Memory Controller Interruption Management for Data Integrity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Programming interruptions in memory devices can lead to unintended data states in memory cells, causing errors when accessed, as existing technologies lack effective management techniques to handle such interruptions.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that detect programming interruptions and modify the operation to intentionally program memory cells to an uncorrectable state, using a controller to monitor signals and apply a modified programming signal to pages being programmed, ensuring they are recognized as corrupt and rewritten during a subsequent operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If programming operations are performed without interruption management, then programming speed is maintained, but data integrity deteriorates due to unintended data states
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by marking interrupted pages as uncorrectable before the interruption occurs. The controller proactively identifies pages that were interrupted during programming and marks them with a special status, ensuring they are recognized as corrupt in subsequent operations. This preliminary marking prevents data integrity issues without requiring slow re-checking of all pages.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the controller continuously monitors programming operations and detects interruptions. When an interruption is detected, the controller feeds back this information by marking the affected pages as uncorrectable. This feedback loop ensures that interrupted pages are identified and handled appropriately in subsequent read operations, maintaining data integrity while allowing continuous programming operations.
2Productivity
If interrupted pages are left in intermediate states, then programming operations continue uninterrupted, but error detection capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system converts the harmful effect of programming interruptions into a beneficial feature by intentionally marking interrupted pages as uncorrectable. Rather than leaving these pages in ambiguous intermediate states that are difficult to detect, the system uses the interruption event itself to trigger a marking operation. This transforms the harmful interruption into a useful signal that clearly identifies which pages need attention, improving error detection capability.
3Reliability
If all pages are re-checked after interruption, then data integrity is verified, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the memory array into interrupted pages and non-interrupted pages. Instead of re-checking all pages, the controller identifies only the specific pages that were interrupted during programming operations and marks them as uncorrectable. This segmentation allows the system to focus verification efforts only on affected pages, significantly reducing verification time while maintaining data integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary marking of interrupted pages before any verification operation. By proactively identifying and marking pages that were interrupted during programming, the system eliminates the need for time-consuming re-checking of all pages. The preliminary action of marking creates a clear identifier that allows fast verification to focus only on the marked pages.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure is related to programming interruption management. An apparatus can be configured to detect an interruption during a programming operation and modify the programming operation to program a portion of the memory array to an uncorrectable state in response to detecting the interruption.