Apple Inc.

Robert E Jeter

Rakesh L Notani

Kai Lun Hsiung

Venkata Ramana Malladi

Fabien S Faure

Neeraj Parik

Jingkui Zheng

Naveen Kumar Korada

Rahul Ranjan

Sukalpa Biswas

Alma L Juarez Dominguez

Manu Gulati

Ulrich Tobias Barnhoefer

Kiran Kattel

Brijesh Tripathi

John H Kelm

Ritesh J Shah

Veera Chockalingam

Satish B Dulam

David A Knopf

Suhas Kumar Suvarna Ramesh

Shiva Kumar

Chaitanya Polapragada

Allen Kim

Peter F Holland

Erik P Machnicki

Gurjeet S Saund

Gregory S Mathews

Marc A Schaub

Xingchao C Yuan

Yanzhe Liu

Taehyun Kim

Liang Deng

Yi Chun Chen

Matthew R Johnson

Srinivasa Rao Masanam

Mohammad Rizwan

Enming Zheng

Thomas H Huang

An apparatus for performing memory calibrations during a performance state change is disclosed. A memory controller is configured to convey a clock signal to a memory and includes a calibration control circuit configured to perform a plurality of calibrations of the clock signal during a change from a first one to a second one of a plurality of performance states, and a delay circuit configured to apply a delay to clock signal conveyed to the memory. In performing a one of the calibrations, the calibration control circuit is configured to convey, to the memory, a first command to begin a timing test that generates a count value indicative of a current voltage of the memory, receive the count value from the memory at a conclusion of the timing test, and cause the delay circuit to adjust, based on the count value, the delay applied to the clock signal.

Voltage ramp memory calibration

An apparatus for performing a write data strobe concurrent with a reference voltage calibration is disclosed. A memory controller circuit is configured to convey a write clock signal to a memory. The memory controller circuit includes a calibration circuit configured to send a first command to memory to initiate a calibration of the write clock signal and, after an amount of time has elapsed, receive a calibration value from the memory. The memory controller further includes a delay circuit configured to apply a delay to the write clock signal, wherein the calibration circuit is configured to complete calibration of the write clock signal by adjusting the delay applied to the write clock signal in accordance with the calibration value. The calibration circuit is further configured to perform a reference voltage calibration concurrent with the calibration of the write clock signal.

Concurrent write data strobe and reference voltage calibrations

Memory calibration with a margin check is disclosed. A memory subsystem includes a memory and a memory controller coupled to the memory. The memory controller includes a calibration circuit configured to perform, during an initialization process, horizontal memory calibrations for ones of a plurality of performance states and to determine and store, in a storage circuit, information indicative of a set of differences between calibration results for pairs of the plurality of performance states. The memory controller is further configured to, subsequent to the initialization process and in response to a change from a first one of the plurality of performance states to a second one of the plurality of performance states set initial memory parameters for the second performance state based on the set of differences. Thereafter, operation begins in the second performance state without performing an initial horizontal calibration.

Memory calibration and margin check

The present disclosure is directed to a computing device in which memory calibrations may be modified based on an energy budget. A computing device is configured to operate using energy provided from at least one energy source. The computing device includes a memory and a memory controller coupled to the memory. The memory controller includes a calibration circuit configured to perform a memory calibration. The computing device further includes an energy detection circuit configured to detect and indicate an amount of energy available to the computing device. The memory controller is configured to, based on the amount of energy available to the computing device and a specified energy limit, modify a resolution of the memory calibration such that the memory calibration consumes less energy than the specified energy limit.

Memory calibration in limited power scenario

A memory subsystem and method for performing calibrations therein is disclosed. A memory subsystem includes a memory controller coupled to a memory by a plurality of signal paths. The memory controller is configured to perform an initial calibration to determine respective eye patterns corresponding to the ones of the plurality of signal paths. For a subsequent calibration, updated eye patterns are determined for a subset of the plurality of signal paths. Remaining ones of the plurality of signal paths (not included in the subset), are not active during the subsequent calibrations. Updated eye patterns for the remaining ones of the plurality of signal paths are determined based on information obtained during the initial calibration and information from signal paths in the subset designated proxies for the remaining ones of the plurality of signal paths.

