Patent attributes
Calibration of soft bit reference levels in a non-volatile memory system is disclosed. A set of memory cells are sensed at a hard bit reference level and test soft bit reference levels. The test soft bit reference levels are grouped around the hard bit reference level. A metric is determined for the test soft bit reference levels. Bins are defined based on the hard bit reference level and the set of test soft bit reference levels. A metric may be determined for each of the bins. The new soft bit reference levels are determined based on the metric. In one aspect, the metric is how many memory cells have a value for a physical parameter within each bin. The soft bit reference levels may be established based on a target percentage for the bins. In one aspect, the metric is how many unsatisfied counters are within each bin.