# Patent

## Title
Error feedback and logging with memory on-chip error checking and correcting (ECC)

## Abstract

Error checking and correcting (ECC) may be performed in an on-chip memory where an error is corrected by a controller and not the on-chip memory. The controller may be flagged to show that an error has occurred and where it has occurred in the memory. The controller may access ECC bits associated with the error and may fix incorrect data. The error checking may be done in parallel with read operations of the memory so as to lower latency.

## Background
I. CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation application and claims priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/168,460, entitled “ERROR FEEDBACK AND LOGGING WITH MEMORY ON-CHIP ERROR CHECKING AND CORRECTING (ECC),” by the same inventors, filed on Jan. 30, 2014, which is incorporated herein in its entirety.


II. FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
The present disclosure is generally related to computing hardware and data transmissions, and more particularly, to error checking and correction (ECC) and associated storage processes.
III. BACKGROUND
Electronic devices, such as computers, modems, facsimile machines, and mobile devices, often include memory devices to store data. As technological advances increase memory capacity and memory chip density, smaller geometries are used to manufacture memory cells. However, smaller geometries may cause memory failure rates to increase. A memory failure may result in incorrect data being transmitted in response to a memory request. Thus, increasing error protection at a memory is useful.
One way to improve error protection is to include an Error Checking and Correcting (ECC) module in a memory device to check for errors and correct detected errors at the memory device. However, an ECC process may add significant latency (e.g., time corresponding to the ECC checking and correcting data before it is transmitted) to a memory request at the memory device. Further, an amount of additional latency may depend on whether an error is present (e.g., a variable latency memory device), which may be unknown before the memory request is transmitted to the memory device. Modern memory interfaces (e.g., dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) interfaces) may use a fixed latency signal transmission system. In a fixed latency signal transmission system, a controller may need to know when to expect a response to a memory request. A fixed latency signal transmission system that includes the variable latency memory device may need to ensure that the variable latency memory device will always return data with a worst-case latency (e.g., a latency that corresponds to the ECC module finding and correcting an error) to ensure that the variable latency memory device will always transmit data with a fixed latency. However, assuming that the variable latency memory device will always return data at the worst-case latency may negatively impact a performance associated with the memory device.
IV. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
A particular embodiment includes error checking and correcting (ECC) in an on-chip memory where an error is corrected by a controller and not the on-chip memory. The controller may be flagged to show that an error has occurred and where it has occurred in the memory. The controller may access ECC bits associated with the error and may fix incorrect data. The error checking may be done in parallel with read operations of the memory so as to lower latency.
In a particular embodiment, a method includes receiving, at a memory device, from an external controller, a first request for data at a memory location of a memory array. The method further includes transmitting data corresponding to the memory location to the external controller in response to the request for data. The method further includes determining, at an error check module of the memory device, whether a data error is present at the memory location. The method further includes, when the data error is present, transmitting an error flag from the memory device to the external controller. The method further includes, after transmitting the error flag, receiving a second request at the memory device corresponding to the data from the external controller. The method further includes, in response to receiving the second request, transmitting data correction information from the memory device to the external controller.
In another particular embodiment, an apparatus includes a memory array configured to store data. The apparatus further includes an input-output port configured to receive, from an external controller, a first request for data at a memory location of the memory array. The input-output port is further configured to transmit, to the external controller, data corresponding to the memory location in response to the request for data. The apparatus further includes an error check module configured to determine whether a data error is present at the memory location. The apparatus further includes an error pin configured to transmit an error flag to the external controller in response to receiving a signal from the error check module indicating that the data error is present. After transmitting the error flag, the input-output port is configured to transmit data correction information in response to receiving a second request corresponding to the data.
In another particular embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable medium stores instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to receive, at a memory controller of a memory device, from an external controller, a request for data at a memory location of a memory array. The non-transitory computer readable medium further stores instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to transmit data corresponding to the memory location to the external controller in response to the request for data. The non-transitory computer readable medium further stores instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to determine, at an error check module of the memory device, whether a data error is present at the memory location. The non-transitory computer readable medium further stores instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to, when the data error is present, transmit an error flag from the memory device to the external controller. The non-transitory computer readable medium further stores instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to, after transmitting the error flag, receive a second request at the memory device corresponding to the data from the external controller. The non-transitory computer readable medium further stores instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to, in response to receiving the second request, transmitting data correction information from the memory device to the external controller.
One particular advantage provided by at least one of the disclosed embodiments reducing latency at the on-chip memory by passing on data without performing error correction at the on-chip memory. More particularly, the on chip memory may detect an error, but may not correct the error. Instead, the error may be corrected by an external controller. The error checking can be done in parallel during the read operations of the memory so as to have lowered latency. Thus, while a flagged error may take longer to correct under certain circumstances, there will be less latency in other instances where no error is present and where the data is passed on through without conventional delays at the on-chip memory.
Other aspects, advantages, and features of the present disclosure will become apparent after review of the entire application, including the following sections: Brief Description of the Drawings, Detailed Description, and the Claims.



V. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a system configured to manage error correction feedback and logging on a memory microchip;
FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart showing an embodiment of a method of managing error corrections that includes enabling an error flag and logging error information;
FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of an embodiment of a method of correcting data, as may be performed by a controller that is external to a memory device;
FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a system configured to manage error correction and to efficiently pass on data;
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method of correcting error data using an error flag;
FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of an embodiment of a method of receiving and transmitting data; and
FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method of managing error correction and data delivery.



VI. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
This document relates generally to reducing latency with regard to Error Checking and Correcting (ECC) involving an on-chip memory. ECC operations in a conventional on-chip memory may slow down the transmission of data regardless of whether there is an error in the data. An embodiment may reduce the latency at the on-chip memory by passing on data without performing error correction at the on-chip memory (and instead, performing the correction externally). More particularly, the on-chip memory may detect an error, but may not correct the error. Instead, the error is corrected by an external controller. The controller may be flagged to show that an error has occurred and its address may be identified. The external controller may then access the ECC bits and correct the error. The error checking can be done in parallel during the read operations of the memory so as to have lowered latency. Thus, while a flagged error may take longer to correct under certain circumstances (e.g., in instances where an error is present and is fixed by the controller), there will be less latency in other instances where no error is present and where the data is passed on through without conventional delays at the on-chip memory.
According to a particular embodiment, dynamic random access memory (DRAM) may not correct ECC, and an external controller may be used to correct an error. The controller may be aware of whether a memory device encountered an error, so the memory device may set (or reset) a pin in response to a detected error. The memory device may not need to guarantee to send back corrected data, so ECC checking may be done in parallel with read data transmissions. The parallel operations may reduce latency. A driver of the pin may be an open drain driver so that many devices may share the same signal. Where the controller detects there was an error inside a memory device, the controller may be able to access ECC bits for the specific data and associated information. For this purpose, the memory device may store error log information when an error is detected. The controller may halt further transactions in response to an error and may poll the stored error log information.
An error flag may be generated and sent to an external controller (e.g., a main memory processor) in response to a detected error. The error flag may occur immediately in response to the detection of the error, or may be initiated some time later. The memory device may perform error checking processing, but may not correct the data. The checking processes (e.g., ECC checking) may occur concurrently with data output because the memory device need not hold up data in the event of an error.
The external controller may halt a processing transaction in response to the error flag identifying the error. The external controller may look up an address associated with the error. In addition to identifying which request was not good, the error log may also include redundant bits (e.g., ECC bits). The external controller may include a buffer to store the information from the error log. The buffer may include a depth to store data according to how late the error flag may be sent in relation to the output data.
Having the external controller correct the error may take longer than correction on-chip, but in the absence of an error, data may be output at a relatively high rate. In certain scenarios, it may be more efficient to pay a higher latency penalty to correct an error (while enjoying relatively faster processing in the absence of an error), than to always pay a latency penalty for on-chip correction.
The error flag may alert the external controller that the error at the address is bad. During a retry, the external controller may issue a second read command to the latest (correct) address. The address may have been stored in a register and may be compared to an incoming address to determine whether the data has been stored. That is, the data associated with the error may have been corrected and saved to a register. The register may store more than one set of corrected data. The system may use tags to order and associate requests with data. Where an address is identified as being associated with a bad address, the corrected data may be retrieved from the register, rather than from the array. The data from the array would include the error. As such, a multiplexer may be used to route the correct data from the register, instead of data received from the array.
In response to receiving the error flag, the external controller may retry the read command to receive the corrected data. Where the data retrieved using the second read command may not cause another error flag to be set or otherwise communicated, the external controller registers that the correct data has been retrieved. Data correction processes thus may be done until the second retest data arrives from the multiplexor.
FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a system 100 configured to manage error correction feedback and logging on a memory microchip. The system 100 may include a memory device 102 in communication with an external controller 104. The external controller 104 may communicate with a processor 106 of another or the same device.
The memory device 102 may include a memory array 110 having a memory bank 112. A memory controller 130 may include an error check module 138 and an error log 136. Error log information may include one or more of the following: a read address associated with where an error occurred, an ECC bit(s) associated with the error, and an error syndrome associated with the error. The memory controller 130 may receive a data request 114 via a data input/output (I/O) interface 150.
Data 116 may be received from the memory array 110. An error flag 160 may be communicated from the error check module 138 to the external controller 104. The external controller may include an error correction module 170.
FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart showing an embodiment of a method 200 of managing error corrections that includes enabling an error flag and logging error information. The method 200 may be from the perspective of a memory device. ECC may be performed on-chip. If an error is present, the corrected data may be pulled in at that address and an error flag is sent. The memory device may check address matches to match a best address to retrieve it from a special memory register or will otherwise retrieve it from a memory array.
In response to a detected error, the system may update and store the address associated with where the ECC error occurred. Correct data associated with the address may be stored in association with the address to be used on a future attempt. On a subsequent operation, a new address may be read. The new address may or may not be the same address as was stored. If it is a new address, data may be retrieved from the memory array. If the address is known (e.g., to be associated with stored, corrected data), a multiplexer may route the corrected data from storage to the I/O. In this manner, known bad addresses may receive corrected data based on an address match.
