Apparatus, System, and Method for Non-Volatile Storage Element Programming

• US 20120063231A1
• Filed: 09/15/2011
• Published: 03/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fusion-IO Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Wood, Robert Barry, Hyun, Jae Woong, Sun, Hairong
• Granted Patent: US 9,424,930 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 365/185.18
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/5628 Programming or writing circuits; Data input circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/10 Programming or data input circuits

Abstract

Methods, storage controllers, and systems for non-volatile storage element programming are described. One method includes programming user data in pages associated with a set of wordlines of an erase block of a non-volatile, solid-state storage element. The method further includes selecting at least one of the wordlines of the set programmed with the user data and restricting further programming of user data in the pages associated with the selected wordline. In some embodiments, the selected wordline occurs subsequent to the pages associated with the other wordlines of the set in a page programming order for the erase block.

Claims

1. A non-volatile storage element programming method comprising:

programming user data in pages associated with a set of wordlines of an erase block of a non-volatile, solid-state storage element;

selecting at least one of the wordlines of the set programmed with the user data; and

restricting further programming of user data in the pages associated with the selected wordline.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the pages associated with the selected wordline occurs subsequent to the pages associated with the other wordlines of the set in a page programming order for the erase block.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the selected wordline is physically adjacent to at least one other wordline of the set.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein restricting comprises programming dummy data in at least one of the pages associated with the selected wordline.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein programming of the dummy data comprises programming the dummy data only in one or more upper pages associated with the selected wordline.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the dummy data comprises a predetermined bit pattern.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein restricting comprises not programming pages associated with the selected wordline.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein restricting comprises programming user data only in an upper page associated with the selected wordline.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein restricting further comprises not programming a lower page associated with the selected wordline.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein restricting comprises programming user data only in a lower page associated with the selected wordline and programming dummy data in an upper page associated with the selected wordline.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein restricting comprises restricting in response to a number of programming/erase (P/E) cycles experienced by the erase block satisfying a threshold.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein restricting comprises restricting in response to a number of P/E cycles experienced by a logical erase block comprising the erase block satisfying a threshold.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising restricting further programming of user data in the pages associated with a second selected wordline of the set, the second selected wordline adjacent to the selected wordline in response to determining that the number of P/E cycles experienced by the logical erase block satisfies a second threshold.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein pages associated with the selected wordline are programmed last in a page programming order.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the erase block comprises additional unprogrammed wordlines associated with pages occurring subsequent in a page programming order for the erase block to the pages associated with the selected wordline.

16. A storage controller comprising:

a write data pipeline that programs user data in pages associated with a set of wordlines of an erase block of a non-volatile, solid-state storage element; and

a wordline restriction module that;

selects at least one of the wordlines of the set programmed with the user data; and

restricts subsequent programming of user data in the pages associated with the selected wordline.

17. The storage controller of claim 16 wherein at least one of the pages associated with the selected wordline occurs subsequent to the pages associated with the other wordlines of the set in a page programming order for the erase block.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein restricting comprises programming dummy data in at least one of the pages associated with the selected wordline.

19. A non-volatile storage system comprising:

a non-volatile, solid-state storage element; and

a storage controller that;

programs user data in pages associated with a set of wordlines of an erase block of the non-volatile, solid-state storage element;

selects at least one of the wordlines of the set programmed with the user data; and

restricts further programming of user data in the pages associated with the selected wordline.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein at least one of the pages associated with the selected wordline occurs subsequent to the pages associated with the other wordlines of the set in a page programming order for the erase block.