Refresh Control Circuit for Row Hammer Address Prioritization
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Solution Overview
Problem
As semiconductor memory devices increase in density, electromagnetic interactions between memory units lead to increased data loss due to the 'row hammer effect,' where frequent activation of a word line causes excessive charge loss in adjacent addresses, necessitating timely refresh commands to prevent data errors.
Innovation Solution
A refresh control circuit that includes a random capture module to reduce address samples, a row hammer address generation module to analyze the most frequently occurring address, and a signal selector to prioritize the row hammer address for refresh, ensuring preferential refreshing and reducing data loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If frequent row hammer addresses are identified and prioritized for refresh, then data loss is reduced, but computational resources for address analysis increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis of row activation patterns to identify hammer addresses before data loss occurs. By continuously monitoring and analyzing address access patterns, the system proactively determines which addresses require preferential refresh, enabling preventive action rather than reactive correction.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of treating all addresses uniformly, the system applies different refresh strategies to different addresses based on their individual hammer risk. High-risk addresses receive preferential refresh treatment while lower-risk addresses follow conventional refresh schedules, optimizing resources based on local characteristics.
2Reliability
If all row addresses are monitored and analyzed for hammer effects, then data loss is minimized, but the number of addresses requiring analysis increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and isolates the most critical information from the full set of row addresses - specifically identifying only those addresses that exhibit hammer pattern characteristics. By filtering and extracting only the relevant addresses that require special attention, the system reduces analysis scope while maintaining effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than analyzing all addresses equally, the system applies partial analysis focused on identifying addresses with hammer patterns. This selective approach analyzes only the necessary subset of addresses that pose data loss risk, avoiding excessive computational effort on addresses that do not require special monitoring.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a refresh control circuit and a memory. The refresh control circuit includes: a random capture module, configured to sequentially receive n single row addresses and randomly output m single row addresses among the n single row addresses, wherein the n>the m>1; a row hammer address generation module, connected to an output terminal of the random capture module, configured to analyze a single row address with highest frequency of occurrence among the m single row addresses, and configured to output a row hammer address corresponding to the single row address with highest frequency of occurrence; and a signal selector, configured to receive a conventional refresh address and the row hammer address and output address information, the address information being the row hammer address and the conventional refresh address, or the address information being the row hammer address.