Write amplification reduction through reliable writes during garbage collection

• US 9,361,221 B1
• Filed: 09/17/2013
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sandisk Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Kankani, Navneeth, Kwong, Charles See Yeung
• Primary Examiner(s): Verbrugge, Kevin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Talukdar, Arvind
• Application Number:
  US14/029,653
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0253 Garbage collection, i.e. reclamation of unreferenced memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0866 for peripheral storage systems, e.g. disk cache
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1016 Performance improvement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1036 Life time enhancement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7205 Cleaning, compaction, garbage collection, erase control

Abstract

The various implementations described herein include systems, methods and/or devices used to enable write amplification reduction through reliable writes during garbage collection. In one aspect, lower page/upper page programming is used during write operations performed in response to a host command and coarse/fine programming is used during garbage collection.

Claims

1. A method of writing data in a storage system, the method comprising:

performing a garbage collection operation, including re-writing data from one or more units of a storage medium to a first sequence of write units of the storage medium by;

performing a coarse multi-bit write operation that partially programs each memory cell of a respective write unit with a plurality of bits, followed by a second multi-bit write operation that completes programming of each memory cell of the respective write unit with the plurality of bits; and

performing a write operation in response to a host command, including writing data received from a computer system external to the storage system to a second sequence of write units of the storage medium by;

performing a lower page write operation that partially programs each memory cell of a respective write unit with a single, respective lower page bit, followed by an upper page write operation that completes programming of each memory cell of the respective write unit with a respective upper page bit;

wherein write operations in response to host commands are performed by performing respective lower page write operations followed by respective upper page write operations, and

data writes performed in garbage collection operations comprise respective coarse multi-bit write operations followed by respective second multi-bit write operations that complete the programming of each memory cell to which data is written during the garbage collection operations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein during the garbage collection operation, the method includes performing a second coarse multi-bit write operation that partially programs each memory cell of another write unit, distinct from the respective write unit, after the coarse programming of the respective write unit and prior to the second multi-bit write operation that completes programming of each memory cell of the respective write unit.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

erasing data in a storage medium block, in which data was written using respective lower page write operations followed by respective upper page write operations, by performing a default erase operation; and

erasing data in a storage medium block, in which data was written using respective coarse multi-bit write operations followed by respective second multi-bit write operations, by performing a shallow erase operation having a shorter duration than the default erase operation, wherein the shallow erase operation is used for erasing data written using respective coarse multi-bit write operations followed by respective second multi-bit write operations but not for erasing data written using respective lower page write operations followed by respective upper page write operations.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the storage medium comprises one or more flash memory devices.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein during the garbage collection operation:

while writing data to the first sequence of write units of the storage medium, wherein the first sequence of write units are located in a respective storage medium block;

delaying enabling read access to a respective write unit of the respective storage medium block, to which data was written during the garbage collection operation, until a predefined subsequent operation on the respective storage medium block has been completed, wherein the predefined subsequent operation is subsequent to writing data to the respective write unit.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the garbage collection operation includes:

writing data, for the garbage collection operation, to a sequence of write units of the storage medium, including;

writing data to a first write unit of the storage medium; and

after writing data to the first write unit, writing data to at least N write units of the storage medium, the at least N write units of the storage medium including a second write unit of the storage medium;

after writing data to the at least N write units,

enabling read access to the first write unit;

writing data to a subsequent write unit of the storage medium; and

after writing data to the subsequent write unit, enabling read access to the second write unit.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the predefined subsequent operation on the respective storage medium block comprises completion of writing data to all remaining write units of the respective storage medium block subsequent to writing data to the respective write unit.

8. A device operable to write data in a storage system, the device comprising:

a storage medium interface for coupling the device to a storage medium of the storage system; and

one or more modules, including a memory management module that includes one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs configured for execution by the one or more processors, the one or more modules coupled to the storage medium interface and configured to;

perform a garbage collection operation, including re-writing data from one or more units of a storage medium to a first sequence of write units of the storage medium by;

performing a coarse multi-bit write operation that partially programs each memory cell of a respective write unit with a plurality of bits, followed by a second multi-bit write operation that completes programming of each memory cell of the respective write unit with the plurality of bits; and

perform a write operation in response to a host command, including writing data received from a computer system external to the storage system to a second sequence of write units of the storage medium by;

performing a lower page write operation that partially programs each memory cell of a respective write unit with a single, respective lower page bit, followed by an upper page write operation that completes programming of each memory cell of the respective write unit with a respective upper page bit;

wherein write operations in response to host commands are performed by performing respective lower page write operations followed by respective upper page write operations, and