Memory subsystem calibration using substitute results

The present disclosure is directed to a reference voltage calibration. An apparatus includes a memory and a memory controller including a calibration circuit configured to perform a reference voltage calibration to determine a reference voltage used to distinguish between logic values read from the memory. The reference voltage calibration comprises performing horizontal calibrations at different reference voltage values to determine a range of delay values applied to a data strobe signal at which valid data is read from the memory. The calibration includes determining scores corresponding to ones of the plurality of horizontal calibrations in which a score for a particular one of the plurality of horizontal calibrations is based on a corresponding range of delay values and a reference voltage margin. Thereafter, the calibration circuit selects a calibrated reference voltage based on the scores corresponding to ones of the plurality of horizontal calibrations.

Nominal distance reference voltage calibration

In an embodiment, a system includes an energy source and an integrated circuit that is coupled to one or more memory devices via a plurality of memory channels. A memory controller in the integrated circuit is programmable with a plurality of identifiers corresponding to the plurality of channels, and is further programmable with a command and a first identifier associated with the command. Responsive to the command, the memory controller is configured to perform one or more calibrations on a subset of the plurality of channels for which corresponding identifiers of the plurality of identifiers match the first identifier. Other ones of the plurality of channels, for which the corresponding identifiers do not match the first identifier, do not perform the calibration.

Memory channels calibration during boot wherein channels are calibrated in parallel based on identifer

A memory subsystem and method for performing calibrations therein is disclosed. A memory subsystem includes a memory controller coupled to a memory by a plurality of signal paths. The memory controller is configured to perform an initial calibration to determine respective eye patterns corresponding to the ones of the plurality of signal paths. For a subsequent calibrations, updated eye patterns are determined for a subset of the plurality of signal paths. Remaining ones of the plurality of signal paths (not included in the subset), are not active during the subsequent calibrations. Updated eye patterns for the remaining ones of the plurality of signal paths are determined based on information obtained during the initial calibration and information from signal paths in the subset designated proxies for the remaining ones of the plurality of signal paths.

Memory channels calibration during boot wherein channels are calibrated in parallel based on identifers

A method and apparatus for selective reference voltage calibration in a memory subsystem is disclosed. A memory subsystem includes a memory coupled to a memory controller. The memory controller may operate in one of a number of different performance states. The memory controller further includes a calibration circuit configured to perform reference voltage calibrations for the various ones of the performance states to determine corresponding reference voltages. For a performance state change from an initial performance state to a final performance state, via an intermediate performance state, the memory controller is configured to transition to the intermediate performance state without causing the calibration circuit to perform a reference voltage calibration in that state. Thereafter, the memory controller transitions to the final performance state.

Selective reference voltage calibration in memory subsystem

Systems, methods and mechanisms for efficiently calibrating memory signals. In various embodiments, a computing system includes at least one processor, a memory and a power manager. The power manager generates and sends updated power-performance states (p-states) to the processor and the memory. Logic within a memory controller for the memory initializes a first timer corresponding to a first p-state of the multiple p-states to indicate a duration for skipping memory calibration. The logic continues to update the first timer while transferring data with the memory using operating parameters of the first p-state. When the memory is not using operating parameters of the first p-state, the logic prevents updates of the first timer. When the power manager determines to transition the memory from the first p-state to a second p-state, and the second timer for the second e-state has not expired, the logic prevents calibration of the memory.

Filtering memory calibration

A method and apparatus for performing memory calibration with endpoint replay is disclosed. A first calibration of a data strobe signal in a memory subsystem is performed. The first calibration includes determining initial values of first and second endpoints indicative of first and second delay values, respectively, applied to the data strobe signal. A second calibration of the data strobe signal is performed around these endpoints, within a range thereof that is less than a full range there between. Based on the second calibration, the endpoints are adjusted.

Memory calibration with end point replay

In some embodiments, a system includes a memory system, a real-time computing device, and a controller. The real-time computing device stores data within a local buffer having a corresponding storage threshold, where the data satisfies the storage threshold, and where the storage threshold is based on a latency of the memory system and an expected rate of utilization of the data of the local buffer. The controller detects that the memory system should perform an operation, where the memory system is unavailable to the real-time computing device during the operation. In response to detecting that an amount of time for the operation exceeds an amount of time corresponding to the storage threshold, the controller overrides the storage threshold. The controller may override the storage threshold by modifying the storage threshold and by overriding a default priority for access requests of the real-time computing device to the memory system.

System for managing memory devices

Growing community of inventors

Santa Clara, CA, United States of America

Robert E Jeter