Data storage device and data writing method capable of avoiding repeated write operation of a TLC block when interrupted

• US 10,241,678 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2017
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silicon Motion Incorporated California (Silicon Motion)
• Original Assignee: Silicon Motion Incorporated California (Silicon Motion)
• Inventors: Lin, Wen-Sheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Vanthu T
• Application Number:
  US15/659,214
• Publication Number:
  US 20180101303A1
• Time in Patent Office: 609 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/10 Address translation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/657 Virtual address space management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7201 Logical to physical mapping or translation of blocks or pages
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7207 management of metadata or control data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/064 Management of blocks

Abstract

The present invention provides a data storage device that includes a flash memory and a controller. The flash memory has a plurality of TLC blocks, wherein each of the TLC blocks includes a plurality of pages. When the data storage device resumes operation after a power-off event, the controller stops writing data into a first TLC block which was undergoing a write operation that had not finished at the time the power-off event occurred, and the controller writes valid data of the first TLC block into a second TLC block after every interval of a first predetermined number of write commands is finished.

Claims

1. A data storage device, comprising:

a flash memory, having a plurality of Triple Level Cell (TLC) blocks, wherein each of the TLC blocks comprises a plurality of pages; and

a controller, stopping the writing of data into a first TLC block which was undergoing a write operation that had not finished at the time a power-off event occurred, when the data storage device resumes operation after the power-off event, and writing valid data of the first TLC block into a second TLC block after every interval of a first predetermined number of write command(s) is finished, wherein the controller writes the valid data of the first TLC block into at least one page of the second TLC block and clears a maximum programming time in sequence until the second TLC block is filled, and wherein the maximum programming time is arranged to limit the time it takes for the controller to write the SLC blocks and the TLC blocks.

2. The data storage device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flash memory further comprises a plurality of Single Level Cell (SLC) blocks, and each of the SLC blocks comprises a plurality of pages, wherein the write operation of the first TLC block is arranged to program data of a second predetermined number of SLC blocks into the first TLC block, and the first predetermined number of write command(s) is arranged to write data into one of the SLC blocks.

3. The data storage device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first predetermined number is 1.

4. The data storage device as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the second TLC block is filled, the controller writes valid data of a third predetermined number of SLC blocks into the other TLC blocks after every interval of a second predetermined number of write commands is finished.

5. The data storage device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first predetermined number is less than the second predetermined number.

6. A data storage device, comprising:

a flash memory, having a plurality of Single Level Cell (SLC) blocks and a plurality of Triple Level Cell (TLC) blocks, wherein each of the SLC blocks comprises a plurality of pages, and each of the TLC block comprises a plurality of pages; and

a controller, writing valid data of a first TLC block into a second TLC block of the TLC blocks after every interval of a first predetermined number of write command(s) is finished in a first period which is subsequent to a power-off event after which the data storage device resumes operation, and writing a part of valid data of the other SLC blocks into the other TLC blocks after every interval of a second predetermined number of write commands is finished in a second period which is subsequent to the first period, wherein in the first period, the controller further clears a maximum programming time after each part of the valid data is written into the first TLC block.

7. The data storage device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first TLC block was undergoing a write operation that had not finished at the time the power-off event occurred.

8. The data storage device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first predetermined number is less than the second predetermined number.

9. A data writing method, applied to a data storage device, wherein the data storage device comprises a flash memory having a plurality of Triple Level Cell (TLC) blocks, the data writing method comprising:

when the data storage device resumes operation after a power-off event, checking whether any of the TLC blocks was undergoing a write operation that had not finished at the time the power-off event occurred;

when a first TLC block was undergoing a write operation that had not finished at the time the power-off event occurred, stopping the writing of data into the first TLC block, and selecting a second TLC block from the first TLC block; and

after the data storage device resumes operation after the power-off event, writing valid data of the first TLC block into a second TLC block after every interval of a first predetermined number of write command(s) is finished, wherein the step of writing the valid data of the first TLC block into the second TLC block further comprises writing the valid data of the first TLC block into at least one page of the second TLC block and clearing a maximum programming time in sequence until the second TLC block is filled, and wherein the maximum programming time is arranged to limit the time available for writing the SLC blocks and the TLC blocks.

10. The data writing method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the flash memory further comprises a plurality of Single Level Cell (SLC) blocks, wherein the write operation of the first TLC block is arranged to program data of a second predetermined number of SLC blocks into the first TLC block, and the first predetermined number of write command(s) is arranged to write data into one of the SLC blocks.

11. The data writing method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first predetermined number is 1.

12. The data writing method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

when the second TLC block is filled, writing valid data of a third predetermined number of SLC blocks into the other TLC blocks after every interval of a second predetermined number of write commands is finished.

13. The data writing method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the first predetermined number is less than the second predetermined number.

14. A data writing method, applied to a data storage device, wherein the data storage device comprises a flash memory having a plurality of Single Level Cell (SLC) blocks and a plurality of Triple Level Cell (TLC) blocks, the data writing method comprising:

in a first period which is subsequent to a power-off event after which the data storage device resumes operation, writing valid data of a first TLC block into a second TLC block of the TLC blocks after every interval of a first predetermined number of write command(s) is finished;

in a second period which is subsequent to the first period, writing a part of the valid data of the other SLC blocks into the other TLC blocks after every interval of a second predetermined number of write commands is finished; and

clearing a maximum programming time after each part of the valid data is written into the first TLC block in the first period.

15. The data writing method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the first TLC block was undergoing a write operation that had not finished at the time the power-off event occurred.

16. The data writing method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the first predetermined number is less than the second predetermined number.