MEMORY SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHOD OF THE SAME

• US 20170177235A1
• Filed: 03/11/2016
• Published: 06/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kioxia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: NISHIKUBO, Ryuji, MATSUDAIRA, Hiroki, AOYAMA, Norio
• Granted Patent: US 9,996,268 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0804 with main memory updating G06F12/0806 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0868 Data transfer between cache memory and other subsystems, e.g. storage devices or host systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1024 Latency reduction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/214 Solid state disk
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7201 Logical to physical mapping or translation of blocks or pages
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7203 Temporary buffering, e.g. using volatile buffer or dedicated buffer blocks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7205 Cleaning, compaction, garbage collection, erase control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0611 in relation to response time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0652 Erasing, e.g. deleting, data cleaning, moving of data to a wastebasket
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0656 Data buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0659 Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0679 Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0688 Non-volatile semiconductor memory arrays
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a memory system writes data to a first block, and executes a garbage collection when the number of free blocks is not greater than a first threshold value. The memory system calculates a first number which is a ratio of the number of copy destination blocks needed for the garbage collection to the number of blocks to which data designated by a write command is written. The memory system determines whether the first number is greater than a second threshold value when a first command is received from the host, and performs fill-up processing for the first block when the first number is not greater than the second threshold value.

Claims

1. A memory system comprising:

a nonvolatile memory including a plurality of blocks;

a volatile memory including a write buffer configured to temporarily store data designated by a write command received from a host; and

a controller electrically connected to the nonvolatile memory, and configured to;

write the data stored in the write buffer to a first block, the first block being included in the plurality of blocks;

execute a garbage collection when the number of free blocks in the nonvolatile memory is not greater than a first threshold value;

calculate a first number based on amounts of invalid data in a plurality of second blocks, the first number being a ratio of the number of copy destination blocks needed for the garbage collection to the number of blocks to which the data designated by the write command is written, the plurality of second blocks being included in the plurality of blocks;

determine whether the first number is greater than a second threshold value when an empty area exists in the first block and the controller receives a first command from the host, the first command being either a command for instructing preparation of power-off, or a command for requesting flushing the data stored in the write buffer to the nonvolatile memory;

perform fill-up processing for the first block by writing, to the empty area in the first block, at least one of unwritten data in the write buffer and data written to the nonvolatile memory, when the first number is not greater than the second threshold value; and

save the data written to the first block to a third block and write dummy data to the empty area of the first block, when the first number is greater than the second threshold value, the third block being included in the plurality of blocks.

2. The memory system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to:

perform the fill-up processing in parallel with the garbage collection when performing the fill-up processing for the first block; and

stop the garbage collection, save the data written to the first block, and write the dummy data, when the first number is greater than the second threshold value.

3. The memory system of claim 1, wherein

the empty area includes one or more erased pages;

and

the controller is configured to;

determine whether the number of the one or more erased pages is less than a third threshold value;

perform the fill-up processing for the first block when the first number is not greater than the first threshold value, or when the first number is greater than the first threshold value and the number of the one or more erased pages is less than the third threshold value; and

save the data written to the first block and write the dummy data, when the first number is greater than the first threshold value and the number of the one or more erased pages is not less than the third threshold value.

4. The memory system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to:

rank the second blocks in descending order of the amounts of invalid data when the number of free blocks in the nonvolatile memory is not greater than the first threshold value; and

calculate the first number by sequentially checking amounts of valid data, beginning with a block having the highest amount of invalid data.

5. The memory system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to:

save, to the nonvolatile memory, management data stored in the volatile memory, after performing the fill-up processing for the first block, or saving the data written to the first block and writing the dummy data; and

transmit, to the host, an acknowledgment to the first command after saving the management data.

6. The memory system of claim 1, wherein when the first number is greater than the second threshold value, the controller writes unwritten data in the write buffer to the first block, and saves, to the third block, the data written to the first block and the unwritten data written to the first block.

7. The memory system of claim 1, wherein the third block is a copy destination block associated with the garbage collection.

8. The memory system of claim 1, wherein the third block is a dedicated block allocated for data saving.

9. The memory system of claim 8, wherein the third block is a single level cell (SLC) block.

10. The memory system of claim 1, wherein the volatile memory is a dynamic random access memory (DRAM).

11. A method for controlling a memory system comprising a volatile memory and a nonvolatile memory including a plurality of blocks, the method comprising:

temporarily storing, in a write buffer in the volatile memory, data designated by a write command received from a host;

writing the data stored in the write buffer to a first block, the first block being included in the plurality of blocks;

executing a garbage collection when the number of free blocks in the nonvolatile memory is not greater than a first threshold value;

calculating a first number based on amounts of invalid data in a plurality of second blocks, the first number being a ratio of the number of copy destination blocks needed for the garbage collection to the number of blocks to which the data designated by the write command is written, the plurality of second blocks being included in the plurality of blocks;

determining whether the first number is greater than a second threshold value, when an empty area exists in the first block and a first command is received from the host, the first command being either a command for instructing preparation of power-off, or a command for requesting flushing the data stored in the write buffer to the nonvolatile memory;

performing fill-up processing for the first block by writing, to the empty area in the first block, at least one of unwritten data in the write buffer and data written to the nonvolatile memory, when the first number is not greater than the second threshold value; and

saving the data written to the first block to a third block and writing dummy data to the empty area of the first block, when the first number is greater than the second threshold value, the third block being included in the plurality of blocks.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein

the fill-up processing is performed in parallel with the garbage collection when the fill-up processing is performed for the first block;

and

the garbage collection is stopped, the data written to the first block is saved, and the dummy data is written, when the first number is greater than the second threshold value.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein

the empty area includes one or more erased pages;

the method further comprises determining whether the number of the one or more erased pages is less than a third threshold value;

when the first number is not greater than the first threshold value, or when the first number is greater than the first threshold value and the number of the one or more erased pages is less than the third threshold value, the fill-up processing is performed for the first block; and

when the first number is greater than the first threshold value and the number of the one or more erased pages is not less than the third threshold value, the data written to the first block is saved and the dummy data is written.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the calculating the first number includes:

ranking the second blocks in descending order of the amounts of invalid data when the number of free blocks in the nonvolatile memory is not greater than the first threshold value; and

calculating the first number by sequentially checking amounts of valid data, beginning with a block having the highest amount of invalid data.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

saving, to the nonvolatile memory, management data stored in the volatile memory, after performing the fill-up processing for the first block, or saving the data written to the first block and writing the dummy data; and

transmitting, to the host, an acknowledgment to the first command after saving the management data.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

writing, to the first block, unwritten data in the write buffer when the first number is greater than the second threshold value; and

saving, to the third block, the data written to the first block and the unwritten data written to the first block.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the third block is a copy destination block associated with the garbage collection.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the third block is a dedicated block allocated for data saving.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the third block is a single level cell (SLC) block.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the volatile memory is a dynamic random access memory (DRAM).