TW201310237A - Flash memory storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a flash memory storage device, which comprises at least a flash memory and a control unit. In which, the control unit is used to control the flash memory for data reading, writing or erasing. The flash memory comprises a plurality of multi-level storage units, wherein a part of the multi-level storage units are assigned as a first storage block, and the other multi-level storage units are assigned as at least one second storage block, and the storing speed and/or reliability of the second storage block are both better than the first storage block. The demarcation of the first and the second storage blocks may enhance the performance of the flash memory in partial area under without increasing the manufacturing cost.

Description

Flash memory storage device

The invention relates to a flash memory storage device, which can improve the performance of a flash memory in a partial area without increasing the manufacturing cost.

Flash memory is a form of electronically erasable programmable read-only memory that allows memory to be erased or written multiple times during operation. Flash memory is a non-volatile memory, which means that flash memory does not need to consume power in terms of saving data. Compared to the traditional Hard Disk, the flash memory has a relatively low read latency (although not as fast as the DRAM of the main memory of the computer) and better dynamic shock resistance. Because of these characteristics, flash memory is widely used in mobile devices. In addition, the flash memory is very reliable when it is made into a memory card, and it is sufficient to resist high voltage and extreme temperature even when immersed in water.

The cost of flash memory is much lower than that of EEPROMs that can be written in bytes, and is therefore the most important and widely adopted technology for non-volatile solid-state storage. Flash memory can be found on portable devices such as PDAs, notebooks, digital walkmans, digital cameras and mobile phones. In addition, the use of flash memory on game consoles is increasing, replacing EEPROM for storing game data or SRAM with battery.

The flash memory stores the data in a memory cell array composed of floating gate crystals. According to different operating principles and storage methods, it can be divided into single-level cell (SLC) and multi-level memory cell ( Multi-level cell, MLC).

Single-stage storage units (SLCs) and multi-level storage units (MLCs) have different advantages, such as single-stage storage units (SLC) with faster storage speed, longer service life, and lower power consumption. Multi-level storage units (MLCs) have a lower unit price.

An object of the present invention is to provide a flash memory storage device, which mainly divides a plurality of multi-level storage units in a flash memory, wherein a part of the multi-level storage units are divided into first storage blocks, and Other multi-level storage units are divided into second storage blocks. The first storage block and the second storage block have different storage speeds and reliability, and can improve the performance of the flash memory in a part of the area without increasing the manufacturing cost.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a flash memory storage device, wherein a single first multi-level storage unit of the first storage block can be used to store two-digit data, and a single storage block of the second storage block The two multi-level storage units are only used to store one-bit data, and the second storage block has better storage speed and/or reliability than the first storage block.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a flash memory storage device, which mainly divides a flash memory into a first storage block and a second storage block, and stores the operating system at a faster speed and stability. A high second storage block, thereby increasing the speed and stability of the operating system.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a flash memory storage device, which can adjust the storage capacity of the first storage block and the second storage block through the control unit according to actual needs, and is beneficial to improve the speed. The convenience of the flash memory storage device in use.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a flash memory storage device, wherein the flash memory is composed of a plurality of multi-level storage units, and the manufacturing method of the flash memory can be completed by a general multi-level storage unit manufacturing method. Thereby, it is advantageous to reduce the manufacturing cost of the flash memory storage device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a flash memory storage device, which mainly defines a plurality of first multi-level storage units as the first storage block and a plurality of second multi-level storage units through an address table. Defined as the second storage block.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a flash memory storage device including: at least one flash memory, including: at least one first storage block, including a plurality of first multi-level storage units; at least one The second storage block includes a plurality of second multi-level storage units, wherein the second storage block has a storage speed greater than the first storage block; and a control unit is configured to perform the first storage block and Reading, storing or erasing the data in the second storage block.

In an embodiment of the above flash memory storage device, the single second multi-level storage unit of the second storage block is only used to store one-bit data.

In an embodiment of the above flash memory storage device, a single first multi-level storage unit of the first storage block is configured to store data of two or more digits.

In an embodiment of the above flash memory storage device, the maximum storage space of the flash memory is m, the storage space of the first storage block 21 is n, and the storage space of the second storage block is (mn )/2.

An embodiment of the above flash memory storage device includes a switch unit for controlling data to be stored in the first storage block or the second storage block.

An embodiment of the above flash memory storage device includes a switch unit. When the switch unit is switched to the first mode, data is stored in the first storage block and the second storage block, and the switch When the unit is switched to the second mode, the data will only be stored in the second storage block.

An embodiment of the above flash memory storage device, wherein the switch unit is a hardware switch or a software program switch.

