Positioning read thresholds in a nonvolatile memory based on successful decoding

    公开(公告)号:US11621048B2

    公开(公告)日:2023-04-04

    申请号:US17388048

    申请日:2021-07-29

    Applicant: APPLE INC.

    Abstract: A memory controller includes an interface and a processor. The interface communicates with a plurality of memory cells, and an individual one of the plurality of memory cells stores data in multiple predefined programming levels. The processor is configured to read an Error Correction Code (ECC) code word from a group of memory cells, via the interface, using multiple read thresholds positioned between adjacent programming levels, for producing multiple readouts that contain respective numbers of errors, to derive from the code word a reference readout that contains no errors, or contains a number of errors smaller than in the code word, to calculate multiple distances between the reference readout and the respective readouts, and set a preferred read threshold based on the calculated distances, and to perform subsequent read operations for retrieving data from the plurality of memory cells, using the preferred read threshold.

    Efficient transfer of hard data and confidence levels in reading a nonvolatile memory

    公开(公告)号:US20230034098A1

    公开(公告)日:2023-02-02

    申请号:US17512712

    申请日:2021-10-28

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Inventor: Nir Tishbi

    Abstract: An apparatus for data storage, includes circuitry and a plurality of memory cells. The circuitry is configured to store data in a group of multiple memory cells by writing multiple respective input storage values to the memory cells in the group, to read respective output storage values from the memory cells in the group after storing the data, to generate for the output storage values multiple respective confidence levels, to produce composite data that includes the output storage values, to test a predefined condition that depends on the confidence levels, upon detecting that the condition is met, to compress the confidence levels to produce compressed soft data, and include the compressed soft data in the composite data, and to transfer the composite data over an interface to a memory controller.

    Positioning read thresholds in a nonvolatile memory based on successful decoding

    公开(公告)号:US20230031584A1

    公开(公告)日:2023-02-02

    申请号:US17388048

    申请日:2021-07-29

    Applicant: APPLE INC.

    Abstract: A memory controller includes an interface and a processor. The interface communicates with a plurality of memory cells, and an individual one of the plurality of memory cells stores data in multiple predefined programming levels. The processor is configured to read an Error Correction Code (ECC) code word from a group of memory cells, via the interface, using multiple read thresholds positioned between adjacent programming levels, for producing multiple readouts that contain respective numbers of errors, to derive from the code word a reference readout that contains no errors, or contains a number of errors smaller than in the code word, to calculate multiple distances between the reference readout and the respective readouts, and set a preferred read threshold based on the calculated distances, and to perform subsequent read operations for retrieving data from the plurality of memory cells, using the preferred read threshold.

    Controlling memory readout reliability and throughput by adjusting distance between read thresholds

    公开(公告)号:US11556416B2

    公开(公告)日:2023-01-17

    申请号:US17558622

    申请日:2021-12-22

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An apparatus for data storage includes an interface and a processor. The interface is configured to communicate with a memory device that includes (i) a plurality of memory cells and (ii) a data compression module. The processor is configured to determine a maximal number of errors that are required to be corrected by applying a soft decoding scheme to data retrieved from the memory cells, and based on the maximal number of errors, to determine an interval between multiple read thresholds for reading Code Words (CWs) stored in the memory cells for processing by the soft decoding scheme, so as to meet following conditions: (i) the soft decoding scheme achieves a specified decoding capability requirement, and (ii) a compression rate of the compression module when applied to confidence levels corresponding to readouts of the CWs, achieves a specified readout throughput requirement.

    Cancelation of cross-coupling interference among memory cells

    公开(公告)号:US11513887B1

    公开(公告)日:2022-11-29

    申请号:US17408520

    申请日:2021-08-23

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Inventor: Nir Tishbi

    Abstract: A memory controller includes an interface and a processor. The interface communicates with memory cells that store data in predefined Programming Voltages (PVs). The processor is configured to produce observation samples that each includes (i) a target sample read from a target memory cell in a target Word Line (WL), and (ii) neighbor samples read from neighbor memory cells. Based on the observation samples, the processor is further configured to jointly estimate Cross-Coupling Coefficients (CCFs), by searching for CCFs that aim to minimize a predefined function of distances calculated between transformed observation samples that have been transformed using the CCFs and combinations of PVs that are closest to the respective transformed observation samples, to apply, based on the CCFs, cross-coupling cancelation to readout samples retrieved from the memory cells to produce enhanced readout samples, and to perform a storage operation related to reading data, using the enhanced readout samples.

    Controlling memory readout reliability and throughput by adjusting distance between read thresholds

    公开(公告)号:US20220374308A1

    公开(公告)日:2022-11-24

    申请号:US17558622

    申请日:2021-12-22

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An apparatus for data storage includes an interface and a processor. The interface is configured to communicate with a memory device that includes (i) a plurality of memory cells and (ii) a data compression module. The processor is configured to determine a maximal number of errors that are required to be corrected by applying a soft decoding scheme to data retrieved from the memory cells, and based on the maximal number of errors, to determine an interval between multiple read thresholds for reading Code Words (CWs) stored in the memory cells for processing by the soft decoding scheme, so as to meet following conditions: (i) the soft decoding scheme achieves a specified decoding capability requirement, and (ii) a compression rate of the compression module when applied to confidence levels corresponding to readouts of the CWs, achieves a specified readout throughput requirement.

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