Silicon Motion Technology has been granted a patent for a solution to address deteriorated non-volatile memory. The patent describes a data storage device that includes a controller and a non-volatile memory. The controller updates a deterioration table to record undesirable data and invalidates target data without moving it during garbage collection if it is associated with the recorded deteriorated logical address. GlobalData’s report on Silicon Motion Technology gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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A solution for managing deteriorated non-volatile memory
A recently granted patent (Publication Number: US11775386B2) describes a data storage device and a control method for a non-volatile memory. The device includes a non-volatile memory and a controller. When undesirable data is read from the memory, the controller updates a deterioration table to record the deteriorated logical address of the undesirable data. During garbage collection, if the deteriorated logical address is listed in the deterioration table, the controller invalidates target data stored in the source block without moving it to the destination block.
The undesirable data in the storage device is defined as all-1's data or all-0's data. To ensure data safety, the controller performs safety moving of a high-risk block storing the raw data in a deteriorated physical address. Before moving the data to a safe block, the raw data is changed to be different from the undesirable data. The controller also records the block number of the safe block in the deterioration table and sets it as the source block for garbage collection.
In response to a read request, if the host wants to read data from the deteriorated logical address, the controller obtains the deteriorated logical address from the deterioration table and informs the host about the deterioration. The controller includes a scrambling and descrambling module that performs data scrambling before writing data into the non-volatile memory and descrambles the raw data after reading it. Error checking and correction are performed on the read data, and if it fails, the controller determines whether the raw data without descrambling is the undesirable data.
The controller accesses the non-volatile memory through multiple channels and provides registers corresponding to each channel. When the controller determines that the raw data is undesirable, it flags the corresponding channel as a flagged channel. The controller plans a random access memory to buffer physical addresses requested by the host, and it checks the buffer to get physical address candidates corresponding to the flagged channel. By reading the spare information area of the memory, the controller determines the deteriorated physical address by identifying all-1's or all-0's bits.
The control method for the non-volatile memory follows a similar process as the data storage device. It involves updating the deterioration table, performing garbage collection, safety moving, and informing the host about the deterioration. The method also includes descrambling the raw data, error checking and correction, flagging channels, and determining the deteriorated physical address.
Overall, this patent presents a data storage device and control method that effectively handle undesirable data in a non-volatile memory, ensuring data integrity and safety.
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GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
