Memory Controller Read Configuration for Target Error Performance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Memory devices face challenges in achieving desired error performance during data retrieval, as existing methods often require trade-offs between error rates, latency, and power consumption, without flexible control over error correction processes.
Innovation Solution
A memory controller that receives a read command specifying a target error performance, selects an appropriate data retrieval configuration, and adjusts the ECC decoding process to meet or exceed the target error performance by terminating iterative decoding early, tolerating residual errors, or activating interference cancellation as needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If iterative ECC decoding is performed to achieve low error rates, then reliability is improved, but latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic termination of the iterative ECC decoding process based on real-time error performance monitoring. The system adjusts the number of decoding iterations adaptively - terminating early when target error performance is achieved, and continuing iterations when lower error rates are required. This dynamic approach resolves the contradiction by making the decoding process flexible rather than fixed, allowing optimization of both reliability and latency based on actual data conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the error performance of decoded data is continuously monitored and used to control the decoding process. The patent checks error rates after each iteration and uses this feedback to determine whether to continue or terminate decoding. This feedback loop enables the system to achieve the minimum required error performance without unnecessary additional iterations, thus reducing latency while maintaining reliability.
2Reliability
If iterative ECC decoding is performed to achieve low error rates, then reliability is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamic control to the ECC decoding process, adjusting the number of iterations based on real-time error performance assessment. By making the decoding process dynamic rather than fixed, the system consumes power only for the necessary number of iterations required to achieve the target error rate, avoiding wasteful power consumption from unnecessary additional iterations.
Solution Approach 2:
The feedback mechanism monitors error performance and controls power consumption by terminating the decoding process when the target error rate is achieved. This prevents unnecessary power consumption from continuing iterations that would not provide additional benefit, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and power consumption.
3Reliability
If interference cancellation schemes are activated to improve error performance, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic selection of interference cancellation schemes based on detected error patterns. Rather than always activating complex cancellation schemes, the system adaptively enables them only when specific error conditions are detected that would benefit from such processing. This dynamic approach improves reliability when needed while minimizing the average device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies interference cancellation selectively to specific error-prone regions or patterns rather than uniformly to all data. By applying complexity locally only where needed based on error pattern detection, the system improves error performance in critical areas without unnecessarily increasing overall device complexity for all data processing.
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes, in a memory controller that controls a memory, receiving from a host a read command that specifies data to be retrieved from the memory and further specifies a target error performance to be achieved in retrieving the data. A data retrieval configuration is selected in the memory controller depending on the target error performance specified in the read command. The data is retrieved from the memory using the selected data retrieval configuration, and the retrieved data is output to the host.