System and method for data recovery in a solid state storage device

A storage subsystem comprising:

• a non-volatile memory array comprising solid state memory devices capable of being programmed with voltage reference values for performing read operations;
• and
• a controller configured to read data from the non-volatile memory array, the controller further configured to:
• in response to an error in a first read operation on a first storage element in the non-volatile memory array:
• determine a set of one or more reference voltage values for reading data from the first storage element based on one or more reference voltage values of at least one storage element that is related to the first storage element in the non-volatile memory array;
• and
• perform a second read operation on the first storage element using the determined set of one or more reference voltage values in an attempt to retrieve the data stored on the first storage element.

In a storage subsystem comprising a non-volatile memory array that uses programmable voltage reference values to determine states of memory cells, a method for selecting voltage reference values for performing memory read operations, the method comprising:

• performing a read operation on a storage element in the non-volatile memory array using a set of one or more reference voltage values;
• if an error is encountered in the read operation on the storage element, the error preventing data from being retrieved from the storage element,
• performing a data recovery on the storage element, the performing comprising:
• adjusting one or more reference voltage values in the set;
• and
• attempting an additional read operation with the adjusted one or more reference voltage values, the attempting comprising:
• if the additional read operation successfully retrieves data from the storage element, returning the retrieved data;
• and
• if the additional read operation does not successfully retrieve data from the storage element, determining whether a pre-defined time limit has been reached;
• if the time limit has not been reached, repeating the adjusting and attempting;
• and
• if the time limit has been reached, returning a failure status.