Non-Volatile Memory Temperature Delta Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Non-volatile memory devices face challenges in maintaining data retention across a wide range of operating temperatures, as data retention decreases with shrinking lithography design rules, usage, and temperature variations, leading to potential errors during read operations.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilize temperature sensors and control circuitry to track program temperatures and selectively reprogram data from out-of-bounds temperature ranges to in-bounds ranges, ensuring a temperature delta that supports efficient and error-free read operations by moving data to new bands within optimal temperature conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If data is programmed at out-of-bounds temperatures, then memory operations can proceed without waiting for temperature normalization, but read operations may suffer from errors due to excessive temperature delta
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary temperature tracking during programming and proactively identifies data programmed at out-of-bounds temperatures. Temperature-based move operations are scheduled and executed in advance before read operations occur, ensuring data is reprogrammed at appropriate temperatures to prevent read errors.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors temperature during programming operations and uses this feedback to classify programming temperatures as in-bounds or out-of-bounds. This feedback mechanism triggers temperature-based move operations when necessary, creating a closed-loop control system that adapts to temperature conditions.
2Reliability
If data is reprogrammed immediately upon detecting out-of-bounds temperature, then temperature delta is controlled, but memory performance decreases due to additional program operations
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of immediately reprogramming data upon detecting out-of-bounds temperature, the system uses periodic background tasks to perform temperature-based moves. The controller checks for data requiring temperature-based moves at intervals (e.g., during idle periods or between host operations) and batches reprogramming operations to minimize performance impact.
Solution Approach 2:
The memory device autonomously manages temperature-based moves without requiring host intervention. The controller independently identifies data programmed at out-of-bounds temperatures and schedules reprogramming operations, allowing the system to self-correct temperature issues without halting normal memory operations.
3Reliability
If temperature-based moves are performed for all out-of-bounds data, then data retention is maximized, but device complexity increases due to tracking and management overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The system tracks temperature as an additional parameter alongside traditional memory management parameters. By incorporating temperature classification (in-bounds vs. out-of-bounds) into the memory management framework, the system efficiently identifies candidate data for temperature-based moves without requiring complex analysis of each data element.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies temperature-based moves selectively only to data programmed at out-of-bounds temperatures, rather than uniformly processing all data. This localized approach focuses computational resources on specific data elements that require temperature correction, reducing overall management overhead.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for managing data in non-volatile memory devices across a large range of operating temperatures are provided. Embodiments discussed herein selectively reprogram previously programmed data at a temperature that better enables the data to be read regardless of where within the range of operating temperatures the data is being read. Circuitry and methods discussed herein can keep track of a program temperature associated with each portion of non-volatile memory and use this information along with other criteria to selectively perform temperature based moves of data. This enables a mechanism for data to programmed in out-of-bounds temperature ranges to be reprogrammed within an in-bounds temperatures range so that a temperature delta between the reprogrammed temperature and the read operation temperature is below a threshold that ensure efficient and error free read operations to be performed.