Memory system and control method thereof

• US 8,886,868 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2010
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kioxia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kitsunai, Kazuya, Kanno, Shinichi, Yano, Hirokuni, Hida, Toshikatsu, Yano, Junji
• Primary Examiner(s): CHOE, YONG J
• Application Number:
  US12/778,484
• Publication Number:
  US 20100223424A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,644 Days
• Field of Search: 711/103, 711/E12.001, 711/E12.008
• US Class Current: 711/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1036 Life time enhancement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7202 Allocation control and policies
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7205 Cleaning, compaction, garbage collection, erase control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7211 Wear leveling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0616 in relation to life time, e.g. increasing Mean Time Between Failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/064 Management of blocks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0647 Migration mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0652 Erasing, e.g. deleting, data cleaning, moving of data to a wastebasket
• 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 3/0685 Hybrid storage combining heterogeneous device types, e.g. hierarchical storage, hybrid arrays

Abstract

A memory system includes a nonvolatile memory including a plurality of blocks as data erase units, a measuring unit which measures an erase time at which data of each block is erased, and a block controller which writes data supplied from at least an exterior into a first block which is set in a free state and whose erase time is oldest.

Claims

1. A control method of a memory system including a nonvolatile memory having a plurality of blocks as data erase units, the method comprising:

storing an erase time which indicates when data of each block is erased;

generating a block table indicating a correspondence relation between a status value indicating one of a free state and an in-use state and the erase time for each block;

selecting a first block which is set in a free state and whose erase time is oldest based on information of the block table; and

writing data supplied from at least an exterior into the first block.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

counting the number of times of erase executed in all blocks, wherein

the erase time corresponds to the number of times of erase.

3. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

measuring a time at which data in each block is erased, wherein

the erase time corresponds to the time.

4. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

measuring a power supply time of the memory system when data in each block is erased, wherein

the erase time corresponds to the power supply time.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a second block whose erase count is minimum among a preset number of blocks which are set in the in-use state starting from a block whose erase time is oldest based on information of the block table;

selecting a third block whose erase count is maximum among a preset number of blocks which are set in the free state starting from a block whose erase time is oldest based on information of the block table;

calculating a difference between erase counts of the second block and the third block; and

moving data of the second block into the third block when the difference exceeds a threshold value.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a second block whose erase count is minimum among a preset ratio of blocks which are set in the in-use state starting from a block whose erase time is oldest based on information of the block table;

selecting a third block whose erase count is maximum among a preset ratio of blocks which are set in the free state starting from a block whose erase time is oldest based on information of the block table;

calculating a difference between erase counts of the second block and the third block; and

moving data of the second block into the third block when the difference exceeds a threshold value.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a second block whose erase count is minimum among blocks which are set in the in-use state and whose erase times are older than a preset time based on information of the block table;

selecting a third block whose erase count is maximum among blocks which are set in the free state and whose erase times are older than a preset time based on information of the block table;

calculating a difference between erase counts of the second block and the third block; and

moving data of the second block into the third block when the difference exceeds a threshold value.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

managing a magnitude of a load corresponding to an erase interval with respect to the nonvolatile memory, and generating a load concentration degree indicating the magnitude of the load; and

moving data in a second block set in the in-use state into a third block set in the free state when the load concentration degree exceeds a threshold value.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

selecting the second block based on information of the block table; and

selecting the third block based on the information of the block table,

wherein the second block is a block whose erase count is minimum among a preset number of blocks set in the in-use state starting from a block whose erase time is oldest, and

the third block is a block whose erase count is maximum among a preset number of blocks set in the free state starting from a block whose erase time is oldest.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

selecting the second block based on information of the block table; and

selecting the third block based on the information of the block table,

wherein the second block is a block whose erase count is minimum among a preset ratio of blocks set in the in-use state starting from a block whose erase time is oldest, and

the third block is a block whose erase count is maximum among a preset ratio of blocks set in the free state starting from a block whose erase time is oldest.

11. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

selecting the second block based on information of the block table; and

selecting the third block based on the information of the block table,

wherein the second block is a block whose erase count is minimum among blocks which are set in the in-use state and whose erase times are older than preset time, and

the third block is a block whose erase count is maximum among blocks which are set in the free state and whose erase times are older than a preset time.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein

the managing includes generating a count value obtained by adding an addition value corresponding to an erase time of a block whenever the block is updated from the free state to the in-use state, based on an addition value table indicating a plurality of erase times and addition values set in correspondence to the respective erase times, and

the load concentration degree corresponds to the count value.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the addition value is added to the count value whenever the block is updated from the in-use state to the free state.

14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising limiting the number of moving processes based on the load concentration degree, and generating a logical value indicating whether a moving process is performed,

wherein the moving includes determining whether the moving process is performed based on the logical value.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the limiting includes:

generating a random number;

determining whether the random number is smaller than a threshold value; and

generating the logical value based on the determination result.

16. A control method of a memory system including a nonvolatile memory having a plurality of blocks as data erase units, the method comprising:

measuring an erase time at which data of each block is erased;

counting an erase count of each block;

generating a block table indicating a correspondence relation between a status value indicating one of a free state and an in-use state, the erase time and the erase count for each block;

selecting a first block whose erase count is minimum among a preset number of blocks set in the free state starting from a block whose erase time is oldest based on information of the block table; and

writing data supplied from at least an exterior into the first block.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein

the measuring includes counting the number of times of erase executed in all blocks, and

the erase time corresponds to the number of times of erase.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein

the measuring includes measuring a time at which data in each block is erased, and

the erase time corresponds to the time.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein

the measuring includes measuring a power supply time of the memory system when data in each block is erased, and

the erase time corresponds to the power supply time.

20. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

selecting a second block whose erase count is minimum among a preset number of blocks which are set in the in-use state starting from a block whose erase time is oldest based on information of the block table;

selecting a third block whose erase count is maximum among a preset number of blocks which are set in the free state starting from a block whose erase time is oldest based on information of the block table;

calculating a difference between erase counts of the second block and the third block; and

moving data of the second block into the third block when the difference exceeds a threshold value.

21. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

selecting a second block whose erase count is minimum among a preset ratio of blocks which are set in the in-use state starting from a block whose erase time is oldest based on information of the block table;

selecting a third block whose erase count is maximum among a preset ratio of blocks which are set in the free state starting from a block whose erase time is oldest based on information of the block table;

calculating a difference between erase counts of the second block and the third block; and

moving data of the second block into the third block when the difference exceeds a threshold value.

22. A control method of a memory system including a nonvolatile memory having a plurality of blocks as data erase units, the method comprising:

measuring an erase time at which data of each block is erased;

counting an erase count of each block;

generating a block table indicating a correspondence relation between a status value indicating one of a free state and an in-use state, the erase time and the erase count for each block;

selecting a first block whose erase count is minimum among a preset ratio of blocks set in the free state starting from a block whose erase time is oldest based on information of the block table; and

writing data supplied from at least an exterior into the first block.

23. A control method of a memory system including a nonvolatile memory having a plurality of blocks as data erase units, the method comprising:

measuring an erase time at which data of each block is erased;

counting an erase count of each block;

generating a block table indicating a correspondence relation between a status value indicating one of a free state and an in-use state, the erase time and the erase count for each block;

selecting a first block whose erase count is minimum among blocks which are set in the free state and whose erase times are older than a preset time based on information of the block table; and

writing data supplied from at least an exterior into the first block.