Semiconductor storage device in which commands are sequentially fed to a plurality of flash memories to continuously write data

• US 6,728,826 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2003
• Issued: 04/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Emergence Memory Solutions LLC
• Original Assignee: Renesas Technology Corporation (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: Katayama, Kunihiro, Kaki, Kenichi, Tsunehiro, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Gossage, Glenn
• Application Number:
  US10/387,478
• Publication Number:
  US 20030149832A1
• Time in Patent Office: 410 Days
• Field of Search: 711/103, 711/169, 711/157, 365/185.11, 365/185.29, 365/185.33, 365/230.03, 365/218
• US Class Current: 711/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0611 in relation to response time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0613 in relation to throughput
• 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 16/102 External programming circuits, e.g. EPROM programmers; In-circuit programming or reprogramming; EPROM emulators
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/32 Timing circuits

Abstract

A semiconductor storage apparatus such as a disk pack in which a controller sends a second write command or instruction while a write operation for a first write command or instruction is being carried out. The storage apparatus includes a plurality of flash memories which operate slower in writing data thereinto than the reading data therefrom, a write buffer memory in which data are temporarily held, a processor which controls the data writing operation and which transfers and analyzes commands and statuses, an address controller which generates physical addresses, a circuit which generates a writing supply voltage Vpp for the flash memories, a memory address bus, and a data bus. The semiconductor disk pack is connected to a standard bus in a personal computer or the like. The processor writes the data of one word into a desired one of the flash memories, and it continuously writes the data of one word into an accessible one of the other flash memories during a latency which extends until the desired flash memory becomes capable of writing the next data of one word thereinto.

Claims

1. A semiconductor storage apparatus to be coupled with a system bus for receiving a write request accompanied with first and second blocks of data through said system bus from an external information processing system, wherein said first and second blocks of data are each comprised of a first predetermined number of bytes, comprising:

a plurality of nonvolatile flash semiconductor memories which store said first and second blocks of data therein;

a buffer memory, coupled commonly with said plurality of nonvolatile flash semiconductor memories, which holds said first and second blocks of data as write data to be written into said plurality of nonvolatile flash semiconductor memories; and

a control means to be coupled to said system bus, and coupled to said plurality of nonvolatile flash semiconductor memories and to said buffer memory, which carries out read operations of said write data from said buffer memory and write operations of said write data read out from said buffer memory into said plurality of nonvolatile flash semiconductor memories, responsive to said write request;

wherein said control means responsive to said write request sends a first write command to write said first block of said first predetermined number of bytes into one of said plurality of nonvolatile flash semiconductor memories and, after the first write command has been sent, the control means sends a second write command to write said second block of data comprised of said first predetermined number of bytes into another of said plurality of nonvolatile flash semiconductor memories different from said one of said nonvolatile flash semiconductor memories to which said first write command has been sent, and

wherein said control means sends said first block of data accompanied with said first write command to said one of said plurality of nonvolatile flash semiconductor memories and subsequently sends said second block of data accompanied with said second write command to said other of said plurality of nonvolatile flash semiconductor memories while said one of said nonvolatile flash semiconductor memories is under said write operation responsive to said first write command.

2. A semiconductor storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of nonvolatile flash semiconductor memories is a flash memory chip.

3. A semiconductor storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of said first and second blocks of data is comprised of said first predetermined number of bytes is a sector data of 512 bytes.

4. A semiconductor storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means includes a processor.

5. A semiconductor storage apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said control means further includes an address controller.

6. A semiconductor storage apparatus to be coupled with a system bus for receiving a write request accompanied with first and second blocks of data through said system bus from an external information processing system, wherein said first and second blocks of data are each comprised of a first predetermined number of bytes, comprising:

a plurality of nonvolatile flash semiconductor memories which store and first and second blocks of data therein;

a buffer memory, coupled commonly with said plurality of nonvolatile flash semiconductor memories, which holds said first and second blocks of data as write data to be written into said plurality of nonvolatile flash semiconductor memories; and

a control means to be coupled to said system bus, and coupled to said plurality of nonvolatile flash semiconductor memories and to said buffer memory, which carries out read operations of said write data from said buffer memory and write operations of said write data read out from said buffer memory into said plurality of nonvolatile flash semiconductor memories, responsive to said write request;

wherein said control means responsive to said write request sends a first write command to write said first block of data comprised of said first predetermined number of bytes into one of said plurality of nonvolatile flash semiconductor memories and, after the first write command has been sent, the control means sends a second write command to write said second blocks of data comprised of said first predetermined number of bytes into another of said plurality of nonvolatile flash semiconductor memories different from said one of said nonvolatile flash semiconductor memories to which said first write command has been sent,

wherein said control means sends said first block of data accompanied with said first write command to said one of said plurality of nonvolatile flash semiconductor memories and subsequently sends said second blocks of data accompanied with said second write command to said other of said plurality of nonvolatile flash semiconductor memories while said one of said nonvolatile flash semiconductor memories is under said write operation responsive to said first write command, and

wherein each of said first block of data and said second block of data sent from said buffer memory to said one and said other one of said plurality of nonvolatile flash semiconductor memories during said write operations is divided in a time sequence into a plurality of data fragments each of which is comprised of a second predetermined number of bits less than said first predetermined number of bits.

7. A semiconductor storage apparatus according to claim 6, wherein each of said plurality of nonvolatile flash semiconductor memories is a flash memory chip.

8. A semiconductor storage apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said control means includes a processor.

9. A semiconductor storage apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said control means further includes an address controller.

10. A semiconductor storage apparatus according to claim 6, wherein each of said first and second blocks of data comprised of said first predetermined number of bytes is sector data of 512 bytes.

11. A semiconductor storage apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said second predetermined number of bits of said plurality of data fragments of each of said first block of data and said second block of data is one word.