25, wherein writing the data includes bringing the storage elements of the particular location to a common value prior to writing the data to the storage elements of the particular location.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the write-all command is received as a prefix preceding a write command.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein an opcode of the write-all command matches an opcode of the write command, and wherein the write-all command includes a flag that is received following the opcode and that distinguishes the write-all command from the write command.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein an opcode of the write-all command matches an opcode of the write command, and wherein a flag in the non-volatile memory distinguishes the write-all command from the write command.

31. The method of claim 25, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a three-dimensional (3D) memory configuration that is monolithically formed in one or more physical levels of arrays of memory cells having an active area disposed above a silicon substrate, and wherein the data storage device includes circuitry associated with operation of the memory cells.

32. A method comprising:

in a data storage device including a non-volatile memory, performing;

receiving a write-all command to write data at a particular location in the non-volatile memory;

performing one or more write operations on the particular location such that each storage element of the particular location is programmed at least once without being skipped in response to the write-all command; and

in response to the write-all command, writing the data into the particular location, wherein performing the one or more write operations includes bringing the storage elements of the particular location to a first common value and bringing the storage elements of the particular location to a second common value different from the first common value prior to writing the data to the storage elements of the particular location.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a resistive random access memory (ReRAM).

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a three-dimensional (3D) memory configuration that is monolithically formed in one or more physical levels of arrays of memory cells having an active area disposed above a silicon substrate, and wherein the data storage device includes circuitry associated with operation of the memory cells.

35. A data storage device comprising:

a non-volatile memory configured to, responsive to receiving a write command to write data including a “

0”

value and a “

1”

value to a particular location, skip writing at least one value of the “

0”

value and the “

1”

value into a storage element when the storage element already contains the at least one value; and

circuitry configured, in response to the non-volatile memory receiving a single in-place refresh command to refresh the data at the particular location in the non-volatile memory, to execute an in-place refresh operation by;

reading the data from the particular location;

performing one or more write operations on the particular location such that each storage element of the particular location is programmed at least once without being skipped; and

writing the data to the particular location.

36. The data storage device of claim 35, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a resistive random access memory (ReRAM).

37. The data storage device of claim 35, wherein the non-volatile memory further includes a latch, and wherein re-writing the data includes reading the data from the particular location to the latch and writing the data from the latch in response to receiving the in-place refresh command.

38. The data storage device of claim 35, wherein the particular location corresponds to a page.

39. The data storage device of claim 35, wherein the particular location corresponds to a block.

40. The data storage device of claim 39, wherein re-writing the data includes performing a page-by-page refresh of the data in the block.

41. The data storage device of claim 35, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a three-dimensional (3D) memory configuration that is monolithically formed in one or more physical levels of arrays of memory cells having an active area disposed above a silicon substrate, and wherein the data storage device includes circuitry associated with operation of the memory cells.

42. A data storage device comprising:

a non-volatile memory; and

write circuitry that is configured, for at least one value from the group containing the values zero and one, to execute a write command to write data including a “

0”

value and a “

1”

value to a particular location by skipping writing of the at least one value of the “

0”

value and the “

1”

value into a storage element when the storage element already stores the at least one value,

wherein in response to the non-volatile memory receiving a single in-place refresh command to refresh the data at the particular location in the non-volatile memory, the write circuitry is configured to re-write the data into the particular location of the non-volatile memory to refresh the data at the particular location, wherein re-writing the data includes for each storage element of the particular location for which the data is equal to the at least one value, writing the at least one value into the storage element by disabling the skipping writing of the at least one value for the particular location.

43. The data storage device of claim 42, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a resistive random access memory (ReRAM).

44. The data storage device of claim 42, wherein re-writing the data includes bringing the storage elements of the particular location to a same value prior to writing the data to the storage elements of the particular location.

45. The data storage device of claim 42, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a three-dimensional (3D) memory configuration that is monolithically formed in one or more physical levels of arrays of memory cells having an active area disposed above a silicon substrate, and wherein the data storage device includes circuitry associated with operation of the memory cells.

46. A data storage device comprising:

a non-volatile memory; and

write circuitry that is configured, in response to the non-volatile memory receiving an in-place refresh command to refresh data at a particular location in the non-volatile memory, to re-write the data into the particular location of the non-volatile memory to refresh the data at the particular location, wherein re-writing the data includes performing two or more write operations on the particular location such that each storage element of the particular location is programmed at least once without being skipped, performing the two or more write operations bringing the storage elements of the particular location to a first common value and bringing the storage elements of the particular location to a second common value different from the first common value prior to writing the data to the storage elements of the particular location.

47. The data storage device of claim 46, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a resistive random access memory (ReRAM).

48. The data storage device of claim 46, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a three-dimensional (3D) memory configuration that is monolithically formed in one or more physical levels of arrays of memory cells having an active area disposed above a silicon substrate, and wherein the data storage device includes circuitry associated with operation of the memory cells.

