Power efficient circuits and methods for phase alignment
Granted: January 28, 2025
Patent Number:
12212646
A timing-calibration circuit uses an active phase interpolator to calibrate clock delays through a number of passive fractional delay elements. The timing-calibration circuit minimizes system-wide power consumption by limiting the number and usage of active phase interpolators for delay adjustment in favor of the passive fractional delay elements.
Data-buffer controller/control-signal redriver
Granted: January 28, 2025
Patent Number:
12211583
In a memory system having multiple memory sockets for removable insertion of memory modules therein, off-module data buffers are disposed in a data signaling data path between a memory control component and the memory sockets, and an off-module buffer controller is disposed in a control signaling path between the memory control component and the memory sockets. The off-module buffer controller receives control signals transmitted by the memory control component and re-drives/re-transmits…
Protocol for refresh between a memory controller and a memory device
Granted: January 28, 2025
Patent Number:
12211540
The present embodiments provide a system that supports self-refreshing operations in a memory device. During operation, the system transitions the memory device from an auto-refresh state, wherein a memory controller controls refreshing operations for the memory device, to a self-refresh state, wherein the memory device controls the refreshing operations. While the memory device is in the self-refresh state, the system sends progress information for the refreshing operations from the…
Memory modules and systems with variable-width data ranks and configurable data-rank timing
Granted: January 28, 2025
Patent Number:
12210467
A memory system supports single- and dual-memory-module configurations, both supporting point-to-point communication between a host (e.g., a memory controller) and the memory module or modules. Each memory module includes an address-buffer component, data-buffer components, and two sets of memory dies, each set termed a “timing rank,” that can be accessed independently. The one memory module is configured in a wide mode for the single-memory-module configuration, in which case both…
Variable resolution digital equalization
Granted: January 21, 2025
Patent Number:
12206423
A receiver includes a variable resolution analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and variable resolution processing logic/circuitry. The processing logic may use feed-forward equalization (FFE) techniques to process the outputs from the ADC. When receiving data from a channel having low attenuation, distortion, and/or noise, the ADC and processing logic may be configured to sample and process the received signal using fewer bits, and therefore less logic, than when configured to receiving…
Memory buffer with data scrambling and error correction
Granted: January 21, 2025
Patent Number:
12205669
A method for operating a DRAM device. The method includes receiving in a memory buffer in a first memory module hosted by a computing system, a request for data stored in RAM of the first memory module from a host controller of the computing system. The method includes receiving with the memory buffer, the data associated with a RAM, in response to the request and formatting with the memory buffer, the data into a scrambled data in response to a pseudo-random process. The method includes…
Near-memory compute module
Granted: January 21, 2025
Patent Number:
12204758
Disclosed herein are systems having an integrated circuit device disposed within an integrated circuit package having a periphery, and within this periphery a transaction processor is configured to receive a combination of signals (e.g., using a standard memory interface), and intercept some of the signals to initiate a data transformation, and forward the other signals to one or more memory controllers within the periphery to execute standard memory access operations (e.g., with a set…
Unsuccessful write retry buffer
Granted: January 21, 2025
Patent Number:
12204469
A memory module includes at least two memory devices. Each of the memory devices perform verify operations after attempted writes to their respective memory cores. When a write is unsuccessful, each memory device stores information about the unsuccessful write in an internal write retry buffer. The write operations may have only been unsuccessful for one memory device and not any other memory devices on the memory module. When the memory module is instructed, both memory devices on the…
Compression via deallocation
Granted: January 21, 2025
Patent Number:
12204446
A buffer/interface device of a memory node reads a block of data (e.g., page). As each unit of data (e.g., cache line sized) of the block is read, it is compared against one or more predefined patterns (e.g., all 0's, all 1's, etc.). If the block (page) is only storing one of the predefined patterns, a flag in the page table entry for the block is set to indicate the block is only storing one of the predefined patterns. The physical memory the block was occupying may then be deallocated…
Load reduced memory module
Granted: January 14, 2025
Patent Number:
12200860
The embodiments described herein describe technologies for memory systems. One implementation of a memory system includes a motherboard substrate with multiple module sockets, at least one of which is populated with a memory module. A first set of data lines is disposed on the motherboard substrate and coupled to the module sockets. The first set of data lines includes a first subset of point-to-point data lines coupled between a memory controller and a first socket and a second subset…
Low power edge and data sampling
Granted: January 14, 2025
Patent Number:
12200096
An integrated circuit receiver is disclosed comprising a data receiving circuit responsive to a timing signal to detect a data signal and an edge receiving circuit responsive to the timing signal to detect a transition of the data signal. One of the data or edge receiving circuits comprises an integrating receiver circuit while the other of the data or edge sampling circuits comprises a sampling receiver circuit.
