T-ram Semiconductor, Inc.

Tram, Inc.

Apple Inc.

Micron Technology Incorporated

Leland Stanford Junior University

Other

Farid Nemati

Scott T Robins

Andrew Edward Horch

Hyun-Jin Cho

Kevin J Yang

James D Plummer

Rajesh N Gupta

Sukalpa Biswas

Zachary K Lee

Robert Homan Igehy

Gregory S Mathews

Steven R Hutsell

Manu Gulati

Jeffrey R Wilcox

Bernard Joseph Semeria

James Vash

Derek R Kumar

Kevin C Wong

Yi Chun Chen

Kalpana Bansal

Badredin Fatemizadeh

Era K Nangia

Bruce Lynn Bateman

Richard Stephen Roy

Jin-Man Han

Kailash Gopalakrishnan

Mahmood Reza Kasnavi

Seong-Ook Jeong

Rajesh Narendra Gupta

Techniques are disclosed relating to memory error tracking and logging. In some embodiments, a memory cache controller circuitry is configured to track, using multiple circuit entries, numbers of detected correctable errors associated with multiple respective locations, and in response to detecting a threshold number of correctable errors for a particular location, generate a signal to the one or more processors that identifies the particular location. In some embodiments, the memory cache controller circuitry includes multiple circuit entries for tracking uncorrectable errors.

Memory error tracking and logging

Techniques are disclosed relating to improving memory reliability. In some embodiments, memory circuitry includes memory cells configured to store data, interface circuitry, and on-die error correcting code (ECC) circuitry. The ECC circuitry may check read data from the memory cells for errors and correct detected correctable errors to generate corrected data. The memory circuitry may provide read data to a requesting circuit via the interface circuitry, including one or more sets of corrected data from the on-die ECC circuitry. The memory circuitry may provide a decoding status flag (DSF) via the interface circuitry, including to: set the DSF to a first value in response to no error being detected for a given set of provided read data, set the DSF to a second value in response to a correctable error that was detected and corrected by the on-die ECC circuitry to provide a given set of read data, and set the DSF to a third value in response to an uncorrectable error detected by the on-die ECC circuitry.

Decoding status flag techniques for memory circuits

In an embodiment, a memory system may include at least two types of DRAM, which differ in at least one characteristic. For example, one DRAM type may be a high density DRAM, while another DRAM type may have lower density but may also have lower latency and higher bandwidth than the first DRAM type. DRAM of the first type may be on one or more first integrated circuits and DRAM of the second type may be on one or more second integrated circuits. In an embodiment, the first and second integrated circuits may be coupled together in a stack. The second integrated circuit may include a physical layer circuit to couple to other circuitry (e.g., an integrated circuit having a memory controller, such as a system on a chip (SOC)), and the physical layer circuit may be shared by the DRAM in the first integrated circuits.

Memory system having combined high density, low bandwidth and low density, high bandwidth memories

Techniques are disclosed relating to improving memory reliability, e.g., in the context of memory circuits with limited reliability features. In some embodiments, memory controller circuitry is configured to communicate with memory circuitry via an interface that supports link error detection. The memory controller circuitry may, based on a corruption indicator, transmit a data and parity combination for the first data block that causes the memory circuitry to detect an uncorrectable write interface error. Subsequent reads of the location may therefore cause an uncorrectable error indication. This may advantageously allow the memory controller circuitry to propagate a corruption indicator as an uncorrectable error in the memory circuit, without requiring additional tracking of the indicator by the memory circuit or memory controller, in some embodiments.

Data corruption tracking for memory reliability

In an embodiment, a memory system may include at least two types of DRAM, which differ in at least one characteristic. For example, one DRAM type may be a high density DRAM, while another DRAM type may have lower density but may also have lower latency and higher bandwidth than the first DRAM type. DRAM of the first type may be on one or more first integrated circuits and DRAM of the second type may be on one or more second integrated circuits. In an embodiment, the first and second integrated circuits may be coupled together in a stack. The second integrated circuit may include a physical layer circuit to couple to other circuitry (e.g. an integrated circuit having a memory controller, such as a system on a chip (SOC)), and the physical layer circuit may be shared by the DRAM in the first integrated circuits.

In one embodiment, a system includes a memory that includes a live section and a spares section. The live section may be mapped to the address space of the system, and may be accessed in response to memory operations. Once an entry in the live section has been detected as failed, an entry in the spares section may be allocated to replace the failed entry. During subsequent accesses to the failed entry, the allocated entry may be used instead. In an embodiment, the failed entry may be coded with an indication of the allocated entry, to redirect to the allocated entry. In one implementation, for example, the failed entry may be coded with N copies of a pointer to the allocated entry, each copy protected by corresponding ECC.

Storing address of spare in failed memory location

Some embodiments include gated bipolar junction transistors. The transistors may include a base region between a collector region and an emitter region; with a B-C junction being at an interface of the base region and the collector region, and with a B-E junction being at an interface of the base region and the emitter region. The transistors may include material having a bandgap of at least 1.2 eV within one or more of the base, emitter and collector regions. The gated transistors may include a gate along the base region and spaced from the base region by dielectric material, with the gate not overlapping either the B-C junction or the B-E junction. Some embodiments include memory arrays containing gated bipolar junction transistors. Some embodiments include methods of forming gated bipolar junction transistors.

Gated bipolar junction transistors, memory arrays, and methods of forming gated bipolar junction transistors

In one embodiment, a system includes a memory that includes a live section and a spares section. The live section may be mapped to the address space of the system, and may be accessed in response to memory operations. Once an entry in the live section has been detected as failed, an entry is in the spares section may be allocated to replace the failed entry. During subsequent accesses to the failed entry, the allocated entry may be used instead. In an embodiment, the failed entry may be coded with an indication of the allocated entry, to redirect to the allocated entry. In one implementation, for example, the failed entry may be coded with N copies of a pointer to the allocated entry, each copy protected by corresponding ECC.

Some embodiments include thyristors having first and second electrode regions, first and second base regions, and material having a bandgap of at least 1.2 eV in at least one of the regions. The first base region is between the first electrode region and the second base region, and the second base region is between the second electrode region and the first base region. The first base region interfaces with the first electrode region at a first junction, and interfaces with the second base region at a second junction. The second base region interfaces with the second electrode region at a third junction. A gate is along the first base region, and in some embodiments does not overlap either of the first and second junctions. Some embodiments include methods of programming thyristors, and some embodiments include methods of forming thyristors.

Thyristors, methods of programming thyristors, and methods of forming thyristors

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Redwood City, CA, United States of America

Farid Nemati