ECC Bypass Circuitry for Memory Read Latency Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Memory devices face increased latency due to error detection and correction processes, which are incurred for every read operation regardless of error presence, and existing solutions do not effectively reduce this latency while maintaining bit error rate.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating ECC bypass circuitry that allows data transmission to the host device in parallel with error detection, enabling concurrent data transmission and error alerting, with the option to re-request data if errors are detected, thereby reducing latency and maintaining bit error rate.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If error detection and correction circuitry is used for every read operation, then bit error rate is reduced, but read latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by performing error detection on only a portion of the data (e.g., first half of a 512-byte packet) while allowing the rest to be transmitted without full error checking. This reduces the overall error detection overhead while maintaining acceptable error rates for the complete data transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
The data transmission is segmented into multiple portions, with error detection applied selectively to certain segments. The memory controller divides the data packet into segments and applies ECC bypass to specific segments, allowing parallel processing and reducing total latency while maintaining reliability for critical segments.
2Reliability
If error correction is performed before data transmission, then data accuracy is improved, but transmission latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary error detection on selected portions of data before full transmission, allowing early identification of errors in critical segments. This preliminary action on partial data enables faster intervention while maintaining overall data accuracy requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
Error correction resources are applied partially to only the most critical portions of data transmission rather than all data. The memory controller identifies which segments require correction and applies ECC selectively, reducing total correction time while maintaining data accuracy for essential information.
3Loss of time
If ECC bypass circuitry is implemented, then read latency is reduced, but error detection capability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments error detection into multiple stages: fast error detection on critical segments using ECC bypass, and comprehensive error checking on remaining segments. This segmentation allows the system to achieve low latency for time-sensitive operations while maintaining thorough error detection for data integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The ECC bypass is applied partially to specific data segments rather than universally. The memory controller determines which segments can tolerate bypass mode and which require full error checking, achieving a balance between latency reduction and error detection capability based on data criticality.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and devices for compressed logical-to-physical mapping for a memory bypass for error detection and correction are described. A memory device may include error detection and correction circuitry for detecting and correcting errors in data that is read from a memory array of the memory device. To reduce read latencies, the memory device may include bypass circuitry that enables it to transmit the data to the host device before or during error detection. If the memory device determines that the data is erroneous, the memory device may transmit an alert to the host device concurrently with or after transmitting the data. The memory device may perform error correction on the data and store corrected data in a register. Based on receiving an alert, the host device may issue one or more additional read commands to re-read the data from the memory bank or read the corrected data from the register.