Memory system to select program operation method and method thereof

• US 9,164,889 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2013
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Seung-Bum, Jeong, Jaeyong, Park, Kitae
• Primary Examiner(s): Bragdon, Reginald
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wang, Edward
• Application Number:
  US13/755,144
• Publication Number:
  US 20130219109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• Field of Search: 711/103
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1068 in sector programmable memories, e.g. flash disk G06F11/1072 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/5628 Programming or writing circuits; Data input circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/10 Programming or data input circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2211/5641 Multilevel memory having cells with different number of storage levels
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/1006 Data managing, e.g. manipulating data before writing or reading out, data bus switches or control circuits therefor

Abstract

A memory system includes a nonvolatile memory device having a first data area storing M-bit data using a buffer program operation and a second data area storing N-bit data (N being an integer larger than M) using a main program operation and a memory controller configured to control the nonvolatile memory device. When a main program operation using data stored at the first and second data areas is required, the memory controller calculates values indicating a performance of the required main program operation to be executed according to a plurality of main program manners, selects one of the plurality of main program manners based on the calculated values, and controls the nonvolatile memory device to perform the required main program operation according to the selected main program manner.

Claims

1. A memory system comprising:

a nonvolatile memory device having a first data area to store M-bit data using a buffer program operation and a second data area to store N-bit data using a main program operation where M and N are integers and N is greater than M; and

a memory controller configured to control the nonvolatile memory device,

wherein, in response to determining that the main program operation requires uses of data stored at the first and second data areas, the memory controller calculates values indicating a performance of the main program operation to be executed according to a plurality of main program schemes, selects one of the plurality of main program schemes based on the calculated values, and controls the nonvolatile memory device to perform the main program operation according to the selected main program scheme,

wherein the plurality of main program schemes includes a first main program scheme and a second main program scheme,

wherein the main program operation is performed based on X-page data stored at the first data area and Y-page data stored at the second data area where X and Y are integers,

wherein the main program operation according to the first main program scheme includes operations of reading 1-page data of the Y-page data from the second data area via a page buffer circuit of the nonvolatile memory device, performing an error correcting operation on the read 1-page data, storing the error-corrected page data at the first data area, reading the X-page data and the error-corrected page data from the first data area, and setting up the page buffer circuit with the read X-page data, wherein the reading 1-page data of the Y-page data, the performing an error correcting operation, and storing the error-corrected page data are iterated until each page of the Y-page data is read, and

wherein the main program operation according to the second main program scheme includes operations of reading 1-page data of the Y-page data from the second data area via a page buffer circuit of the nonvolatile memory device, performing an error correcting operation on the read 1-page data, and setting up the page buffer circuit with the error-corrected page data and 2-page data read from the first data area, and wherein the reading 1-page data, performing an error correcting operation, and setting up the page buffer circuit are iterated until each page of the Y-page data is read.

2. The memory system of claim 1, wherein the value indicating the performance of the main program operation includes a time taken to perform the main program operation, a power consumed to perform the main program operation, or a data transfer number between the nonvolatile memory device and the memory controller when the main program operation is performed.

3. The memory system of claim 1, wherein 1-bit data is programmed at the first data area according to a single-bit program scheme and 3-bit data is programmed at the second data area according to a multi-bit program scheme.

4. The memory system of claim 1, wherein data set up at the page buffer circuit is programmed at the second data area according to a 3-step reprogramming scheme.

5. The memory system of claim 1, wherein, in response to the main program operation using data stored at the first data area being required, the memory controller controls the nonvolatile memory device to perform the main program operation according to a third main program scheme different from the first and second main program schemes.

6. The memory system of claim 5, wherein the main program operation according to the third main program scheme includes operations of setting up the page buffer circuit with plural pages of data sequentially read out from the first data area and programming the setup data at the second data area according to a 3-step reprogramming scheme.

