Apple Inc.

Assaf Shappir

Itay Sagron

Barak Baum

Yael Shur

Roman Guy

Stas Mouler

Barak Rotbard

Michael Tsohar

Guy Ben-Yehuda

Eyal Gurgi

Yoav Kasorla

Etai Zaltsman

Moshe Neerman

Nir Tishbi

Eli Yazovitsky

Meir Dalal

Ruby Mizrahi

Itamar Atiya

Ofer Shapira

A storage apparatus includes an interface and storage circuitry. The interface is configured to communicate with a plurality of memory cells organized in multiple memory blocks. The storage circuitry is configured to produce a given readout by reading data from a group of the memory cells in a given memory block, using a given read voltage, to calculate a given zeros-ones imbalance level of the given readout, based on the given zeros-ones imbalance level, to check whether the given readout level is zeros-ones balanced or unbalanced in accordance with a balance criterion, and upon detecting that the given readout is zeros-ones unbalanced, mark the given memory block as suspected of being unusable.

Identifying unusable memory blocks based on zeros-ones imbalance in memory readouts

A controller includes an interface and circuitry. The interface communicates with memory cells arranged in multiple address locations. Storage nodes holding storage values included in the memory cells are accessible using select transistors powered by an adjustable supply voltage. The circuitry reads data units protected by an Error Correction Code (ECC) from the memory cells and decode the ECC of the data units. Upon detecting, using the ECC, that a given data unit read from a given address location contains one or more errors, the circuitry logs an error event specifying at least a time of occurrence associated with the error event and the given address location. The circuitry identifies that the select transistors experience physical degradation due to aging, based on the times of occurrence and address locations logged in the error events, and adjusts the supply voltage provided to the select transistors to compensate for the physical degradation.

Mitigation of transistor reliability degradation within memory circuits

A storage apparatus includes an interface and storage circuitry. The interface communicates with a plurality of memory cells, and an individual one of the plurality of memory cells stores data in multiple programming levels. The storage circuitry configured to program data to a first group of multiple memory cells in a number of programming levels larger than two, using a One-Pass Programming (OPP) scheme that results in a first readout reliability level. After programming the data, the storage circuitry is further configured to read the data from the first group, and program the data read from the first group to a second group of the memory cells, in a number of programming levels larger than two, using a Multi-Pass Programming (MPP) scheme that results in a second readout reliability higher than the first reliability level, and reading the data from the second group of the memory cells.

Efficient programming schemes in a nonvolatile memory

A controller includes an interface and storage circuitry. The interface is configured to communicate with a memory device that includes multiple memory cells organized in memory blocks. The memory device supporting programming of the memory cells with enabled or disabled program-verification. The storage circuitry is configured to disable the program-verification, and program data to a group of the memory cells in a Single Level Cell (SLC) mode using a single programming pulse, to read the data from the group of the memory cells. In response to detecting a failure in reading the data, the storage circuitry is configured to distinguish between whether the memory cells in the group belong to a defective memory block or were under-programmed, and when identifying that the memory cells in the group were under-programmed, to perform a corrective action to prevent under-programming in subsequent program operations to the memory cells in the group.

Identifying failure type in NVM programmed in SLC mode using a single programming pulse with no verification

A controller includes an interface and storage circuitry. The interface communicates with one or more memory devices, each of the memory devices includes multiple memory cells organized in memory blocks. The storage circuitry is configured to perform multiple storage operations to the memory cells in the one or more memory devices, and mark memory blocks in which one or more storage operations have failed as bad blocks. The controller is further configured to identify a pattern of multiple bad blocks occurring over a sequence of multiple consecutive storage operations, the pattern is indicative of a system-level malfunction in a memory system including the controller, and in response to identifying the pattern, to perform a corrective action to the memory system.

Handling malfunction in a memory system comprising a nonvolatile memory by monitoring bad-block patterns

A memory system includes a Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) and storage circuitry. The NVM includes memory cells organized in multiple memory blocks that each includes multiple Word Lines (WLs). The storage circuitry assigns in a recovery scheme, data pages to predefined parity groups, including assigning to a parity group multiple data pages of two or more different bit-significance values in a common group of the memory cells in a WL. The storage circuitry calculates redundancy data over the data pages of a given parity group in accordance with the recovery scheme and stores the redundancy data in a dedicated group of the memory cells. The storage circuitry reads a data page belonging to the given parity group, and upon detecting a read failure, recovers the data page based on other data pages in the given parity group and on the redundancy data calculated for the given parity group.

