DRAM interface mode with interruptible internal transfer operation
Granted: January 18, 2022
Patent Number:
11226909
Memory controllers, devices, modules, systems and associated methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, an integrated circuit (IC) memory device is disclosed. The memory device includes an array of storage cells and command interface circuitry to receive an internal transfer command. In response to the internal transfer command, transfer logic reads data from a first portion of the array of storage cells, transfers the data as on-chip transfer data, and writes the on-chip transfer data to…
Hybrid memory module with improved inter-memory data transmission path
Granted: January 18, 2022
Patent Number:
11226897
Disclosed herein are techniques for implementing hybrid memory modules with improved inter-memory data transmission paths. The claimed embodiments address the problem of implementing a hybrid memory module that exhibits improved transmission latencies and power consumption when transmitting data between DRAM devices and NVM devices (e.g., flash devices) during data backup and data restore operations. Some embodiments are directed to approaches for providing a direct data transmission…
Buffer circuit with data bit inversion
Granted: January 18, 2022
Patent Number:
11226766
A buffer circuit includes a primary interface, a secondary interface, and an encoder/decoder circuit. The primary interface is configured to communicate on an n-bit channel, wherein n parallel bits on the n-bit channel are coded using data bit inversion (DBI). The secondary interface is configured to communicate with a plurality of integrated circuit devices on a plurality of m-bit channels, each m-bit channel transmitting m parallel bits without using DBI. And the encoder/decoder…
Memory appliance couplings and operations
Granted: December 28, 2021
Patent Number:
11210240
System and method for improved transferring of data involving memory device systems. A memory appliance (MA) comprising a plurality of memory modules is configured to store data within the plurality of memory modules and further configured to receive data commands from the first server and a second server coupled to the MA. The data commands may include direction memory access commands such that the MA can service the data commands while bypassing a host controller of the MA.
PAM-4 DFE architectures with symbol-transition dependent DFE tap values
Granted: December 28, 2021
Patent Number:
11211960
Decision feedback equalization (DFE) is used to help reduce inter-symbol interference (ISI) from a data signal received via a band-limited (or otherwise non-ideal) channel. A first PAM-4 DFE architecture has low latency from the output of the samplers to the application of the first DFE tap feedback to the input signal. This is accomplished by not decoding the sampler outputs in order to generate the feedback signal for the first DFE tap. Rather, weighted versions of the raw sampler…
Timing-drift calibration
Granted: December 28, 2021
Patent Number:
11211139
The disclosed embodiments relate to components of a memory system that support timing-drift calibration. In specific embodiments, this memory system contains a memory device (or multiple devices) which includes a clock distribution circuit and an oscillator circuit which can generate a frequency, wherein a change in the frequency is indicative of a timing drift of the clock distribution circuit. The memory device also includes a measurement circuit which is configured to measure the…
Memories and memory components with interconnected and redundant data interfaces
Granted: December 28, 2021
Patent Number:
11211114
A memory system includes dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) components that include interconnected and redundant component data interfaces. The redundant interfaces facilitate memory interconnect topologies that accommodate considerably more DRAM components per memory channel than do traditional memory systems, and thus offer considerably more memory capacity per channel, without concomitant reductions in signaling speeds. Each DRAM component includes multiplexers that allow either of…
Memory device comprising programmable command-and-address and/or data interfaces
Granted: December 28, 2021
Patent Number:
11211105
A memory device comprising a programmable command-and-address (CA) interface and/or a programmable data interface is described. In an operational mode, two or more CA interfaces may be active. In another operational mode, at least one, but not all, CA interfaces may be active. In an operational mode, all of the data interfaces may be active. In another operational mode, at least one, but not all, data interfaces may be active. The memory device can include circuitry to select: an…
Local internal discovery and configuration of individually selected and jointly selected devices
Granted: December 28, 2021
Patent Number:
11210244
A memory controller interfaces with one or more memory devices having configurable width data buses and configurable connectivity between data pins of the memory devices and data pins of the memory controller. Upon initialization of the memory devices, the memory controller automatically discovers the connectivity configuration of the one or more memory devices, including both individually selected and jointly selected devices. After discovering connectivity of the connected devices, the…
Memory system with cached memory module operations
Granted: December 28, 2021
Patent Number:
11210242
Memory controllers, devices, modules, systems and associated methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, a memory module includes a pin interface for coupling to a bus. The bus has a first width. The module includes at least one storage class memory (SCM) component and at least one DRAM component. The memory module operates in a first mode that utilizes all of the first width, and in a second mode that utilizes less than all of the first width.