7. An operating method of a memory system which includes a nonvolatile memory device having a first data area storing M-bit data using a buffer program operation and a second data area storing N-bit data using a main program operation where M and N are integers and N is greater than M;

and a memory controller configured to control the nonvolatile memory device, the operating method comprising;

determining whether a main program operation requires uses of data stored at the first and data stored at the second data area;

in response to determining that the main program operation requires uses of data stored at the first and data stored at the second data area, calculating values indicating a performance of the main program operation to be executed according to a plurality of main program schemes;

selecting one of the plurality of main program schemes based on the calculated values; and

controlling the nonvolatile memory device to perform the main program operation according to the selected main program scheme,

wherein the plurality of main program schemes includes a first main program scheme and a second main program scheme,

wherein the main program operation is performed based on X-page data stored at the first data area and Y-page data stored at the second data area where X and Y are integers,

wherein the main program operation according to the first main program scheme includes operations of reading 1-page data of the Y-page data from the second data area via a page buffer circuit of the nonvolatile memory device, performing an error correcting operation on the read 1-page data, storing the error-corrected page data at the first data area, reading the X-page data and the error-corrected page data from the first data area, and setting up the page buffer circuit with the read X-page data, wherein the reading 1-page data of the Y-page data, the performing an error correcting operation, and storing the error-corrected page data are iterated until each page of the Y-page data is read, and

wherein the main program operation according to the second main program scheme includes operations of reading 1-page data of the Y-page data from the second data area via a page buffer circuit of the nonvolatile memory device, performing an error correcting operation on the read 1-page data, and setting up the page buffer circuit with the error-corrected page data and 2-page data read from the first data area, wherein the reading 1-page data, performing an error correcting operation, and setting up the page buffer circuit are iterated until each page of the Y-page data is read.

8. The operating method of claim 7, wherein 1-bit data is programmed at the first data area according to a single-bit program scheme and 3-bit data is programmed at the second data area according to a multi-bit program scheme.

9. The operating method of claim 7, wherein data set up at the page buffer circuit is programmed at the second data area according to a 3-step reprogramming scheme.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium to contain computer-readable medium to execute the method of claim 7.

11. A memory system comprising:

a nonvolatile memory device having a plurality of data areas to store different-bit data; and

a memory controller to select one of a plurality of program schemes according to comparison between the program schemes to be suitable to perform a main program using data stored in at least two of the plurality of data areas of the nonvolatile memory device, and to perform the main program operation according to the selected program scheme using data stored at the at least two of the plurality of data areas,

wherein the plurality of main program schemes includes a first main program scheme and a second main program scheme,

wherein the selected main program operation is performed based on X-page data stored at the first data area and Y-page data stored at the second data area where X and Y are integers,

wherein the first main program scheme includes operations of reading 1-page data of the Y-page data from the second data area via a page buffer circuit of the nonvolatile memory device, performing an error correcting operation on the read 1-page data, storing the error-corrected page data at the first data area, reading the X-page data and the error-corrected page data from the first data area, and setting up the page buffer circuit with the read X-page data; and

wherein the reading 1-page data of the Y-page data, the performing an error correcting operation, and storing the error-corrected page data are iterated until each page of the Y-page data is read, and

wherein the second main program scheme includes operations of reading 1-page data of the Y-page data from the second data area via a page buffer circuit of the nonvolatile memory device, performing an error correcting operation on the read 1-page data, and setting up the page buffer circuit with the error-corrected page data and 2-page data read from the first data area; and

wherein the reading 1-page data, performing an error correcting operation, and setting up the page buffer circuit are iterated until each page of the Y-page data is read.

12. The memory system of claim 11, wherein the memory controller compares characteristics of the different-bit data and selects the program scheme based on the comparison result.

13. The memory system of claim 11, wherein the memory controller compares characteristics of the plurality of program schemes with respect to characteristics of the different-bit data.

14. A computing system comprising:

an interface to communicate with an external device to receive and transmit data;

a storage having the memory system of claim 11; and

a controller to control the interface and the storage to process the data.