Data storage device, memory system, and computing system using nonvolatile memory device

• US 8,380,945 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2008
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Peugh, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): SIMONETTI, NICHOLAS J
• Application Number:
  US12/256,275
• Publication Number:
  US 20090113112A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,581 Days
• Field of Search: 711/103, 711/173, 711/218
• US Class Current: 711/156
• 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 first data storage, area configured to store at least one bit of data per cell in a nonvolatile memory cell array;

wherein the first data storage area comprises a plurality of memory or blocks selected in a predetermined order and configured to store user data and metadata corresponding to the user data;

wherein the user data and the metadata are written in the same memory block while it is the currently-selected memory block, and wherein meta-management data for management of the metadata are written in the currently-selected memory block; and

wherein the meta-management data includes exact-location information of the metadata.

2. The data storage device of claim 1, wherein the predetermined order is one of sequential or round-robin fashion.

3. The data storage device of claim 1, wherein the meta-management data are stored in a predetermined subset of the memory blocks.

4. The data storage device of claim 1, wherein the meta-management data include count information, and the newest meta-management data are identified by the count information.

5. The data storage device of claim 1, wherein if the data storage device is rebooted, the newest metadata are identified on the basis of metadata detected from the newest meta-management data and from the result of scanning of metadata and user data stored after storage of the newest meta-management data.

6. 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.

7. The data storage device of claim 6, wherein the metadata comprise the full page address mapping results.

8. The data storage device of claim 1, wherein all the nonvolatile memory cells composing the first data storage area store the same number of bits storable per cell.

9. The data storage device of claim 1, wherein the first data storage areas serves as a buffer that temporarily stores the user data before it is written into the second data storage area.

10. The data storage device of claim 9, wherein the temporarily-stored user data and the metadata are migrated to the second data storage area if the update or access frequency of the user data is low.

34. The data storage device of claim 1, further comprising a second data storage area in the nonvolatile memory cell array, wherein the second data storage area comprises a plurality of memory blocks that are selected in a predetermined order to store user data and metadata corresponding to the user data, and meta-management data for management of the metadata, wherein the meta-management data includes exact-location information of the metadata.

11. A memory system comprising:

a data storage device; and

a controller configured to control the data storage device,

wherein the data storage device comprises a first data storage area in a nonvolatile memory cell array,

wherein the first data storage area comprises a plurality of memory blocks that are sequentially selected to store user data, and wherein the user data and metadata corresponding to the user data are stored in the selected memory blocks in a predetermined order; and

meta-management data for management of the metadata are stored in a subset of the memory blocks, wherein the meta-management data includes exact-location information of the metadata.

14. The memory system of claim 11, wherein the predetermined order is in a round-robin fashion.

15. The memory system of claim 11, wherein user data and the metadata are written in the same memory block while it is the currently-selected memory block, and wherein meta-management data for management of the metadata are written in a different one of the memory blocks among the subset of the memory blocks.

16. The memory system of claim 11, wherein the meta-management data are stored in the same memory block as the metadata and the user data while it is the currently-selected memory block.

17. The memory system of claim 15, wherein the meta-management data include count information, and the newest meta-management data are identified by the count information.

18. The memory system of claim 15, further comprising:

if the data storage device is rebooted, identifying the newest metadata on the basis of metadata detected from the newest meta-management data and from the result of scanning of metadata and the user data that was stored after storage of the newest meta-management data.

19. The memory system of claim 11, wherein a full page address mapping operation is performed on at least one of the data storage areas.

20. The memory system of claim 19, wherein the metadata comprise the full page address mapping results.

21. The memory system of claim 11, further comprising a second data storage area storing at least one bit of data per cell, wherein the data storage area stores at least one bit of data per cell, and wherein the nonvolatile memory cells composing the first and second data storage area are identical in the number of bits storable per cell but are different in the number of bits used to store user data.

22. The memory system of claim 11, wherein the first data storage areas serves as a buffer that temporarily stores input user data.

23. The memory system of claim 22, wherein the temporarily-stored data are migrated to at least one other data storage area if the update or access frequency of the user data is low;

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

12. 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 first data storage area in a nonvolatile memory cell array,

wherein the first data storage area comprises a plurality of memory blocks that are sequentially selected to store user data, and wherein the user data and metadata corresponding to the user data are stored in the sequentially-selected memory blocks, and meta-management data including exact-location information of the metadata are stored in a subset of the memory blocks.

13. The computing system of claim 12, wherein the host is a cellular phone, PDA(Personal digital assistant), or an MP3 player.

35. The computing system of claim 12, further comprising a second data storage area in the nonvolatile memory cell array wherein the first data storage area stores less than two bits of data per cell and wherein the second data storage area stores more than one bit of data per cell.

24. A method for controlling a nonvolatile data storage device having a first data storage area in a nonvolatile memory array, said method comprising:

sequentially selecting among a plurality of memory blocks in the first data storage area; and

writing first user data in the currently-selected memory block;

writing first metadata corresponding to the first user data adjacent to the first user data in the sequentially selected memory blocks;

and writing meta-management data for manaement of the first metadata into a subset of the memory blocks, wherein the meta-management data includes exact-location information of the first metadata.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the sequentially selecting among a plurality of memory blocks in the first data storage area comprises selecting in a round-robin fashion.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

writing second user data in the sequentially selected memory block adjacent to the first metadata;

and writing second metadata corresponding to the second user data adjacent to the second user data in the sequentially selected memory blocks;

and writing the meta-management data for management of the first metadata and the second metadata into the subset of the memory blocks, wherein the meta-management data includes exact-location information of the first metadata and of the second metadata.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising writing meta-management data for management of the first metadata and the second metadata in the sequentially selected memory blocks.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising writing meta-management data for management of the first metadata and the second metadata in the last page of the sequentially selected memory blocks.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the meta-management data includes count information, and the newest meta-management data are identified by the count information.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

if the data storage device is rebooted, identifying the newest metadata on the basis of metadata detected from the newest meta-management data and from the result of scanning of metadata and user data that was stored after storage of the newest meta-management data.

31. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

performing a full page address mapping operation on the first data storage area.

32. The method of claim 24, further comprising a second first data storage area in the nonvolatile memory array,wherein the first data storage area stores less than two bits of data per cell and the second data storage area stores more than one bit of data per cell.

33. The method of claim 24, wherein the metadata includes FTL data.

36. The method of claim 24, wherein nonvolatile data storage device further includes a second data storage area in the nonvolatile memory array, and wherein the first data storage area stores less than two bits of data per cell and wherein the second data storage area stores more than one bit of data per cell.