Data storage device, memory system, and computing system using nonvolatile memory device
AssigneeSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
InventorsKyungWook Ye, Yul-Won Cho
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Provided is a data storage device including two or more data storage areas including may have two or more (heterogeneous) types of nonvolatile memory cells. At least one of the data storage areas includes a plurality of memory blocks that are sequentially selected, and metadata are stored in the currently selected memory block. The memory blocks can be sequentially used and metadata can be stored in a uniformly-distributed manner throughout the data storage device. Therefore, separate merging and wear-leveling operations are unnecessary. Thus, it is possible to improve the lifetime and writing performance of a data storage device having two or more heterogeneous nonvolatile memories.
Claims18
A data storage device comprising:
- a first data storage area configured to store one bit of data using single-level cells (SLCs) in a nonvolatile memory cell array;
- and
- a second data storage area configured to store at least two bits of data using multi-level cells (MLCs) in the nonvolatile memory cell array,
- wherein the first data storage area comprises a plurality of memory blocks to be selected in a predetermined order and configured to store user data and metadata corresponding to the user data, and
- wherein the user data and the metadata are written into a same memory block while it is a currently-selected memory block, and wherein meta-management data used to manage physical locations of the metadata is written into the currently-selected memory block if a previous memory block excludes meta-management data,
- wherein the meta-management data comprise count-up or count-down information, and the newest meta-management data are identified by the count-up or count-down information,
- wherein if the data storage device is rebooted, the newest metadata are generated on the basis of metadata detected from the newest meta-management data and scanning results of metadata and user data stored after storage of the newest meta-management data.
A memory system comprising:
- a data storage device having a first data storage area configured to store one bit of data and a second data storage area configured to store at least two bits of data in a nonvolatile memory cell array;
- and
- a controller configured to control the data storage device,
- wherein the first data storage area comprises a plurality of memory blocks that are sequentially selected to store user data and metadata corresponding to the user data in a predetermined order, and
- wherein the controller is configured to write the user data and the metadata together into a selected one of the memory blocks, and write meta-management data used to manage the locations of the metadata into the selected memory block if a previous memory block excludes meta-management data,
- wherein the meta-management data comprise count-up or count-down information, and the newest meta-management data are identified by the count-up or count-down information,
- wherein if the data storage device is rebooted, the newest metadata are generated on the basis of metadata detected from the newest meta-management data and scanning results of metadata and user data stored after storage of the newest meta-management data.
A method for controlling a nonvolatile data storage device having a first data storage area configured to store at least one bit of data and a second data storage area in a nonvolatile memory array, said method comprising:
- sequentially selecting among a plurality of memory blocks in the first data storage area;
- and
- writing first user data in the currently-selected memory block;
- writing first metadata corresponding to the first user data adjacent to the first user data into the same currently-selected memory block;
- and
- writing meta-management data used to manage locations of the first metadata into the same currently-selected memory block if a previous memory block excludes meta-management data,
- wherein the meta-management data comprise count-up or count-down information, and the newest meta-management data are identified by the count-up or count-down information,
- wherein if the data storage device is rebooted, the newest metadata are generated on the basis of metadata detected from the newest meta-management data and scanning results of metadata and user data stored after storage of the newest meta-management data.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.