Memory controllers, systems, and methods supporting multiple request modes
Granted: January 14, 2025
Patent Number:
12198780
A memory system includes a memory controller with a plurality N of memory-controller blocks, each of which conveys independent transaction requests over external request ports. The request ports are coupled, via point-to-point connections, to from one to N memory devices, each of which includes N independently addressable memory blocks. All of the external request ports are connected to respective external request ports on the memory device or devices used in a given configuration. The…
Memory system with threaded transaction support
Granted: January 14, 2025
Patent Number:
12197731
Memory modules, systems, memory controllers and associated methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, a memory module includes a module substrate having first and second memory devices. Buffer circuitry disposed on the substrate couples to the first and second memory devices via respective first and second secondary interfaces. The buffer circuitry includes a primary signaling interface for coupling to a group of signaling links associated with a memory controller. The primary signaling…
Redundant data log retrieval in multi-processor device
Granted: January 14, 2025
Patent Number:
12197602
A device includes interface circuitry to receive requests from at least one host system, a primary processor coupled to the interface circuitry, and a secure processor coupled to the primary processor. In response to a failure of the primary processor, the secure processor is to: verify a log retrieval command received via the interface circuitry, wherein the log retrieval command is cryptographically signed; in response to the verification, retrieve crash dump data stored in memory that…
Memory module threading with staggered data transfers
Granted: January 14, 2025
Patent Number:
12197354
A method of transferring data between a memory controller and at least one memory module via a primary data bus having a primary data bus width is disclosed. The method includes accessing a first one of a memory device group via a corresponding data bus path in response to a threaded memory request from the memory controller. The accessing results in data groups collectively forming a first data thread transferred across a corresponding secondary data bus path. Transfer of the first data…
Methods and apparatus for testing inaccessible interface circuits in a semiconductor device
Granted: January 14, 2025
Patent Number:
12196805
A semiconductor IC device comprises a timing circuit to transfer a timing signal, the timing circuit being configured to receive a first test signal and to effect a delay in the timing signal in response to the first test signal, the first test signal including a first timing event. The semiconductor IC device further comprises an interface circuit configured to transfer the data signal in response to the timing signal, the interface circuit being further configured to receive a second…
Command-differentiated storage of internally and externally sourced data
Granted: January 7, 2025
Patent Number:
12189523
A memory device having a DRAM core and a register stores first data in the register before receiving first and second memory access commands via a command interface and before receiving second data via a data interface. The memory device responds to the first memory access command by writing the first data from the register to the DRAM core and responds to the second memory access command by writing the second data from the data interface to the DRAM core.
Deferred fractional memory row activation
Granted: January 7, 2025
Patent Number:
12190990
Row activation operations within a memory component are carried out with respect to subrows instead of complete storage rows to reduce power consumption. Further, instead of activating subrows in response to row commands, subrow activation operations are deferred until receipt of column commands that specify the column operation to be performed and the subrow to be activated.
DRAM retention test method for dynamic error correction
Granted: January 7, 2025
Patent Number:
12190974
A method of operation in an integrated circuit (IC) memory device is disclosed. The method includes refreshing a first group of storage rows in the IC memory device at a first refresh rate. A retention time for each of the rows is tested. The testing for a given row under test includes refreshing at a second refresh rate that is slower than the first refresh rate. The testing is interruptible based on an access request for data stored in the given row under test.
Buffer IC with asymmetric memory module interfaces
Granted: January 7, 2025
Patent Number:
12189548
An expandable memory system that enables a fixed signaling bandwidth to be configurably re-allocated among dedicated memory channels. Memory channels having progressively reduced widths are dedicated to respective memory sockets, thus enabling point-to-point signaling with respect to each memory socket without signal-compromising traversal of unloaded sockets or costly replication of a full-width memory channel for each socket.
