Semiconductor memory system with a data copying function and a data copy method for the same

• US 20030117846A1
• Filed: 12/17/2002
• Published: 06/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kioxia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sukegawa, Hiroshi, Hasegawa, Takehiro, Saimen, Tamio
• Granted Patent: US 6,868,007 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 365/185.09
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1068 in sector programmable memories, e.g. flash disk G06F11/1072 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/102 External programming circuits, e.g. EPROM programmers; In-circuit programming or reprogramming; EPROM emulators
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/105 Circuits or methods for updating contents of nonvolatile memory, especially with 'security' features to ensure reliable replacement, i.e. preventing that old data is lost before new data is reliably written
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/1006 Data managing, e.g. manipulating data before writing or reading out, data bus switches or control circuits therefor

Abstract

A semiconductor memory system comprises a nonvolatile memory and a controller configured to control the nonvolatile memory. The controller causes management data for page data to be inputted to a redundant area of the nonvolatile memory before the execution of a program and, when moving the page data in the nonvolatile memory to one other page, controls the reading of the page data to check the page data for errors during a program period for the one other page.

Claims

1. A semiconductor memory system comprising:

a nonvolatile memory; and

a controller which is configured to control the nonvolatile memory and which causes management data for page data to be inputted to a redundant area of the nonvolatile memory before the execution of a program and, when moving the page data in the nonvolatile memory to one other page, controls the reading of the page data to check the page data for errors during a program period for the one other page.

2. The semiconductor memory system according to claim 1, wherein the redundant area of the nonvolatile memory is a redundant area for a page where the program is executed.

3. The semiconductor memory system according to claim 1, wherein the management data is flag data.

4. The semiconductor memory system according to claim 1, wherein the nonvolatile memory is a NAND flash memory.

5. A semiconductor memory system comprising:

a nonvolatile memory which has a page buffer for storing page data; and

a controller which is configured to control the nonvolatile memory and which causes management data for page data to be inputted to a redundant area of the nonvolatile memory before the execution of a program and, when moving the page data to one other page, reads the page data into the page buffer before the start of programming in the one other page, reads the page data outside the chip to check for errors, and programs the data stored in the page buffer into the one other page.

6. The semiconductor memory system according to claim 5, wherein the redundant area of the nonvolatile memory is a redundant area for a page where the program is executed.

7. The semiconductor memory system according to claim 5, wherein the management data is flag data.

8. The semiconductor memory system according to claim 5, wherein the nonvolatile memory is a NAND flash memory.

9. A semiconductor memory system comprising:

a nonvolatile memory which has a page buffer for storing page data; and

a controller which is configured to control the nonvolatile memory and which, when moving the page data to one other page, reads the page data into the page buffer before the start of programming in the one other page, reads the page data outside the chip to check for errors and, when having found an error, writes to correct the erroneous part of the data in the page buffer or writes into the entire page, and programs into the one other page.

10. The semiconductor memory system according to claim 9, wherein the nonvolatile memory is a NAND flash memory.

11. A semiconductor memory system comprising:

a nonvolatile memory which includes

a memory cell array with memory cells of a NAND cell structure,

a sense amplifier which amplifies data to be written into memory cells in the memory cell array and amplifies the data read from memory cells in the memory cell array,

a page buffer which stores the page data outputted from the sense amplifier,

a row decoder and control circuit which decodes a row address signal and controls the operation of the circuitry provided in the nonvolatile memory,

a first decoder which decodes an address for a page copy destination and a data input command and controls the operations of the row decoder and control circuit, the sense amplifier, and the page buffer, and

a second decoder which decodes an address for an ordinary program and a data input command and controls the operations of the row decoder and control circuit, the sense amplifier, and the page buffer; and

a controller which includes

a command issuing circuit which issues a command and supplies the command to the first decoder and the second decoder,

an ECC circuit which corrects collapsed data in the buffer memory, when there is an error in the page data and the error is correctable, and

a buffer memory with a data size necessary for at least one program.

12. The semiconductor memory system according to claim 11, wherein the second decoder resets the page buffer and then sets only the data in the memory cells to be programmed.

13. A semiconductor memory system data copying method comprising:

inputting management data for page data to a redundant area of a nonvolatile memory;

executing a program; and

when moving the page data in the nonvolatile memory to one other page, reading the page data during a program period for the one other page to check the page data for errors.

14. A semiconductor memory system data copying method comprising:

inputting management data for page data to a redundant area of a nonvolatile memory;

when moving the page data to one other page, reading the page data into a page buffer before the start of programming in the one other page;

reading the page data outside the chip to check for errors; and

programming the data stored in the page buffer into the one other page.

15. A semiconductor memory system data copying method comprising:

reading page data into a page buffer;

reading the page data outside the chip to check for errors;

when having found an error, writing to correct the erroneous part of the data in the page buffer or writing into the entire page; and

programming in the one other page.

16. A semiconductor memory system data copying method comprising:

reading specific page data stored in a memory cell array via a sense amplifier into a page buffer in a normal read operation;

causing a controller to issue an address for a page copy destination and a data input command and inputting the address for the copy destination to a memory section;

executing a program command;

programming data into the page copy destination;

issuing a command to output the data in the page buffer during a program period;

reading the page data in a copy source stored in the page buffer into the controller; and

storing the data received at the controller into a buffer memory via an ECC circuit.

17. The semiconductor memory system data copying method according to claim 16, further comprising making a copy into another block, when it becomes clear that correction is necessary.

18. A semiconductor memory system data copying method comprising:

reading specific page data in a memory cell array into a page buffer via a sense amplifier in a normal read operation;

reading the page data from the page buffer into a controller through serial output;

causing the controller to store the received data into a buffer memory via an ECC circuit;

correcting collapsed data in the buffer memory, when there is an error in the page data and the error is correctable;

causing the controller to issue an address for a page copy destination and a data input command;

inputting the address for the copy destination to a memory section and holding the already read-out data in the copy source;

inputting a program command; and

programming data into the page copy destination.

19. The semiconductor memory system data copying method according to claim 18, further comprising writing only a corrected part of the data stored in the buffer memory, into the page buffer, before the inputting the program command.

20. The semiconductor memory system data copying method according to claim 18, further comprising writing correct page data over the data stored in the buffer memory, before the inputting the program command.