Memory Controller Address Verification via Stored Location Indicia
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Solution Overview
Problem
Memory devices face errors due to corrupted address information on the command/address bus, leading to operations being performed at unintended physical addresses, necessitating a method to verify that memory operations are executed at the intended address.
Innovation Solution
A memory device with a controller that stores data and a location indicia corresponding to the address, allowing verification of the address upon data retrieval, and indicating errors if the location indicia does not match the intended address, using techniques such as hashing or checksums to generate and compare location indicia.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If address verification mechanisms are implemented, then reliability of memory operations is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional storage and comparison operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-storing location indicia (such as row addresses, bank addresses, or hashed values) alongside the data in the memory array during the write operation. When a read operation occurs, the controller retrieves both the data and the stored location indicia, then verifies them against the current address parameters before proceeding with data output. This pre-storation of verification data eliminates the need for complex real-time address validation logic, thereby improving reliability while managing device complexity.
2Measurement precision
If location indicia are stored with each data word, then measurement precision of address verification is improved, but quantity of stored information increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the location indicia optional rather than universal. The verification mechanism can be selectively enabled for specific memory regions, data types, or operation modes where address corruption is most likely to occur or where data integrity is most critical. This selective application allows high measurement precision where needed while minimizing the quantity of stored information in regions where verification is less critical, thus resolving the contradiction between verification accuracy and storage overhead.
Data Source
AI summary
A memory device and methods for operating the same are provided. The memory device includes an array of memory cells, and a controller configured to receive a data word to be stored at an address in the array and to store, at the address in the array, the data word and a location indicia corresponding to the address. The controller can be further configured to command the array to read the data word from the address, to receive response data from the array, and to verify that a location indicia of the response data corresponds to the address. If the location indicia of the response data does not correspond to the address, the controller can be further configured to indicate an error.