Techniques for operating non-volatile memory systems with data sectors having different sizes than the sizes of the pages and/or blocks of the memory
AssigneeSanDisk Corporation
InventorsCarlos Gonzalez, Kevin M. Conley, Eliyahou Harari
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Abstract
A non-volatile memory system, such as a flash EEPROM system, is disclosed to be divided into a plurality of blocks and each of the blocks into one or more pages, with sectors of data being stored therein that are of a different size than either the pages or blocks. One specific technique packs more sectors into a block than pages provided for that block. Error correction codes and other attribute data for a number of user data sectors are preferably stored together in different pages and blocks than the user data.
Claims13
In a non-volatile memory system having memory cells organized into a plurality of blocks that are individually addressable for simultaneously erasing the memory cells within a block, wherein the blocks individually store a plurality of pages of data, the pages being designated to individually store at least one sector of user data and associated overhead data including at least one attribute of the associated user data stored in the page and at least one physical attribute of the block in which the page is stored, an improved method of operating the memory system, comprising:
- storing user data in portions of the pages designated to store overhead data in a manner that at least one additional sector of user data is stored in individual ones of the blocks without the storage of overhead data therein as compared with storing both the sectors of user data and the associated overhead data in said individual user data blocks, and
- storing said overhead data for a plurality of the user data blocks as corresponding individual records in blocks distinct from those storing the user data.
A method of operating a re-programmable non-volatile memory system having memory cells organized into distinct groups, wherein the groups individually contain a plurality of memory cells that are simultaneously erased prior to being re-programmed and wherein at least some of the groups of memory cells are configured to individually store a given number of units of user data plus overhead data associated with the units of stored user data, comprising:
- storing within individual ones of said at least some of the groups of memory cells a number of units of user data in excess of said given number and without the overhead data associated with the stored units of user data, and
- storing the overhead data associated with the stored units of user data in groups of memory cells distinct from those storing the units of user data.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.