NON-VOLATILE STORAGE DEVICE, INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM AND WRITE CONTROL METHOD OF NON-VOLATILE STORAGE DEVICE

• US 20120155167A1
• Filed: 08/02/2011
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: UEHARA, Keiichi
• Application Number:
  US13/196,723
• Publication Number:
  US 20120155167A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 365/185.03
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/5628 Programming or writing circuits; Data input circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2211/5641 Multilevel memory having cells with different number of storage levels

Abstract

A non-volatile storage device has a non-volatile memory, a capacity determination part configured to determine whether data amount stored into the non-volatile memory exceeds a first threshold value, an area dividing determination part configured to provide a first storage area for writing one bit data to one memory cell and a second storage area for writing multiple bit data to one memory cell in storage areas of the non-volatile memory, a first write control part configured to write data into the first storage area by a first writing mode until the capacity determination part determines that the first threshold value has been exceeded, a data selector configured to select data that frequency of access does not reach a predetermined reference value among data stored into the non-volatile memory when the capacity determination part determines that the first threshold value has been exceeded, and a second write control part configured to temporarily save data selected by the data selector from the first storage area to write the saved data to the second storage area by a second writing mode.

Claims

1. A non-volatile storage device comprising:

a non-volatile memory capable of changing the number of bits written to a memory cell;

a capacity determination module configured to determine whether a first data amount stored in the non-volatile memory exceeds a first threshold value;

an area dividing determination module configured to provide a first storage area in the non-volatile memory for writing single bit data to a first set of memory cells and a second storage area in the non-volatile memory for writing multiple bit data to a second set of memory cells;

a first write controller configured to write data to the first storage area using a first writing mode until the capacity determination module determines that the first threshold value has been exceeded;

a data selector configured to select a first subset of data from the data stored in the first storage area, wherein the first subset of data is associated with a frequency of access less than a predetermined reference value when the capacity determination module determines that the first threshold value has been exceeded; and

a second write controller configured to temporarily save the first subset of data for writing to the second storage area using a second writing mode.

2. The non-volatile storage device of claim 1, wherein when both the first write controller and the second write controller are attempting to perform a write, the first write controller is given priority.

3. The non-volatile storage device of claim 1, wherein:

the area dividing determination module is further configured to divide the non-volatile memory into at least three storage areas including the first storage area, the second storage area, and a third storage area for writing bit data exceeding the space available in the second storage area to a third set of memory cells;

the capacity determination module is further configured to determine whether a second data amount stored in the second storage area exceeds a second threshold value;

the data selector is further configured to select a second subset of data from the data stored in the second storage area, wherein the second subset of data is associated with a frequency of access less than a second reference value when the capacity determination module determines that the second threshold value has been exceeded, wherein the second reference value is less than the first reference value; and

the second write controller is further configured to temporarily save the second subset of data for writing to the third storage area using a third writing mode.

4. The non-volatile storage device of claim 1, wherein an access speed of the first storage area is faster than an access speed of the second storage area, and an allowable number of times for data rewriting in the first storage area is greater than an allowable number of times for data rewriting in the second storage area.

5. The non-volatile storage device of claim 4, wherein:

the access speed of the first storage area is faster than the access speed of the second storage area and the access speed of the second storage area is faster than an access speed of the third storage area; and

the allowable number of times for data rewriting in the first storage area is greater than the allowable number of times for data rewriting in the second storage area and the allowable number of times for data rewriting in the second storage area is greater than an allowable number of times for data rewriting in the third storage area.

6. The non-volatile storage device of claim 1, wherein:

the non-volatile memory is a NAND type flash memory;

the first storage area uses an SLC (Single-Level Cell) mode for write operations; and

the second storage area uses an MLC (Multi-Level Cell) mode for write operations.

7. The non-volatile storage device of claim 1, wherein:

the non-volatile memory is a NAND type flash memory;

the first storage area uses an SLC (Single-Level Cell) mode for write operations;

the second storage area uses an MLC (Multi-Level Cell) mode for write operations; and

the third storage area uses a TLC (Triple-Level Cell) mode for write operations.

8. The non-volatile storage device of claim 1, wherein the data selector is further configured to determine the frequency of access based on a number of reads of data stored in the non-volatile memory.

9. The non-volatile storage device of claim 1, wherein the data selector determines the frequency of access based on an elapsed time from when data is stored in the non-volatile memory to when the data is accessed next.

