Memory Refresh Control Using Temperature Skip Ratio
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Solution Overview
Problem
Memory devices face challenges in reducing power consumption and ensuring data safety during refresh operations, as existing methods do not effectively account for varying temperature dependencies across different memory devices and the concentration of disturbances in specific cells.
Innovation Solution
A memory device with a temperature sensor, a refresh control unit, and a method that adjusts the refresh operation based on internal and external temperature data to determine a skip ratio for refresh commands, prioritizing weak cell rows and optimizing refresh periods to reduce power consumption and maintain data integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If refresh operation is performed at high frequency to ensure data safety, then data retention reliability is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The refresh frequency is dynamically adjusted based on detected temperature conditions. The refresh control unit modifies the refresh period according to temperature-dependent disturbance characteristics, performing more frequent refreshes at temperatures where disturbance is higher and less frequent refreshes where disturbance is lower, thereby optimizing the balance between data reliability and power consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The refresh period parameter is changed based on temperature conditions. The system detects temperature and adjusts the refresh period to compensate for temperature-dependent disturbance effects on memory cells, allowing the refresh operation to adapt to varying thermal environments and maintain data integrity while minimizing unnecessary refresh cycles
2Reliability
If uniform refresh operation is applied to all memory cell rows, then data safety is maintained, but power consumption increases due to unnecessary refreshes
Solution Approach 1:
Different refresh strategies are applied to different memory cell rows based on their specific characteristics. Weak cell rows that are more susceptible to disturbance are refreshed more frequently, while normal cell rows are refreshed at standard intervals. This localized approach ensures data safety for vulnerable cells while reducing unnecessary refresh operations for stable cells
3Reliability
If refresh frequency is increased to handle rapid temperature increase, then data retention is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors temperature conditions and uses this feedback to adjust refresh operations in real-time. When rapid temperature increase is detected, the refresh control unit responds by adjusting the refresh period to compensate for increased disturbance, ensuring data retention while avoiding excessive refresh operations that would waste power
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution reduces power consumption and improves data safety by dynamically adjusting refresh operations based on temperature variations, ensuring efficient and reliable data retention across memory devices.
Implementation Method 1
a temperature sensor that detects a temperature of the memory cell array and generates internal temperature data
Data Source
AI summary
A memory device includes a memory cell array that includes a plurality of memory cell rows, a temperature sensor that detects a temperature of the memory cell array and generates internal temperature data, a first register that stores external temperature data received from outside of the memory device, and a refresh control unit that determines a skip ratio of refresh commands received at a refresh frequency that corresponds to the external temperature data by comparing the internal temperature data and the external temperature data and performing a refresh operation for the plurality of memory cell rows in response to refresh commands skipped and transmitted based on the skip ratio.