18327335. INTEGRATED CIRCUIT MEMORY DEVICES HAVING EFFICIENT ROW HAMMER MANAGEMENT AND MEMORY SYSTEMS INCLUDING THE SAME simplified abstract (SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.)

INTEGRATED CIRCUIT MEMORY DEVICES HAVING EFFICIENT ROW HAMMER MANAGEMENT AND MEMORY SYSTEMS INCLUDING THE SAME

Organization Name

SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.

Inventor(s)

Myungkyu Lee of Suwon-si (KR)

Eunae Lee of Suwon-si (KR)

Sunghye Cho of Suwon-si (KR)

Kyomin Sohn of Suwon-si (KR)

Kijun Lee of Suwon-si (KR)

INTEGRATED CIRCUIT MEMORY DEVICES HAVING EFFICIENT ROW HAMMER MANAGEMENT AND MEMORY SYSTEMS INCLUDING THE SAME - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18327335 titled 'INTEGRATED CIRCUIT MEMORY DEVICES HAVING EFFICIENT ROW HAMMER MANAGEMENT AND MEMORY SYSTEMS INCLUDING THE SAME

Simplified Explanation

The semiconductor memory device described in the abstract includes a row hammer management circuit that selects candidate hammer addresses from access row addresses received from the memory controller and performs hammer refresh operations on victim memory cell rows.

• The row hammer management circuit receives access row addresses from the memory controller and selects candidate hammer addresses to perform hammer refresh operations.
• The refresh control circuit receives the hammer address and performs hammer refresh operations on victim memory cell rows adjacent to the memory cell row corresponding to the hammer address.

Potential Applications

This technology could be applied in various memory devices such as DRAMs, SSDs, and other semiconductor memory systems where row hammer issues need to be addressed.

Problems Solved

1. Row hammer issues in memory devices causing data corruption and reliability concerns. 2. Efficient management of row hammer operations to prevent data loss and maintain memory integrity.

Benefits

1. Improved reliability and data integrity in memory devices. 2. Enhanced performance by efficiently managing row hammer operations. 3. Extended lifespan of memory cells by preventing excessive wear and tear.

Potential Commercial Applications

Optimizing memory performance in servers, data centers, and high-performance computing systems to ensure data reliability and system stability.

Possible Prior Art

One example of prior art related to this technology is the "Row Hammer" vulnerability discovered in DRAM memory modules, where repeated accesses to a row of memory cells can cause bit flips in adjacent rows due to electrical interference.

Unanswered Questions

How does the row hammer management circuit prioritize candidate hammer addresses for refresh operations?

The abstract does not provide details on the specific criteria or algorithm used by the row hammer management circuit to select candidate hammer addresses for refresh operations.

What impact does the hammer refresh operation have on the overall performance and latency of the memory device?

The abstract does not mention the potential trade-offs or implications of the hammer refresh operation on the performance and latency of the memory device.

Original Abstract Submitted

A semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array with a plurality of rows of memory cells therein, and a row hammer management (RHM) circuit including a hammer address queue. The RHM circuit is configured to: (i) receive first access row addresses from an external memory controller during a reference time interval, (ii) store a first row address randomly selected from the first access row addresses and second row addresses consecutively received from the memory controller after selecting the first row address, in the hammer address queue as candidate hammer addresses, and (iii) sequentially output the candidate hammer addresses as a hammer address. A refresh control circuit is provided to receive the hammer address and to perform a hammer refresh operation on one or more victim memory cell rows, which are physically adjacent to a memory cell row corresponding to the hammer address.