Dram refresh scheme with flexible frequency for active and standby mode

摘要

The present invention provides a method and an apparatus for DRAM refresh with different frequencies of refresh for active and standby mode. In addition, this invention utilizes different refresh frequencies during active and standby modes to optimize power dissipation and DRAM data integrity. The refresh frequency during active mode is higher than said refresh frequency during standby mode. The refresh frequency during active mode is higher than the prior art refresh frequency during active mode. The refresh frequency during standby mode is lower than the prior art refresh frequency during standby mode. The higher active mode refresh frequency allows the faster restoration of cell data, which is degraded by capacitive discharge coupling through the selection of adjacent word lines. The low standby mode refresh frequency provides a lower standby power dissipation which compensates for the higher active mode power dissipation caused by the higher active mode refresh frequency.