Memory systems

• US 9,489,301 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2014
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Gorobets, Sergey Anatolievich, Bennett, Alan David, Sinclair, Alan Welsh
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Denise
• Application Number:
  US14/246,357
• Publication Number:
  US 20140244913A1
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• 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 2212/7211 Wear leveling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0613 in relation to throughput
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0614 Improving the reliability of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0616 in relation to life time, e.g. increasing Mean Time Between Failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/064 Management of blocks
• 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 16/349 Arrangements for evaluating degradation, retention or wearout, e.g. by counting erase cycles

Abstract

Memory systems having a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory arranged in blocks, and a controller coupled to the volatile memory and to the non-volatile memory. The controller is configured to maintain, in the volatile memory, a list of addresses of erased blocks of the non-volatile memory. The list of addresses of erased blocks of the non-volatile memory is limited to a maximum number of list entries. The controller is further configured to transfer the list of addresses of erased blocks of the non-volatile memory from the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory in response to the list containing its maximum number of list entries and/or in response to an operation that would increase the number of list entries to a number equal to or greater than the maximum number of list entries.

Claims

1. A memory system comprising:

a volatile memory;

a non-volatile memory arranged in blocks; and

a controller coupled to the volatile memory and to the non-volatile memory, the controller configured to maintain, in the volatile memory, a list of addresses of erased blocks of the non-volatile memory;

wherein the controller is further configured to transfer the list of addresses of erased blocks of the non-volatile memory from the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory when the list is updated to contain a predetermined number of list entries; and

wherein the predetermined number of list entries is greater than one.

2. The memory system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined number of list entries is a predetermined number of addresses.

3. The memory system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined number of list entries is a predetermined number of erased blocks.

4. The memory system of claim 3, wherein the list of addresses of erased blocks is limited to the predetermined number of erased blocks regardless of a total number of erased blocks in the non-volatile memory.

5. The memory system of claim 1, wherein the list of addresses of erased blocks comprises a list of addresses of blocks of the non-volatile memory upon which a block erase operation has been performed.

6. The memory system of claim 1, wherein the list of addresses of erased blocks comprises a list of addresses of blocks of the non-volatile memory currently available for assignment to a write pointer.

7. The memory system of claim 1, wherein the list of addresses of erased blocks comprises a list of addresses of blocks of the non-volatile memory currently available for rewriting a control structure of the memory system.

8. The memory system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to clear the list of addresses of erased blocks after transferring the list from the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory.

9. The memory system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to initialize the list of addresses of erased blocks from information in the non-volatile memory during initialization of the memory system.

10. A memory system comprising:

a volatile memory;

a non-volatile memory arranged in blocks; and

a controller coupled to the volatile memory and to the non-volatile memory, the controller configured to maintain, in the volatile memory, a list of addresses of erased blocks of the non-volatile memory;

wherein the controller is further configured to transfer the list of addresses of erased blocks of the non-volatile memory from the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory when the list is updated to contain a predetermined number of list entries; and

wherein the controller is further configured to transfer the list of addresses of erased blocks from the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory concurrently with a transfer of logical to physical mapping information from one or more additional lists in the volatile memory.

11. A memory system comprising:

a volatile memory;

a non-volatile memory arranged in blocks; and

a controller coupled to the volatile memory and to the non-volatile memory, the controller configured to maintain, in the volatile memory, a list of addresses of erased blocks of the non-volatile memory;

wherein the controller is further configured to transfer the list of addresses of erased blocks of the non-volatile memory from the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory in response to an operation that would increase the number of list entries to a number equal to or greater than a predetermined number of list entries; and

wherein the predetermined number of list entries is greater than one.

12. The memory system of claim 11, wherein the predetermined number of list entries is a predetermined number of addresses.

13. The memory system of claim 11, wherein the predetermined number of list entries is a predetermined number of erased blocks.

14. The memory system of claim 13, wherein the list of addresses of erased blocks is limited to a predetermined number of erased blocks regardless of a total number of erased blocks in the non-volatile memory.

15. The memory system of claim 11, wherein the list of addresses of erased blocks comprises a list of addresses of blocks of the non-volatile memory upon which a block erase operation has been performed.

16. The memory system of claim 11, wherein the list of addresses of erased blocks comprises a list of addresses of blocks of the non-volatile memory currently available for assignment to a write pointer.

17. The memory system of claim 11, wherein the list of addresses of erased blocks comprises a list of addresses of blocks of the non-volatile memory currently available for rewriting a control structure of the memory system.

18. The memory system of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to clear the list of addresses of erased blocks of the non-volatile memory after transferring the list from the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory.

19. The memory system of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to initialize the list of addresses of erased blocks of the non-volatile memory from information in the non-volatile memory during initialization of the memory system.

20. A memory system comprising:

a volatile memory;

a non-volatile memory arranged in blocks; and

a controller coupled to the volatile memory and to the non-volatile memory, the controller configured to maintain, in the volatile memory, a list of addresses of erased blocks of the non-volatile memory;

wherein the controller is further configured to transfer the list of addresses of erased blocks of the non-volatile memory from the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory in response to an operation that would increase the number of list entries to a number equal to or greater than a predetermined number of list entries; and

wherein the controller is further configured to transfer the list of addresses of erased blocks of the non-volatile memory from the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory concurrently with a transfer of logical to physical mapping information from one or more additional lists in the volatile memory.