Serial Flash Memory Execute-in-Place Mode Configuration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing serial non-volatile memory devices, such as flash memory, face challenges in enhancing throughput while maintaining reduced costs, particularly in execute-in-place (XiP) modes where processors fetch instructions directly from long-term storage, as they often require command codes for read operations, leading to inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
Implementing execute-in-place (XiP) modes for serial flash memory devices that allow read operations without an initial command code, utilizing a non-volatile configuration register to enable or disable XiP modes, reducing the need for command codes and thereby saving clock cycles, and configuring the memory to operate in streaming modes for improved performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If command codes are used for read operations in serial flash memory, then the memory device can be controlled properly, but the throughput is reduced due to additional clock cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the command code from the read operation sequence in execute-in-place mode. By removing this unnecessary component, the read operation directly accesses data without the time penalty of command code transmission, thereby improving throughput while maintaining proper memory control through alternative means
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary configuration where the execute-in-place mode is enabled in advance through configuration registers. This preliminary setup allows the memory device to operate in a optimized mode where read operations automatically bypass command code requirements, reducing clock cycles and improving performance before actual data retrieval begins
2Speed
If execute-in-place mode is implemented without command codes, then read operation speed is improved, but the device complexity increases due to mode configuration requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the operational parameters of the memory device by introducing configuration registers that enable execute-in-place mode. This parameter change allows the device to switch between conventional and optimized read modes, achieving faster read speeds when needed while managing complexity through structured configuration rather than fundamental architectural changes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the memory device universal by enabling it to operate in multiple modes (conventional mode with command codes and execute-in-place mode without command codes). This multi-functionality allows the same hardware to serve different performance requirements, achieving fast read speeds in XiP mode while maintaining compatibility with conventional operations when required
3Ease of manufacture
If serial interface is used for flash memory, then the cost is reduced, but the throughput is limited compared to parallel interfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous data streaming in execute-in-place mode where read operations can continuously retrieve data without interruption for command code transmission. This continuous action maximizes the utilization of the serial interface's bandwidth, achieving the highest possible throughput for a serial interface by eliminating all stopping points in the data retrieval process
Data Source
AI summary
Example embodiments for configuring a serial non-volatile memory device for an execute-in-place mode may comprise a non-volatile configuration register to store an execute-in-place mode value that may be read at least in part in response to power being applied to the memory device.