Memory system and control method
AssigneeKioxia Corporation
InventorAkiyuki KANEKO
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A memory controller of a memory system includes a host interface, a memory interface, and a write buffer configured to temporarily store data of a second size that is greater than a first size of a sector in each of a plurality of entries. Each of the entries includes a plurality of sectors. The memory controller is configured to select one of the entries in which write data is to be stored, determine whether the selected entry is missing data of any sector, perform a host inquiry by transmitting a request for the missing data, store the missing data in the selected entry, and then perform a write operation to store the data of the selected entry into the nonvolatile memory at a continuous physical address range of the nonvolatile memory.
Claims20
A memory system comprising:
- a nonvolatile memory;
- and
- a memory controller including:
- a host interface configured to communicate with a host in accordance with a first interface protocol, according to which write data is communicated in units of a sector having a first size;
- a memory interface configured to communicate with the nonvolatile memory in accordance with a second interface protocol, write data is communicated in units of a second size greater than the first size;
- and
- a write buffer configured to temporarily store data of a third size in each of a plurality of entries thereof, the third size being equal to the second size or 1/N of the second size, N being a natural number, each of the entries being reserved to store data of a plurality of sectors that are associated with a continuous logical address range, each of the plurality of sectors having the first size, wherein
- the memory controller is configured to:
- select one of the entries in which write data is to be stored;
- determine whether the selected entry is missing data of any sector;
- in response to determining that the selected entry is missing data of at least one sector, perform a host inquiry by transmitting a request to the host for the missing data via the host interface;
- in response to receiving the missing data from the host via the host interface, store the missing data in the selected entry;
- and
- when the selected entry is not missing data from any of the sectors, perform a write operation to store the data of the third size in the selected entry into the nonvolatile memory at a continuous physical address range thereof.
A method for controlling a memory system comprising:
- a nonvolatile memory;
- and
- a memory controller including:
- a host interface configured to communicate with a host in accordance with a first interface protocol, according to which write data is communicated in units of a sector having a first size;
- a memory interface configured to communicate with the nonvolatile memory in accordance with a second interface protocol, write data is communicated in units of a second size greater than the first size;
- and
- a write buffer configured to temporarily store data of a third size in each of a plurality of entries thereof, each of the entries being reserved to store data of a plurality of sectors that are associated with a continuous logical address range, the third size being equal to the second size or 1/N of the second size, N being a natural number, each of the plurality of sectors having the first size, the method comprising:
- selecting one of the entries in which write data is to be stored;
- determining whether the selected entry is missing data of any sector;
- in response to determining that the selected entry is missing data of at least one sector, performing a host inquiry by transmitting a request to the host for the missing data via the host interface;
- in response to receiving the missing data from the host via the host interface, storing the missing data in the selected entry;
- and
- when the selected entry is not missing data from any of the sectors, performing a write operation to store the data of the second size in the selected entry into the nonvolatile memory at a continuous physical address range thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.