US Patent 8344475 Integrated circuit heating to effect in-situ annealing

In a system having a memory device, an event is detected during system operation. The memory device is heated to reverse use-incurred degradation of the memory device in response to detecting the event. In another system, the memory device is heated to reverse use-incurred degradation concurrently with execution of a data access operation within another memory device of the system. In another system having a memory controller coupled to first and second memory devices, data is evacuated from the first memory device to the second memory device in response to determining that a maintenance operation is needed within the first memory device.