49. A data storage device comprising:

a non-volatile memory; and

write circuitry that is configurable, for at least one value from the group containing the values zero and one, to skip writing the at least one value into a storage element of the non-volatile memory when the storage element already contains the at least one value, and

wherein, in response to receiving a write command from a controller to write data including a zero value and a one value into a particular location in a non-volatile memory, the write circuitry is further configured to determine whether to write data according to a first mode that skips writing the at least one value into storage elements based on the storage elements already storing the at least one value or according to a second mode that writes the at least one value into the storage elements that already store the at least one value by disabling the skipping of writing of the at least one value in the second mode.

50. The data storage device of claim 49, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a resistive random access memory (ReRAM).

51. The data storage device of claim 49, wherein determining whether to write the data according to the first mode or according to the second mode is based on a counter value that indicates a number of write operations that have been performed at the particular location according to the first mode since a most recent write operation was performed at the particular location according to the second mode.

52. The data storage device of claim 49, wherein determining whether to write the data according to the first mode or according to the second mode is based on a probabilistic decision.

53. The data storage device of claim 49, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a three-dimensional (3D) memory configuration that is monolithically formed in one or more physical levels of arrays of memory cells having an active area disposed above a silicon substrate, and wherein the data storage device includes circuitry associated with operation of the memory cells.

54. A data storage device comprising:

a controller; and

a non-volatile memory coupled to the controller, the non-volatile memory including write circuitry that is configurable, for at least one value from the group containing the values “

0” and

“

1”

, to skip writing the at least one value into a storage element of the non-volatile memory when the storage element already contains the at least one value, and

wherein, in response to receiving a write command to write data including a “

0”

value and a “

1”

value into a particular location in the non-volatile memory, the controller is configured to determine whether to write the data according to a first mode that skips writing the at least one value into storage elements based on the storage elements already storing the at least one value or according to a second mode that writes the at least one value into the storage elements that already store the at least one value by one or more of;

disabling the skipping of writing the at least one value in the second mode, and

performing one or more write operations on the particular location in the second mode such that each storage element of the particular location is programmed at least once without being skipped.

55. The data storage device of claim 54, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a resistive random access memory (ReRAM).

56. The data storage device of claim 54, wherein determining whether to write the data according to the first mode or according to the second mode is based on a counter value that indicates a number of write operations that have been performed at the particular location according to the first mode since a most recent write operation was performed at the particular location according to the second mode.

57. The data storage device of claim 54, wherein determining whether to write the data according to the first mode or according to the second mode is based on a probabilistic decision.

58. The data storage device of claim 54, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a three-dimensional (3D) memory configuration that is monolithically formed in one or more physical levels of arrays of memory cells having an active area disposed above a silicon substrate, and wherein the data storage device includes circuitry associated with operation of the memory cells.

59. A data storage device comprising:

a non-volatile memory; and

write circuitry configured, for at least one value of the group containing the values zero and one, to execute a write command by skipping writing of the at least one value into a storage element of the non-volatile memory when the storage element already contains the at least one value,

wherein in response to the non-volatile memory receiving a write-all command from a controller to write data at a particular location in the non-volatile memory, the write circuitry is configured to write the data into the particular location without skipping writing of the storage elements of the particular location that already contain the at least one value by performing one or more write operations on the particular location such that each storage element of the particular location is programmed at least once without being skipped.

60. The data storage device of claim 59, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a resistive random access memory (ReRAM).

61. The data storage device of claim 59, wherein performing the one or more write operations includes bringing the storage elements of the particular location to a common value prior to writing the data to the storage elements of the particular location.

62. The data storage device of claim 59, wherein the write circuitry is configurable to disable skipping of writing the at least one value by performing the one or more write operations.

63. The data storage device of claim 59, wherein the write-all command is received as a prefix preceding a write command.

64. The data storage device of claim 59, wherein an opcode of the write-all command matches an opcode of the write command, and wherein the write-all command includes a flag that is received following the opcode and that distinguishes the write-all command from the write command.

65. The data storage device of claim 59, wherein an opcode of the write-all command matches an opcode of the write command, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a flag, and wherein the non-volatile memory is configured to distinguish the write-all command from the write command according to the flag.

66. The data storage device of claim 59, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a three-dimensional (3D) memory configuration that is monolithically formed in one or more physical levels of arrays of memory cells having an active area disposed above a silicon substrate, and wherein the data storage device includes circuitry associated with operation of the memory cells.

67. A data storage device comprising:

a non-volatile memory; and

write circuitry that is configured, in response to receiving a write-all command to write data at a particular location in the non-volatile memory, to perform one or more write operations on the particular location such that each storage element of the particular location is programmed at least once without being skipped and to write the data to the particular location, wherein performing the one or more write operations includes bringing the storage elements of the particular location to a first common value and bringing the storage elements of the particular location to a second common value different from the first common value prior to writing the data to the storage elements of the particular location.

68. The data storage device of claim 67, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a resistive random access memory (ReRAM).

69. The data storage device of claim 67, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a three-dimensional (3D) memory configuration that is monolithically formed in one or more physical levels of arrays of memory cells having an active area disposed above a silicon substrate, and wherein the data storage device includes circuitry associated with operation of the memory cells.