Turning more particularly to the processes of the flowchart, a read request may be received at 202. At 204, a read from the memory array may be initiated. Data may be output at 208. In parallel, an error check may be initiated at 206. Where an error is detected at 210, error information may be logged at 212. An error flag may be enabled at 214. The processes of the flowchart may be performed by a memory controller, such as the memory controller 130 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of an embodiment of a method 300 of correcting data, as may be performed by a controller that is external to a memory device. For example, the processes of the flowchart may be executed by the external controller 104 of FIG. 1.
Turning more particularly to the flowchart, a read request may be received at 302. Data may be requested at 304, and data may be received at 306. Where an error flag is received at 308, error information may be requested at 310. At 312, error information may be received and data may be corrected at 314. Data may be transmitted at 316. Where no error flag is received at 308, the data may be directly transmitted at 316.
FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a system 400 configured to manage error correction and to efficiently pass on data. The system 400 includes a memory device 402 in communication with an external controller 404. The external controller 404 may communicate with a processor 406 configured to execute corrected data.
The memory device 402 may include a memory array 410 having memory modules 412. The memory device 402 may additionally include a plurality of registers 420, including a register 422.
A memory controller 430 may include a data request 414 received from the external controller and data 416 received from the memory array 410. Data 416 and a data request 414 may be communicated between the memory array 410 and a data control module 434 of the memory controller 430. The data control module 434 may additionally communicate with the registers 420 of the memory device 402. The communication between the registers 420 and the data control module 434 may include data 426 from the memory device 402 and a data request 424 from the external controller 404.
The data control module 434 may be coupled to a stored address module 432. The stored address module 432 may additionally be accessible to an error module 436. The error module 436 may include an error check module 438 and an error correction module 440. The error module 436 may communicate address information 444 to the stored address module 432. The error module 436 may additionally be in communication with the registers 420 and the data control module 434. The error module 436 may communicate corrected data 442 to the registers 420. A data I/O interface 450 of the memory controller 430 may communicate information, such as an error flag 460, to the external controller 404.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method 500 of correcting error data using an error flag. The processes of the method 500 may be performed by a memory device and a memory controller 430, such as the memory controller 430 of FIG. 4.
Turning more particularly to the processes of the flowchart, a read receive request may be received at 502. A read from an address table may be performed at 504. The address table of an embodiment may store more than one address. Where there is an address match at 506, data may be read at 510 from a register. Where there is alternatively no address match at 506 data may be read at 508 from the memory array.
Read data may be outputted at 514. In parallel, an error check may be initiated at 512. Where no error is detected at 516, data may be output and the method concludes. Alternatively, where an error is detected at 516, the error may be corrected at 518. Corrected data and associated addresses may be stored at 522, and an error flag may be enabled at 524.
FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of an embodiment of a method 600 of receiving and transmitting data. The processes may be performed by a controller that is external to a memory device, such as the external controller 404 shown in the system 400 of FIG. 4.
Turning to the processes of the flowchart, a read request may be received at 602. Data may be requested at 604, and the data may be received at 606. At 608, the method 600 may determine if an error flag has been received. Where the error flag has been received at 608, data may be requested at 604. Alternatively, where no error flag has been received at 608, the data may be transmitted at 610.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method 700 of managing error correction and data delivery. At 702, a first request for data may be data at a memory location of a memory array may be received at a memory device from an external controller. Data corresponding to the memory location may be transmitted at 704 to the external controller in response to the request for data.
An error check module of a memory device may determine at 706 whether a data error is present at the memory location. Where a data error is present, an error flag may be transmitted at 708 from the memory device to the external controller. After the error flag has been transmitted, a second request may be received at 710 at the memory device corresponding to the data from the external controller. In response to receiving the second request, data correction information may be transmitted at 712 from the memory device to the external controller.
Particular embodiments described herein may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment containing both hardware and software elements. In a particular embodiment, the disclosed methods are implemented in software that is embedded in processor readable storage medium and executed by a processor, which includes but is not limited to firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.
Further, embodiments of the present disclosure, such as the one or more embodiments may take the form of a computer program product accessible from a computer-usable or computer-readable storage medium providing program code for use by or in connection with a computer or any instruction execution system. For the purposes of this description, a non-transitory computer-usable or computer-readable storage medium may be any apparatus that may tangibly embody a computer program and that may contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.
In various embodiments, the medium may include an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system (or apparatus or device) or a propagation medium. Examples of a computer-readable storage medium include a semiconductor or solid state memory, magnetic tape, a removable computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a rigid magnetic disk and an optical disk. Current examples of optical disks include compact disk—read only memory (CD-ROM), compact disk—read/write (CD-R/W) and digital versatile disk (DVD).
A data processing system suitable for storing and/or executing program code may include at least one processor coupled directly or indirectly to memory elements through a system bus. The memory elements may include local memory employed during actual execution of the program code, bulk storage, and cache memories which provide temporary storage of at least some program code in order to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved from bulk storage during execution.
The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosed embodiments. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope possible consistent with the principles and features as defined by the following claims.

