ERROR CORRECTION IN A FLASH MEMORY

• US 20180198464A1
• Filed: 08/02/2017
• Published: 07/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics International N.V. (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: Proton World International N.V. (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: DOCQUIER, Guillaume, GONTARA, Ahmed
• Granted Patent: US 10,547,326 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1004 to protect a block of data words, e.g. CRC or checksum G06F11/1076 takes precedence; security arrangements for protecting computers or computer systems against unauthorized activity G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1044 with specific ECC/EDC distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/05 using block codes, i.e. a predetermined number of check bits joined to a predetermined number of information bits H03M13/2906 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/611 Specific encoding aspects, e.g. encoding by means of decoding

Abstract

A method includes storing data and metadata related to the data in logical words in a non-volatile memory. For each logical word stored in the non-volatile memory, a corresponding error-correction code is generated. Each physical word stored contains a logical word and the corresponding error-correction code. The metadata may contain atomicity information. The non-volatile memory may be a flash memory. Each physical word may contain a parity bit based on the logical word and the corresponding error-correction code stored in the physical word. The logical words may be encoded into physical words including the corresponding error correction code using an encoding table. The data and the metadata may be split into logical words.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

storing data and metadata related to the data in logical words in a non-volatile memory; and

generating, for each logical word stored in the non-volatile memory, a corresponding error-correction code, wherein each physical word stored in the non-volatile memory contains a logical word and the corresponding error-correction code.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the metadata contains atomicity information.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein a number of bits of a physical word corresponds to a minimum writing granularity of the memory.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the error-correction code detects an inversion of one bit per byte.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the error-correction code is a Hamming code.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the non-volatile memory is a flash memory.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein each physical word contains a parity bit based on the logical word and the corresponding error-correction code stored in the physical word.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the corresponding error code comprises encoding the logical word using an encoding table.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising splitting the data and the metadata into logical words.

10. A flash memory, comprising:

a memory array; and

control circuitry, which, in operation, controls storage of data and metadata related to the data in physical words of the memory array, wherein a physical word stored in the memory array includes a logical word of the data or of the metadata and an error-correction code corresponding to the logical word.

11. The flash memory of claim 10 wherein the metadata contains atomicity information.

12. The flash memory of claim 10 wherein a number of bits of a physical word corresponds to a minimum writing granularity of the flash memory.

13. The flash memory of claim 10 wherein the error-correction code detects an inversion of one bit per byte.

14. The flash memory of claim 10 wherein the error-correction code is a Hamming code.

15. The flash memory of claim 10 wherein each physical word stored in the memory array contains a parity bit based on the logical word and the corresponding error-correction code of the physical word.

16. The flash memory of claim 10 wherein a physical word is generated by encoding a logical word using an encoding table.

17. The flash memory of claim 10 wherein the data and the metadata are split into logical words.

18. A system, comprising:

processing circuitry; and

a non-volatile memory array coupled to the processing circuitry, wherein the processing circuitry, in operation, controls storing of data and metadata related to the data in logical words of the memory array, the storing of a logical word including generating an error-correction code corresponding to the logical word and generating a physical word including the logical word and the corresponding error-correction code.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the metadata contains atomicity information.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the error-correction code is a Hamming code.

21. The system of claim 18 wherein the generating an error-correction code corresponding to the logical word and generating a physical word including the logical word and the corresponding error-correction code comprises encoding the logical word using an encoding table.

22. The system of claim 18 wherein the memory array includes control circuitry, which, in operation, controls storage of physical words in the memory array.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having contents which cause a computing system including a non-volatile memory to perform a method, the method comprising:

storing data in logical words of the non-volatile memory; and

storing metadata related to the data in logical words of the non-volatile memory, wherein the storing of a logical word includes generating an error-correction code corresponding to the logical word and storing a physical word in the non-volatile memory including the logical word and the corresponding error-correction code.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23 wherein the metadata contains atomicity information.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23 wherein the error-correction code is a Hamming code.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23 wherein the generating an error-correction code corresponding to the logical word and storing a physical word in the non-volatile memory including the logical word and the corresponding error-correction code comprises encoding the logical word using an encoding table.