DATA STORAGE DEVICE, MEMORY SYSTEM, AND COMPUTING SYSTEM USING NONVOLATILE MEMORY DEVICE

• US 20090113112A1
• Filed: 10/22/2008
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Ye, Kyung-Wook, Cho, Yul-Won
• Granted Patent: US 8,380,945 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1016 Performance improvement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1036 Life time enhancement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7207 management of metadata or control data

Abstract

Provided is a data storage device including two or more data storage areas including may have two or more (heterogeneous) types of nonvolatile memory cells. At least one of the data storage areas includes a plurality of memory blocks that are sequentially selected, and metadata are stored in the currently selected memory block. The memory blocks can be sequentially used and metadata can be stored in a uniformly-distributed manner throughout the data storage device. Therefore, separate merging and wear-leveling operations are unnecessary. Thus, it is possible to improve the lifetime and writing performance of a data storage device having two or more heterogeneous nonvolatile memories.

Claims

1. A data storage device comprising:

a data storage device comprising a plurality of data storage areas, each data storage area being composed of different type of nonvolatile memory cells,

wherein at least one of the data storage areas comprises a plurality of memory blocks that are sequentially selected, and metadata are stored in the selected memory block.

2. The data storage device of claim 1, wherein the memory blocks are sequentially selected in a round-robin fashion.

3. The data storage device of claim 1, wherein user data, the metadata, and meta-management data for management of the metadata are stored in the selected memory block.

4. The data storage device of claim 3, wherein the meta-management data represent the location information of the metadata.

5. The data storage device of claim 3, wherein the meta-management data are stored in the selected memory block in a predetermined cycle.

6. The data storage device of claim 3, wherein the meta-management data comprise count-up or count-down information, and the newest meta-management data are identified by the count-up or count-down information.

7. The data storage device of claim 3, wherein if the data storage device is rebooted, the newest metadata are generated on the basis of metadata detected from the newest meta-management data and the scanning results of metadata and user data stored after storage of the newest meta-management data.

8. The data storage device of claim 1, wherein a full page address mapping operation is performed on at least one of the data storage areas.

9. The data storage device of claim 8, wherein the metadata comprise the full page address mapping results.

10. The data storage device of claim 1, wherein the nonvolatile memory cells composing the data storage area are different in the number of bits stored per cell with at least one other data storage area.

11. The data storage device of claim 1, wherein the nonvolatile memory cells composing the data storage area are identical in the number of bits storable per cell but are different in the number of bits used to store data with at least one other data storage area.

12. The data storage device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the data storage areas serves as a buffer that temporarily stores input data.

13. The data storage device of claim 12, wherein the temporarily-stored data are migrated to at least one other data storage area if the update or access frequency thereof is low;

and the data migrated to at least one other data storage area comprise user data and the metadata.

14. A memory system comprising:

a data storage device; and

a controller controlling the data storage device,

wherein the data storage device comprises a plurality of data storage areas, each data storage area being composed of different type of nonvolatile memory cells,

wherein at least one of the data storage areas comprises a plurality of memory blocks that are sequentially selected, and metadata are stored in the selected memory block.

15. A computing system comprising:

a host;

a data storage device; and

a controller controlling the data storage device at the request of the host,

wherein the data storage device comprises a plurality of data storage areas, each data storage area being composed of different type of nonvolatile memory cells,

wherein at least one of the data storage areas comprises a plurality of memory blocks that are sequentially selected, and metadata are stored in the selected memory block.