## Claims

1. A method comprising:
receiving, at a memory device including a memory array and a first controller, a first request for data, the first request for data received from a device and the first request for data associated with a memory location of the memory array;
in response to the first request for data, receiving read data responsive to a read operation performed at the memory location of the memory array;
transmitting the read data from the first controller to the device;
detecting, at the memory device, a data error corresponding to the read data;
in response to detecting the data error, wherein transmitting the read data and detecting the data error are performed in parallel operation at the memory device:
setting, at the memory device, an open drain driver pin of the memory device to indicate detection of the data error to the device; and
generating data correction information to enable the device to correct the data error corresponding to the read data;

after setting the open drain driver pin of the memory device, receiving a second request for data at the memory device from the device; and
in response to receiving the second request for data, transmitting the data correction information from the memory device to the device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the data error at the memory device comprises checking error correction code (ECC) bits corresponding to the read data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a third request for data at the memory device corresponding to another memory location of the memory array, wherein the third request for data is received between receiving the first request for data and receiving the second request for data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data correction information comprises error information, and further comprising writing the error information to an error log of the memory device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data correction information comprises a read address of the memory array corresponding to the data error, error correction code (ECC) bits associated with the data error, an error syndrome corresponding to the data error, signal data, redundant bit data, or a combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the device comprises a second controller that is external to the memory device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data correction information comprises corrected data.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:
correcting, by the memory device, the data error; and
storing the corrected data at a register of the memory device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to receiving the first request for data, determining whether corrected data associated with the memory location is stored at a register of the memory device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to receiving the second request for data, determining whether a corrected version of the read data is stored at a register of the memory device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a signal from the open drain driver pin of the memory device is detectable by a plurality of devices.

12. A method comprising:
receiving, at a first controller of a memory device from a second controller, a first request for data at a memory location of a memory array;
transmitting, from the first controller, read data corresponding to the memory location to the second controller in response to the first request for data;
detecting a data error associated with the read data, wherein transmitting the read data and detecting the data error are performed in parallel operation at the memory device;
after setting, at the memory device, an open drain driver pin to indicate detection of the data error associated with the read data, receiving a second request corresponding to the memory location, the second request for data received from the second controller; and
in response to receiving the second request, transmitting data correction information to the second controller, the data correction information to enable the second controller correct the data error associated with the read data.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second controller is external to the memory device.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising, in response to receiving the first request for data, determining whether an address corresponding to the memory location is stored in a register of the memory device.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising setting the open drain driver pin to indicate the detection of the data error, the open drain driver pin shared by a plurality of devices including the second controller.

16. A method comprising:
receiving, at a first controller of a memory device from a second controller, a first request for data at a memory location of a memory array;
in response to the first request for data, receiving read data responsive to a read operation performed at the memory location of the memory array;
outputting the read data to the second controller;
error checking the read data at the memory device, wherein outputting the read data and error checking are performed in parallel;
setting, at the memory device, an open drain driver pin to indicate detection of a data error associated with the read data;
storing, at the memory device, error log information in response to a determination, based on the error checking, that the data error has occurred; and
sending a copy of the error log information to the second controller, wherein the error log information enables the second controller to correct the data error associated with the read data.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the error log information includes a read address associated with the memory location.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the error log information includes an error syndrome corresponding to the data error.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein error correction code (ECC) bits associated with the data error.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the second controller is external to the memory device.