data writes performed in garbage collection operations comprise respective coarse multi-bit write operations followed by respective second multi-bit write operations that complete the programming of each memory cell to which data is written during the garbage collection operations.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein during the garbage collection operation, the one or more modules are further configured to perform a second coarse multi-bit write operation that partially programs each memory cell of another write unit, distinct from the respective write unit, after the coarse programming of the respective write unit and prior to the second multi-bit write operation that completes programming of each memory cell of the respective write unit.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the one or more modules are further configured to:

erase data in a storage medium block, in which data was written using respective lower page write operations followed by respective upper page write operations, by performing a default erase operation; and

erase data in a storage medium block, in which data was written using respective coarse multi-bit write operations followed by respective second multi-bit write operations, by performing a shallow erase operation having a shorter duration than the default erase operation, wherein the shallow erase operation is used for erasing data written using respective coarse multi-bit write operations followed by respective second multi-bit write operations but not for erasing data written using respective lower page write operations followed by respective upper page write operations.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein the storage medium comprises one or more flash memory devices.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein the one or more modules are further configured to:

during the garbage collection operation, wherein the first sequence of write units are located in a respective storage medium block;

while writing data to the first sequence of write units of the storage medium block;

delay enabling read access to a respective write unit of the respective storage medium block, to which data was written during the garbage collection operation, until a predefined subsequent operation on the respective storage medium block has been completed, wherein the predefined subsequent operation is subsequent to writing data to the respective write unit.

13. The device of claim 8, wherein the garbage collection operation includes:

writing data, for the garbage collection operation, to a sequence of write units of the storage medium, including;

writing data to a first write unit of the storage medium; and

after writing data to the first write unit, writing data to at least N write units of the storage medium, the at least N write units of the storage medium including a second write unit of the storage medium;

after writing data to the at least N write units,

enabling read access to the first write unit;

writing data to a subsequent write unit of the storage medium; and

after writing data to the subsequent write unit, enabling read access to the second write unit.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the predefined subsequent operation on the storage medium comprises completion of writing data to all remaining write units of the storage medium subsequent to writing data to the respective write unit.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured for execution by a device coupled to a storage medium, the one or more programs comprising instructions for causing the device to:

perform a garbage collection operation, including re-writing data from one or more units of a storage medium to a first sequence of write units of the storage medium by;

performing a coarse multi-bit write operation that partially programs each memory cell of a respective write unit with a plurality of bits, followed by a second multi-bit write operation that completes programming of each memory cell of the respective write unit with the plurality of bits; and

perform a write operation in response to a host command, including writing data received from a computer system external to the storage system to a second sequence of write units of the storage medium by;

performing a lower page write operation that partially programs each memory cell of a respective write unit with a single, respective lower page bit, followed by an upper page write operation that completes programming of each memory cell of the respective write unit with a respective upper page bit;

wherein write operations in response to host commands are performed by performing respective lower page write operations followed by respective upper page write operations, and

data writes performed in garbage collection operations comprise respective coarse multi-bit write operations followed by respective second multi-bit write operations that complete the programming of each memory cell to which data is written during the garbage collection operations.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein during the garbage collection operation, the one or more programs further include instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform a second coarse multi-bit write operation that partially programs each memory cell of another write unit, distinct from the respective write unit, after the coarse programming of the respective write unit and prior to the second multi-bit write operation that completes programming of each memory cell of the respective write unit.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more programs further include instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to:

erase data in a storage medium block, in which data was written using respective lower page write operations followed by respective upper page write operations, by performing a default erase operation; and

erase data in a storage medium block, in which data was written using respective coarse multi-bit write operations followed by respective second multi-bit write operations, by performing a shallow erase operation having a shorter duration than the default erase operation, wherein the shallow erase operation is used for erasing data written using respective coarse multi-bit write operations followed by respective second multi-bit write operations but not for erasing data written using respective lower page write operations followed by respective upper page write operations.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the storage medium comprises one or more flash memory devices.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more programs further include instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to:

during the garbage collection operation, wherein the first sequence of write units are located in a respective storage medium block;

while writing data to the first sequence of write units of the storage medium block;

delay enabling read access to a respective write unit of the respective storage medium block, to which data was written during the garbage collection operation, until a predefined subsequent operation on the respective storage medium block has been completed, wherein the predefined subsequent operation is subsequent to writing data to the respective write unit.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the garbage collection operation includes:

writing data, for the garbage collection operation, to a sequence of write units of the storage medium, including;

writing data to a first write unit of the storage medium; and

after writing data to the first write unit, writing data to at least N write units of the storage medium, the at least N write units of the storage medium including a second write unit of the storage medium;

after writing data to the at least N write units,

enabling read access to the first write unit;

writing data to a subsequent write unit of the storage medium; and

after writing data to the subsequent write unit, enabling read access to the second write unit.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the predefined subsequent operation on the storage medium comprises completion of writing data to all remaining write units of the storage medium subsequent to writing data to the respective write unit.