NON-VOLATILE SEMICONDUCTOR MEMORY SYSTEM AND DATA WRITE METHOD THEREOF

• US 20080155182A1
• Filed: 10/24/2007
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: KUDO, Yasuo
• Application Number:
  US11/923,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20080155182A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory

Abstract

A non-volatile semiconductor memory system includes: a non-volatile semiconductor memory device having a data storage area defined by a plurality of blocks, each block serving as an erase unit; and a memory controller configured to control read/write of the non-volatile semiconductor memory device, wherein the non-volatile semiconductor memory device is write-controlled in such a manner that a data unit is written into a data area from the head address of a block with a capacity of integer times the block capacity.

Claims

1. A non-volatile semiconductor memory system comprising:

a non-volatile semiconductor memory device having a data storage area defined by a plurality of blocks, each block serving as an erase unit; and

a memory controller configured to control read/write of the non-volatile semiconductor memory device, wherein

the non-volatile semiconductor memory device is write-controlled in such a manner that a data unit is written into a data area from the head address of a block with a capacity of integer times the block capacity.

2. The non-volatile semiconductor memory system according to claim 1, wherein

real data of the data unit is so written in the data area as to leave an unwritten area in a block, and dummy data is embedded in the unwritten area.

3. The non-volatile semiconductor memory system according to claim 1, wherein

real data of the data unit is so written in the data area as to leave an unwritten area in a block, and the unwritten area is set to be in a write-forbidden state.

4. The non-volatile semiconductor memory system according to claim 2, wherein

the real data is written ahead of the dummy data, and the dummy data is written in accordance with instructions of a host device using the memory system.

5. The non-volatile semiconductor memory system according to claim 2, wherein

the real data is written ahead of the dummy data, and the dummy data is automatically written under the control of the memory controller.

6. The non-volatile semiconductor memory system according to claim 3, wherein

the write-forbidden state is set in accordance with instructions of a host device using the memory system.

7. The non-volatile semiconductor memory system according to claim 3, wherein

the write-forbidden state is automatically set under the control of the memory controller.

8. The non-volatile semiconductor memory system according to claim 2, wherein

the unwritten area is previously detected prior to inputting the real data, and the dummy data is written ahead of the real data.

9. The non-volatile semiconductor memory system according to claim 3, wherein

the unwritten area is previously detected and set to be in the write-forbidden state prior to inputting the real data.

10. The non-volatile semiconductor memory system according to claim 1, wherein

a read/write access area of the non-volatile semiconductor memory device is set in such a manner that data transfer unit being defined by a sector, a host inputs sector count value and sector address initial value together with a command.

11. The non-volatile semiconductor memory system according to claim 1, wherein the memory system is a memory card.

12. A data write method of a non-volatile semiconductor memory system, the data storage area of which is formed of multiple blocks each serving as an erase unit, comprising:

writing real data of a data unit in a certain area of the non-volatile semiconductor memory in such a manner that the certain area is so embedded from the head address of a block with the real data as to leave an unwritten area in another block; and

writing dummy data in the unwritten area, thereby resulting in that the data unit containing the real data and the dummy data occupies a data area with a capacity of integer times the block capacity.

13. The data write method according to claim 12, wherein

the real data is written ahead of the dummy data, and the dummy data is written in accordance with instructions of a host device using the memory system.

14. The data write method according to claim 12, wherein

the real data is written ahead of the dummy data, and the dummy data is automatically written under the control of a memory controller contained in the memory system.

15. The data write method according to claim 12, wherein

the unwritten area is previously detected prior to inputting the real data, and the dummy data is written ahead of the real data.

16. The data write method according to claim 12, wherein

a read/write access area of the non-volatile semiconductor memory is set in such a manner that data transfer unit being defined by a sector, a host inputs sector count value and sector address initial value together with a command.