# US 11,030,099 B2 · Data storage apparatus and operating method thereof

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- Number: US 11,030,099 B2
- Document ID: US11030099B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/192,455
- Filed: 2018-11-15
- Published: 2019-10-31
- Granted: 2021-06-08
- Earliest claimed: 2018-04-27
- Assignees: SK hynix Inc.
- Applicants: SK hynix Inc.
- Inventors: Seung Gu Ji; Seok Jin Joo
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11030099B2

## CPC

- G06F 12/0804: with main memory updating (G06F12/0806 takes precedence)
- G11C 16/225: {Preventing erasure, programming or reading when power supply voltages are outside the required ranges}
- G06F 12/0246: {in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory}
- G11C 11/5628: {Programming or writing circuits; Data input circuits}
- G11C 16/10: Programming or data input circuits
- G11C 16/30: Power supply circuits
- G06F 2212/1028: Power efficiency
- G06F 2212/1032: Reliability improvement, data loss prevention, degraded operation etc
- G06F 2212/205: Hybrid memory, e.g. using both volatile and non-volatile memory
- G06F 2212/7203: Temporary buffering, e.g. using volatile buffer or dedicated buffer blocks
- G11C 16/0483: {comprising cells having several storage transistors connected in series}
- G11C 2211/5648: Multilevel memory programming, reading or erasing operations wherein the order or sequence of the operations is relevant
- Y02D 10/00: Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B)
- Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE

## Abstract

A data storage apparatus includes a nonvolatile memory device including a plurality of memory blocks in which a plurality of word lines to which one or more pages are coupled are arranged, a data buffer configured to buffer data to be stored in the one or more pages of the nonvolatile memory device, and a processor configured to detect, when a sudden power off (SPO) occurs, one or more first pages in which an interference has occurred in a memory block in use and store data corresponding to the one or more first pages in which the interference has occurred among the data buffered in the data buffer in a backup memory block of the nonvolatile memory device.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A data storage apparatus comprising:
a nonvolatile memory device including a plurality of memory blocks in which a plurality of word lines to which one or more pages are coupled are arranged;
a data buffer configured to buffer data to be stored in the one or more pages of the nonvolatile memory device; and
a processor configured to perform a write operation on a first word line and then on a second word line adjacent to the first word line, detect, when a sudden power off (SPO) occurs after or during the write operation on the second word line, one or more first pages coupled to the first word line, in which an interference has occurred due to the write operation on the second word line, and selectively store data corresponding to data stored in the one or more first pages, among the data buffered in the data buffer, in a backup memory block of the nonvolatile memory device.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The data storage apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a power loss protection (PLP) circuit configured to provide a minimum operating power to the data storage apparatus for a preset time when the SPO occurs.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The data storage apparatus of claim 2, wherein the PLP circuit includes an auxiliary power generator configured to generate the minimum operating power.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The data storage apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor detects a second page that is write-interrupted due to the SPO, and controls the nonvolatile memory device to store data corresponding to the second page that is write-interrupted among the data buffered in the data buffer in the backup memory block.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The data storage apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of word lines are arranged in a first direction.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The data storage apparatus of claim 5, wherein the processor detects a page that is write-interrupted due to the SPO and detects, as the first pages, some or all of the pages among the one or more pages, which are coupled to the first word line adjacent to the second word line to which the detected write-interrupted page is coupled, in the first direction with respect to the second word line.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The data storage apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor detects, as the first pages, all of the pages coupled to the first word line, when the detected write-interrupted page is a last page of the second word line.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The data storage apparatus of claim 7, wherein, when a first-first page and a first-second page are coupled to the first word line, a second-first page and a second-second page are coupled to the second word line, and the SPO occurs during a first write operation for the second-second page,
wherein the processor detects, as the first pages, the first-first page and the first-second page of the first word line, and controls the nonvolatile memory device to store data corresponding to data stored in the first-first and first-second pages among the data buffered in the data buffer in the backup memory block.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The data storage apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor detects, as the first pages, pages from a primary page to a page corresponding to the detected write-interrupted page among the pages coupled to the first word line, when the detected write-interrupted page is not the last page of the second word line.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The data storage apparatus of claim 9, wherein, when the
plurality of word lines include a first word line and a second word line, a first-first page and a first-second page are coupled to the first word line, a second-first page and a second-second page are coupled to the second word line, and the SPO occurs during a first write operation for the second-first page,
wherein the processor detects, as the first page, the first-first page of the first word line, and controls the nonvolatile memory device to store data corresponding to data stored in the first-first page among the data buffered in the data buffer in the backup memory block.

### Claim 11

An operating method of a data storage apparatus which includes a nonvolatile memory device including a plurality of memory blocks in which a plurality of word lines to which one or more pages are coupled are arranged and a controller configured to control the nonvolatile memory device, the method comprising:
performing a write operation on a first word line and then on a second word line adjacent to the first word line;
detecting occurrence of sudden power-off (SPO) of the data storage apparatus after or during the write operation on the second word line;
detecting one or more first pages coupled to the first word line, in which an interference has occurred due to the write operation on the second word line; and
selectively storing data corresponding to data stored in the one or more first pages, among data buffered in a data buffer, in a backup memory block of a nonvolatile memory device.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the detecting of the first pages includes:
detecting a second page that is write-interrupted due to the SPO occurrence; and
detecting, as the first pages, all or some pages among pages coupled to the first word line adjacent to the second word line to which the second page is coupled in a first direction with respect to the second word line.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the detecting of the first pages includes, when the second page is a last page of the second word line, detecting all of the pages coupled to the first word line as the first pages.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the detecting of the first pages includes, when the second page is not the last page of the second word line, detecting pages from a primary page to a page corresponding to the second page among the pages coupled to the first word line as the first pages.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the storing of the data in the backup memory block includes storing data corresponding to the second page among the data buffered in the data buffer in the backup memory block.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, further comprising, after the occurrence of the SPO, providing a minimum operating power for a preset time to the data storage apparatus.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the storing of the data corresponding to data stored in the first pages in the backup memory block is performed while the minimum operating power is being provided.

### Claim 18

A memory system comprising:
a memory block including page planes arranged in a first direction, each coupled to a word line and each having pages arranged in a second direction, each page having quadruple level cells (QLCs) arranged in a third direction; and
a controller configured to selectively back up, when a sudden power off (SPO) occurs during a program operation to the memory block, buffered data to be programmed into one or more pages between interrupted and interfered pages of the memory block,
wherein the interrupted page is a page to which the program operation is interrupted due to the SPO, and
wherein the interfered page is a page within a page plane, which is arranged adjacent to a page plane of the interrupted page, in which a program operation was completed before the interrupted program operation and stored data was damaged due to the program operation being performed on the page plane of the interrupted page.