Methods and apparatus for dynamically adjusting performance of partitioned memory. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving one or more configuration requests for the memory device, determining whether to grant the one or more configuration requests for the memory device, in response to the determining, implementing the one or more configuration requests within the memory device and operating the memory device in accordance with the implementing. The adjusting of the performance for the partitioned memory includes one or more of enabling/disabling refresh operations, altering a refresh rate for the partitioned memory, enabling/disabling error correcting code (ECC) circuitry for the partitioned memory, and/or altering a memory cell architecture for the partitioned memory. Systems and applications that may benefit from the dynamic adjustment of performance are also disclosed.

A semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array, an error correction code (ECC) engine, a scrubbing control circuit and a control logic circuit. The memory cell array includes memory cell rows, and each of the memory cell rows including volatile memory cells. The scrubbing control circuit generates scrubbing addresses for performing a normal scrubbing operation on the memory cell rows with a first period based on refresh row addresses for refreshing the memory cell rows. The control logic circuit controls the ECC engine the scrubbing control circuit to distribute a scrubbing operation on weak codewords dynamically within the refresh operation such that a dynamic allocated scrubbing (DAS) operation is performed with a second period smaller than the first period. An error bit is detected in each of the weak codewords during the normal scrubbing operation or normal read operation on at least one of the memory cell rows.

The present invention provides a memory controller including a decoder, an error bit counter and a refresh rate control circuit. The decoder is configured to receive and decode data from a memory module to generate decoded data. The error counter is coupled to the decoder, and is configured to generate error bit information of the data. The refresh rate control circuit is coupled to the error counter, and is configured to determine a refresh rate of the memory module according to the error bit information.

A semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array, an error correction code (ECC) engine, a scrubbing control circuit and a control logic circuit. The memory cell array includes memory cell rows, and each of the memory cell rows including volatile memory cells. The scrubbing control circuit generates scrubbing addresses for performing a normal scrubbing operation on the memory cell rows with a first period based on refresh row addresses for refreshing the memory cell rows. The control logic circuit controls the ECC engine the scrubbing control circuit to distribute a scrubbing operation on weak codewords dynamically within the refresh operation such that a dynamic allocated scrubbing (DAS) operation is performed with a second period smaller than the first period. An error bit is detected in each of the weak codewords during the normal scrubbing operation or normal read operation on at least one of the memory cell rows.

A driving method of a semiconductor device and semiconductor device may be provided. The semiconductor device may include a cell array including a plurality of data areas. The semiconductor device may include an ECC (Error correction Code) area configured to be assigned to only less than all of the data areas at any one time to store parity data corresponding to the data areas.

An electronic device includes an error correction circuit configured to detect an error included in internal data, to generate a failure detection signal during a read operation, and to correct the error included in the internal data during a refresh operation, and a core circuit configured to store an address signal for activating a word line in which the internal data including the error is stored through as a failure address signal when the failure detection signal is input to the core circuit, and store the error-corrected internal data in the core circuit through a word line activated by the failure address signal during the refresh operation.

Methods, apparatuses, and systems related to combining and utilizing multiple memory circuits having complementary characteristics are described. An apparatus may include a first memory circuit having a first emphasized characteristic and a second memory circuit having a second emphasized characteristic. The first and second memory circuits may be connected in parallel and to a common interface configured to communicate data between the apparatus and an external device.

A semiconductor device includes an error check and scrub (ECS) command generation circuit and a period signal generation circuit. The ECS command generation circuit generates an ECS command based on a refresh command. The period signal generation circuit generates a sampling period signal, during a sampling period, based on the ECS command and generates an operation period signal, during an operation period, based on the ECS command. A latch error flag is generated to include information on whether errors exist in codewords during the sampling period, and an ECS operation is performed based on the latch error flag, during the operation period, for memory cells that store an erroneous codeword among the codewords.

Methods and apparatus for dynamically adjusting performance of partitioned memory. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving one or more configuration requests for the memory device, determining whether to grant the one or more configuration requests for the memory device, in response to the determining, implementing the one or more configuration requests within the memory device and operating the memory device in accordance with the implementing. The adjusting of the performance for the partitioned memory includes one or more of enabling/disabling refresh operations, altering a refresh rate for the partitioned memory, enabling/disabling error correcting code (ECC) circuity for the partitioned memory, and/or altering a memory cell architecture for the partitioned memory. Systems and applications that may benefit from the dynamic adjustment of performance are also disclosed.

Methods, systems, and devices for an error correcting code scrub scheme are described. A memory device may correct an error associated with a first data bit or a first parity bit of a plurality of data bits and a plurality of parity bits, respectively. The memory device may correct the error by reading each of the plurality of data bits and the plurality of parity bits from a memory array, and determining that an error associated with a single bit exists. The memory device may then correct the determined single-bit error, and may write the corrected bit directly back to the memory array.