A method and apparatus for decoding are disclosed. The method includes receiving a first Forward Error Correction (FEC) block of read values, starting a hard-decode process in which a number of check node failures is identified and, during the hard-decode process comparing the identified number of check node failures to a decode threshold. When the identified number of check node failures is not greater than the decode threshold the hard-decode process is continued. When the identified number of check node failures is greater than the decode threshold, the method includes: stopping the hard-decode process prior to completion of the hard-decode process; generating output indicating that additional reads are required; receiving one or more additional FEC blocks of read values, mapping the first FEC block of read values and the additional FEC blocks of read values into soft-input values; and performing a soft-decode process on the soft-input values.

A semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array, an error correction code (ECC) engine circuit, an error information register and a control logic circuit. The memory cell array includes memory cell rows. The control logic circuit controls the ECC engine circuit to generate an error generation signal based on performing a first ECC decoding on first sub-pages in a first memory cell row in a scrubbing operation and based on performing a second ECC decoding on second sub-pages in a second memory cell row in a normal read operation on the second memory cell row. The control logic circuit records error information in the error information register and controls the ECC engine circuit to skip an ECC encoding and an ECC decoding on a selected memory cell row of the first memory cell row and the second memory cell row based on the error information.

In a data processing device comprising a memory controller controlling writing/reading of data to/from the memory, a processor requesting writing/reading of data, and an error detection module requesting writing/reading of data to/from the memory controller in accordance with a request from the processor, an error detection module calculates a first error detection code of the first data having a write request from the processor, reads the second data having a read request from the processor from the memory, calculates a second error detection code from the read data, compares the first error detection code and the second error detection code, and transmits the result of the comparison to the external module.

Memory devices, systems including memory devices, and methods of operating memory devices are described, in which a host device may access a group of memory cells (e.g., portion of an array configurable to store ECC parity bits) otherwise reserved for ECC functionality of a memory device. The memory device may include a register to indicate whether its ECC functionality is enabled or disabled. When the register indicates the ECC functionality is disabled, the memory device may increase a storage capacity available to the host device by making the group of memory cells available for user-accessible data. Additionally or alternatively, the memory device may store metadata associated with various operational aspects of the memory device in the group of memory cells. Moreover, the memory device may modify a burst length to accommodate additional information to be stored in or read from the group of memory cells.

A deferred error correction code (ECC) scheme for memory devices is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method is disclosed comprising starting a deferred period of operation of a memory system in response to detecting the satisfaction of a condition; receiving an operation during the deferred period, the operation comprising a read or write operation access one or more memory banks of the memory system; deferring ECC operations for the operation; executing the operation; detecting an end of the deferred period of operation; and executing the ECC operations after the end of the deferred period.

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 and apparatus relating to techniques for avoiding cache lookup for cold cache. In an example, an apparatus comprises logic, at least partially comprising hardware logic, to receive metadata from an application, wherein the meta data indicates one or more processing operations which can accommodate a predetermined level of bit errors in read operations from memory, determine, from the metadata, pixel data for which error correction code bypass is acceptable, and generate one or more error correction code bypass hints for subsequent cache access to the pixel data for which error correction code bypass is acceptable, and transmit the one or more error correction code bypass hints to a graphics processing pipeline. Other embodiments are also disclosed and claimed.

A system for simulating an event includes a memory system, a parity generator/validator, and a fault injector. The fault injector is configured to inject bits at an address in the memory system when the parity generator/validator is in an disabled state. A method of injecting a fault is also disclosed.

A memory system that includes an error check and correct (ECC) circuit is provided. The memory system includes a memory, a circuit, and a processor. The memory system has a function of receiving write data from the outside. The memory includes a user data region, a first management region, and a second management region. The user data region stores the write data. The circuit has a function of performing ECC processings on the write data read from the user data region. The first management region stores data that indicates whether the user data region has stored the write data or not. The second management region stores data that indicates whether the circuit has performed the ECC processings on the write data read from the user data region or not.

An operating method of a memory controller to update metadata using journaling data in a short time during a booting operation, and to maintain reliability of the updated metadata. The operating method of a memory controller includes loading metadata into sub-regions of a buffer memory, updating the metadata using journaling data in a state that error correction code (ECC) functions of memory controller for the sub-regions are disabled, generating a first parity data of data stored in the first sub-region, and enabling the ECC function of the first sub-region, after the first parity data is generated.