Phase rotator non-linearity reduction
Granted: December 21, 2021
Patent Number:
11206031
A phase rotator receives control signals and thermometer coded signals that specifies the phase of an output signal. The phase rotator may be used, for example, by a clock and data recovery (CDR) circuit to continually rotate the phase of a clock to compensate for phase/frequency mismatches between received data and the clock. The control signals determine the phase quadrant (i.e., 0°-90°, 90°-180°, etc.) of the output signal. The thermometer coded signals determine the phase of the…
On-die termination
Granted: December 21, 2021
Patent Number:
11206020
Local on-die termination controllers for effecting termination of a high-speed signaling links simultaneously engage on-die termination structures within multiple integrated-circuit memory devices disposed on the same memory module, and/or within the same integrated-circuit package, and coupled to the high-speed signaling link. A termination control bus is coupled to memory devices on a module, and provides for peer-to-peer communication of termination control signals.
Memory component that performs data write from pre-programmed register
Granted: December 21, 2021
Patent Number:
11204863
A memory access command, column address and plurality of write data values are received within an integrated-circuit memory chip via external signaling links. In response to the memory access command, the integrated-circuit memory chip (i) decodes the column address to select address-specified sense amplifiers from among a plurality of sense amplifiers that constitute a sense amplifier bank, (ii) reads first data, constituted by a plurality of read data values, out of the…
Memory device and repair method with column-based error code tracking
Granted: December 21, 2021
Patent Number:
11204825
A memory device is disclosed that includes a row of storage locations that form plural columns. The plural columns include data columns to store data and a tag column to store tag information associated with error locations in the data columns. Each data column is associated with an error correction location including an error code bit location. Logic retrieves and stores the tag information associated with the row in response to activation of the row. A bit error in an accessed data…
Asymmetric-channel memory system
Granted: December 14, 2021
Patent Number:
11200181
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.
High capacity, high performance memory system
Granted: December 7, 2021
Patent Number:
11194509
Memory devices and a memory controller that controls such memory devices. Multiple memory devices receive commands and addresses on a command/address (C/A) bus that is relayed point-to-point by each memory device. Data is received and sent from these devices to/from a memory controller in a point-to-point configuration by adjusting the width of each individual data bus coupled between the individual memory devices and the memory controller. Along with the C/A bus are clock signals that…
PAM-4 calibration
Granted: December 7, 2021
Patent Number:
11196595
A hybrid voltage mode (VM) and current mode (CM) four-level pulse amplitude modulation (PAM-4) transmitter circuits (a.k.a. drivers) is calibrated using a configurable replica circuit and calibration control circuitry. The replica circuit includes an on-chip termination impedance to mimic a receiver's termination impedance. The amount of level enhancement provided by the current mode circuitry is calibrated by adjusting the current provided to the output node and sunk from the output…
Multi-die memory device
Granted: December 7, 2021
Patent Number:
11195572
A memory is disclosed that includes a logic die having first and second memory interface circuits. A first memory die is stacked with the logic die, and includes first and second memory arrays. The first memory array couples to the first memory interface circuit. The second memory array couples to the second interface circuit. A second memory die is stacked with the logic die and the first memory die. The second memory die includes third and fourth memory arrays. The third memory array…
Low-power source-synchronous signaling
Granted: December 7, 2021
Patent Number:
11195570
A method of operating a memory controller is disclosed. The method includes transmitting data signals to a memory device over each one of at least two parallel data links. A timing signal is sent to the memory device on a first dedicated link. The timing signal has a fixed phase relationship with the data signals. A data strobe signal is driven to the memory device on a second dedicated link. Phase information is received from the memory device. The phase information being generated…
Cross-threaded memory system
Granted: December 7, 2021
Patent Number:
11194749
A multi-chip package includes a logic integrated circuit (IC) die formed with plural memory controller circuits, a first memory IC die and a second memory IC die. The second memory IC die is mounted to the first memory IC die. The first memory IC die and the logic IC die are mounted to one another. The logic IC die includes a serial link interface for coupling to multiple serial links. The first memory die includes a first memory group accessed by a first one of the plural memory…
