Micron Technology Incorporated

Walter Di-Francesco

Violante Moschiano

Kishore Kumar Muchherla

Peter Sean Feeley

Sampath K Ratnam

Ashutosh Malshe

Michael G Miller

Gary F Besinga

Yun Li

Renato Padilla, Jr

Gianfranco Valeri

Tommaso Vali

Luca De Santis

Umberto Siciliani

Maria-Luisa Gallese

Andrea Smaniotto

Emanuele Sirizotti

Memory might include a controller configured to determine, for each sense circuit of a plurality of sense circuits, a respective plurality of first logic levels for that sense circuit while capacitively coupling a respective plurality of voltage levels to its respective sense node, to determine a particular voltage level in response to each respective plurality of first logic levels for the plurality of sense circuits and their respective plurality of voltage levels, and to determine, for each sense circuit of the plurality of sense circuits, a respective second logic level for that sense circuit while capacitively coupling the particular voltage level to its respective sense node.

Memories for calibrating sensing of memory cell data states

Memory might include controller configured to apply a first predetermined voltage level to a capacitance of a sense circuit during a first sensing stage of a sensing operation, determine a first value of an output of the particular sense circuit while applying the first predetermined voltage level, apply a second predetermined voltage level to the capacitance during a second sensing stage of the sensing operation, determine a second value of the output of the particular sense circuit while applying the second predetermined voltage level, determine a particular voltage level in response to at least the first value and the second value, and apply the particular voltage level to the capacitance during a final sensing stage of the sensing operation.

Apparatus for calibrating sensing of memory cell data states

Memory systems and memory control methods are described. According to one aspect, a memory system includes a plurality of memory cells individually configured to store data, program memory configured to store a plurality of first executable instructions which are ordered according to a first instruction sequence and a plurality of second executable instructions which are ordered according to a second instruction sequence, substitution circuitry configured to replace one of the first executable instructions with a substitute executable instruction, and a control unit configured to execute the first and second executable instructions to control reading and writing of the data with respect to the memory, wherein the control unit is configured to execute the first executable instructions according to the first instruction sequence, to execute the substitute executable instruction after the execution of the first executable instructions, and to execute the second executable instructions according to the second instruction sequence as a result of execution of the substitute executable instruction.

Memory systems and memory control methods

Apparatus having an array of memory cells include a controller configured to read a particular memory cell of a last written page of memory cells of a block of memory cells of the array of memory cells, determine whether a threshold voltage of the particular memory cell is less than a particular voltage level, and mark the last written page of memory cells as affected by power loss during a programming operation of the last written page of memory cells when the threshold voltage of the particular memory cell is determined to be higher than the particular voltage level.

Identifying asynchronous power loss

Methods of operating a memory, and apparatus configured to perform similar methods, include determining first states of a first sense node and a second sense node while a first voltage level is capacitively coupled to the first sense node and while a second voltage level is capacitively coupled to the second sense node, determining a second states of the first and second sense nodes while a third voltage level is capacitively coupled to the first sense node and while a fourth voltage level is capacitively coupled to the second sense node, determining a fifth voltage level in response to at least the first states of the first and second sense nodes and the second states of the first and second sense nodes, and determining third states of the first and second sense nodes while the fifth voltage level is capacitively coupled to the first and second sense nodes.

Apparatus and methods for calibrating sensing of memory cell data states

Apparatus include controllers configured to iteratively program a group of memory cells to respective desired data states; determine whether a power loss to the apparatus is indicated while iteratively programming the group of memory cells; and if a power loss to the apparatus is indicated, to change the desired data state of the particular memory cell before continuing with the programming. Apparatus further include controllers configured to read a particular memory cell of a last written page of memory cells, determine whether a threshold voltage of the particular memory cell is less than a particular voltage level, and to mark the last written page of memory cells as affected by power loss during a programming operation of the last written page of memory cells when the threshold voltage of the particular memory cell is determined to be higher than the particular voltage level.

Apparatus and methods of operating such apparatus include iteratively programming a group of memory cells to respective desired data states, wherein a particular memory cell is configured to store overhead data and a different memory cell is configured to store user data; determining whether a power loss to the apparatus is indicated while iteratively programming the group of memory cells; and if a power loss to the apparatus is indicated, changing the desired data state of the particular memory cell before continuing with the programming. Apparatus and methods of operating such apparatus further include reading a data state of a particular memory cell of a last written page of memory cells, and marking the page as affected by power loss during a programming operation if the particular memory cell has any data state other than a particular data state.

Methods and controllers for executing an instruction set are provided. In one such method, executing an instruction set includes executing an instruction of one type in the instruction set, executing a context switch instruction, and executing an instruction of a second type in the instruction set. in one such controller, a single machine executes instructions in an instruction set with instructions having an operational code, and instructions that do not have an operational code.

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Silvi, Italy

Walter Di-Francesco