Schemes for protecting data in NVM device using small storage footprint

A controller includes an interface and a processor. The interface is configured to communicate with a nonvolatile memory including multiple memory cells organized in multiple memory blocks that each includes multiple Word Lines (WLs). The processor is configured to store first data in one or more WLs of a memory block, the first data occupies less than a maximal number of WLs available in the memory block, to calculate redundancy data over the first data and store the redundancy data in a dedicated memory, to program second data to a selected WL of the memory block that was not programmed with the first data, to check a programming status resulting from the programming of the selected WL, and in response to identifying that programming the second data to the selected WL has corrupted at least part of the first data, to recover the first data using the redundancy data.

Recovering from failure in programming a nonvolatile memory

A storage device includes storage circuitry and multiple memory cells. The memory cells are organized in multiple memory blocks of a nonvolatile memory. The storage circuitry is configured to define a partial verification scheme that specifies testing only a data portion of the data programmed to the memory blocks, to program data to a memory block, calculate redundancy data over the data, and save the calculated redundancy data in a dedicated memory, to verify that the data portion specified for the memory block in the partial verification scheme has been programmed successfully, to check a predefined condition for conditionally performing full verification to the memory block, when the predefined condition is fulfilled, to verify that data programmed to the memory block and not tested using the partial verification scheme has been programmed successfully, and to recover, using the redundancy data, at least part of the data programmed that failed verification.

Efficient post programming verification in a nonvolatile memory

An apparatus includes an interface and storage circuitry. The interface is configured to communicate with a memory including multiple memory cells that store data as respective analog values. The memory is addressable using physical addresses. The storage circuitry is configured to perform a first read operation from a physical address, and determine a first sequence of analog values retrieved by the first read operation, to further perform a second read operation from the physical address, and determine a second sequence of analog values retrieved by the second read operation, to evaluate a variation between the first sequence and the second sequence, and to determine that an unauthorized re-programming to the physical address has occurred between the first read operation and the second read operation, in response to the evaluated variation exceeding a predefined variation level.

Tamper-proof storage using signatures based on threshold voltage distributions

A memory controller includes an interface and circuitry. The interface is configured to communicate with a memory device, which includes multiple memory cells, and which applies refreshing to the memory cells by repeatedly inverting data stored in the memory cells. The circuitry is configured to store input data in a group of the memory cells, to read the stored input data from the group of the memory cells to produce read data, the read data has an actual polarity that is either un-inverted or inverted due to the refreshing of the memory cells in the group, to analyze the read data for identifying the actual polarity of the read data, and to recover the input data from the read data based on the identified actual polarity.

Recovery of data read from memory with unknown polarity

A storage device includes storage circuitry and multiple memory blocks. The multiple memory blocks are arranged in an array, and each of the memory blocks includes multiple memory cells. A maximal number of programming cycles that a memory block of the multiple memory blocks sustains depends on a distance of the memory block from an edge of the array. The storage circuitry is configured to apply to the memory blocks programming cycles so that a number of programming cycles that can be applied to a respective memory block is based on a respective distance of the respective memory block from the edge of the array.

Memory block usage based on block location relative to array edge

A memory controller includes an interface and a processor. The interface is configured to communicate with one or more memory devices that require an operation voltage. The memory devices are capable of obtaining the operation voltage either from a power supply external to the memory device or from respective charge pumps internal to the memory devices. The processor is configured to predict storage activity in the memory devices, and to cause the memory devices to select a source for the operation voltage between the power supply and the respective charge pumps in accordance with the predicted storage activity.

Dynamic control of power consumption based on memory device activity

A controller includes an interface and a processor. The interface is configured to communicate with a memory including multiple memory cells organized in at least two sections each including multiple sets of word lines (WLs), wherein in a first failure mode multiple WLs fail in a single section, and in a second failure mode a WL fails in multiple sections. The processor is configured to assign multiple cell-groups of the memory cells to a parity-group, such that (i) no two cell-groups in the parity-group belong to a same WL, and (ii) no two cell-groups in the parity-group belong to adjacent WLs in a same section, and, upon detecting a failure to access a cell-group in the parity-group, due to either the first or second failure modes but not both failure modes occurring simultaneously, to recover the data stored in the cell-group using one or more remaining cell-groups in the parity-group.

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Ganey Tikva, Israel

Assaf Shappir