Patent · US Expired

Redundant memory structure using bad bit pointers

US6868022B2 · kind B2 · utility

21Cited by
39References
33Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 28, 2003
Grant dateMar 15, 2005
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 29, 2023

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C29/78
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The preferred embodiments described herein relate to a redundant memory structure using bad bit pointers. In one preferred embodiment, data is written in a first plurality of memory cells, and an error is detected in writing data in one of the memory cells. In response to the detected error, a pointer is written in a second plurality of memory cells, the pointer identifying which memory cell in the first plurality of memory cells contains the error. During a read operation, the data is read from the first plurality of memory cells, and the pointer is read from the second plurality of memory cells. From the pointer, the memory cell containing the error is identified, and the error is corrected. Other preferred embodiments are provided, and each of the preferred embodiments can be used alone or in combination with one another.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.