10. The non-volatile storage device of claim 1, further comprising a memory controller configured to control the non-volatile memory, the memory controller comprising:

a processor;

a work memory configured to store data for performing operations of the processor; and

an interface module configured to send and receive signals from a host apparatus,

the work memory further configured to store programs for executing operations of the capacity determination module, the area dividing module, the first write controller, the data selector, and the second write controller by the processor.

11. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to execute an operating system at a start-up time, the processor capable of executing programs on the operating system;

a main memory accessed by the processor;

a memory controller configured to control access to the main memory;

a display controller configured to control the display of a display apparatus based on instructions from the processor;

a display memory configured to store image data displayed on the display apparatus;

an I/O controller configured to control peripheral apparatuses based on instructions from the processor; and

a non-volatile storage device controlled by the I/O controller,

wherein the non-volatile storage device comprises a non-volatile memory capable of changing the number of bits written to a memory cell; and

wherein the processor is further configured to;

determine whether a first data amount stored in the non-volatile memory exceeds a first threshold value;

provide a first storage area in the non-volatile memory for writing single bit data to a first set of memory cells and a second storage area in the non-volatile memory for writing multiple bit data to a second set of memory cells;

write data into the first storage area using a first writing mode until the first threshold value has been exceeded;

select a first subset of data from the data stored in the first storage area, wherein the first subset of data is associated with a frequency of access less than a predetermined reference value when the first threshold value has been exceeded; and

temporarily save the first subset of data for writing to the second storage area using a second writing mode.

12. The information processing apparatus of claim 11, wherein when the processor is performing a first write operation using the first writing mode and a second write operation using the second writing mode, the first write operation is given priority.

13. The information processing apparatus of claim 11, wherein:

the non-volatile memory is divided into at least three storage areas including the first storage area, the second storage area, and a third storage area for writing bit data exceeding the space available in the second storage area to a third set of memory cells;

the processor is further configured to;

determine whether a second data amount stored in the second storage area exceeds a second threshold value;

select a second subset of data from the data stored in the second storage area, wherein the second subset of data is associated with a frequency of access less than a second reference value in response to determining that the second threshold value has been exceeded, wherein the second reference value is less than the first reference value;

temporarily save the second subset of data for writing to the third storage area using a third writing mode.

14. The information processing apparatus of claim 11, wherein an access speed of the first storage area is faster than an access speed of the second storage area, and an allowable number of times for data rewriting in the first storage area is greater than an allowable number of times for data rewriting in the second storage area.

15. The information processing apparatus of claim 14, wherein:

the access speed of the first storage area is faster than the access speed of the second storage area and the access speed of the second storage area is faster than an access speed of the third storage area; and

the allowable number of times for data rewriting in the first storage area is greater than the allowable number of times for data rewriting in the second storage area and the allowable number of times for data rewriting in the second storage area is greater than an allowable number of times for data rewriting in the third storage area.

16. The information processing apparatus of claim 11, wherein:

the non-volatile memory is a NAND type flash memory;

the first storage area uses an SLC (Single-Level Cell) mode for write operations; and

the second storage area uses an MLC (Multi-Level Cell) mode for write operations.

17. The information processing apparatus of claim 11, wherein:

the non-volatile memory is a NAND type flash memory;

the first storage area uses an SLC (Single-Level Cell) mode for write operations;

the second storage area uses an MLC (Multi-Level Cell) mode for write operations; and

the third storage area uses a TLC (Triple-Level Cell) mode for write operations.

18. The information processing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the frequency of access is determined based on a number of reads of data stored in the non-volatile memory.

19. The information processing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the frequency of access is determined based on an elapsed time from when data is stored in the non-volatile memory to when the data is accessed next.

20. A write control method of controlling a non-volatile storage device comprising a non-volatile memory capable of changing the number of bits written to a memory cell, the method comprising:

determining whether a data amount stored in the non-volatile memory exceeds a first threshold value;

providing a first storage area in the non-volatile memory for writing single bit data to a first set of memory cells and a second storage area in the non-volatile memory for writing multiple bit data to a second set of memory cells;

writing data to the first storage area using a first writing mode until it is determined that the first threshold value has been exceeded;

selecting a subset of data from the data stored in the first storage area, wherein the subset of data is associated with a frequency of access less than a predetermined reference value when it is determined that the first threshold value has been exceeded; and

temporarily saving the subset of data for writing to the second storage area using a second writing mode.