Scheme for finding and checking whether page units in one block are empty pages by using flash memory device and reporting fund result from flash memory device to flash memory controller

A method of a flash memory device to be used in a storage device and coupled to a flash memory controller of the storage device through a specific communication interface, and the method comprises:

• providing an input/output (I/O) control circuit, coupled to the flash memory controller through the specific communication interface;
• providing a command register, coupled to the I/O control circuit, for buffering command information sent from the flash memory controller and transmitted through the I/O control circuit;
• providing an address register, coupled to the I/O control circuit, for buffering address information sent from the flash memory controller and transmitted through the I/O control circuit;
• providing a memory cell array, at least having a first plane and a second plane which is different from the first plane;
• providing at least one address decoder, coupled to the memory cell array;
• providing at least one address decoder;
• providing a status register, coupled to the I/O control circuit;
• and
• controlling the at least one address decoder to read out more page data of multiple page units from a specific block in the memory cell array to determine whether the multiple page units are empty pages in response to a specific boundary check command signal or a specific boundary check set-feature signal sent from the flash memory controller via the specific communication interface, to determine a boundary page position of the specific block and transmit the boundary page position from the flash memory device into the flash memory controller;
• wherein determining whether the multiple page units are empty pages is performed within the flash memory device and not performed by the flash memory controller

A flash memory controller to be used in a storage device and coupled to a flash memory device of the storage device through a specific communication interface, comprising:

• an input/output (I/O) circuit, coupled to the flash memory device through the specific communication interface, for sending commands and data between the flash memory device and a processor;
• and
• the processor, coupled to the I/O circuit, for controlling the I/O circuit sending a specific boundary check command signal or a specific boundary check set-feature signal via the specific communication interface to the flash memory device, to make the flash memory device read out more page data of multiple page units from a specific block in the memory cell array and to make the flash memory device determine whether the multiple page units are empty pages, to make the flash memory device determine a boundary page position of the specific block and transmit the boundary page position from the flash memory device into the flash memory controller;
• wherein determining whether the multiple page units are empty pages is performed within the flash memory device and not performed by the flash memory controller.