An embodiment of the above flash memory storage device, wherein the first storage block and the second storage block are respectively defined as two different disk drives.

An embodiment of the flash memory storage device includes an address table, and the control unit stores data in the first multi-level storage unit or the second multi-level storage unit through the address table, or The address table reads data from the first multi-level storage unit or the second multi-level storage unit.

In an embodiment of the flash memory storage device, the control unit is configured to adjust a size of the first storage block and the second storage block.

In an embodiment of the flash memory storage device, the control unit divides the flash memory into the first storage block and the second storage block through different storage modes.

In an embodiment of the flash memory storage device, the first multi-level storage unit and the second multi-level storage unit are multi-level storage units.

In an embodiment of the flash memory storage device, the first multi-level storage unit and the second multi-level storage unit are both anti-gate type flash memory.

The flash memory includes a plurality of storage units, and the data can be stored in a storage unit array composed of floating gate crystals. The flash memory can be divided into single-stage storage units according to different operating principles and storage methods ( Single-level cell (SLC) and multi-level cell (MLC). A single multi-level storage unit (MLC) can store two or more bits of data, for example, a multi-level storage unit (MLC) can also be a third-level storage unit (TLC). A single single-stage storage unit (SLC) can only store one-digit data.

Single-stage storage units (SLC) have higher storage speeds, longer service life, and lower power consumption than multi-stage storage units (MLCs). Multi-level storage units (MLCs) have higher storage densities. In general, multi-level storage units (MLCs) of the same storage capacity cost much less than multi-level storage units (MLCs).

The manufacturer or the user can select an appropriate flash memory storage device according to the demand of the product or the importance of storing the data. For example, for a smart phone, a single-stage storage unit (SLC) can be used as a storage device inside the mobile phone. The more important and frequently used data such as the operating system of the mobile phone are stored therein, and the multi-level storage unit (MLC) is a pluggable external storage device, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the storage device of the mobile phone.

Although the storage device in the host device can be selected in the above manner, and the probability of damage of important data is avoided, there is still some inconvenience in use, such as a single-stage storage unit in the portable device (SLC). And the size of the multi-level storage unit (MLC) is fixed and cannot be modulated with the needs of different users or different systems. In addition, the setting of the single-stage storage unit (SLC) also increases the manufacturing cost of the host device.

Please refer to FIG. 1 , which is a block diagram of an embodiment of a flash memory storage device of the present invention. As shown, the flash memory storage device 10 of the present invention includes a control unit 15 and at least one flash memory 12, wherein the flash memory 12 is internally provided with a plurality of multi-level storage units (MLCs). The multi-level storage unit (MLC) in the flash memory 12 can be divided into a first storage block 11 and a second storage block 13, and the storage speed of the second storage block 13 is greater than that of the first storage block 11. The first storage block 11 includes a plurality of first multi-level storage units 111, and the second storage block 13 includes a plurality of second multi-level storage units 131, and is implemented in the flash memory 12 by the control unit 15. Reading, storing or erasing the data of the first storage block 11 and the second storage block 13.

The flash memory storage device 10 of the present invention mainly forms the flash memory 12 by a plurality of multi-level storage units (MLC), and only needs to be processed by a general multi-level storage unit (MLC) during the production process. The setting of the flash memory 12 in the flash memory storage device 10 can be completed, whereby the manufacturing cost of the hardware of the flash memory storage device 10 can be reduced.

In the present invention, the storage manners of the first storage block 11 and the second storage block 13 in the flash memory storage device 10 are mainly distinguished, for example, the first multi-level storage unit 111 in the first storage block 11 The storage mode is the same as that of a general multi-level storage unit (MLC), and two or more bits of data may be stored in a single first multi-level storage unit 111, so that a single first-order storage unit 111 Four different storage states can be presented, each representing two binary digital values (00, 01, 10, and 11). The storage manner of the second multi-level storage unit 131 in the second storage block 13 is different from that of a general multi-level storage unit (MLC), wherein the single second multi-level storage unit 131 is only used to store one bit. Information, that is (0 and 1).

The configuration of the second multi-level storage unit 131 in the second storage block 13 is the same as that of a general multi-level storage unit (MLC), but in the present invention, the second storage area can be made by the change of the storage mode described above. The second multi-level storage unit 131 in the block 13 is stored in a similar manner to the conventional single-stage storage unit (SLC), whereby the second multi-level storage unit 131 of the second storage block 13 will have a single-stage storage unit ( The advantages and benefits of the SLC), for example, the second multi-level storage unit 131 of the second storage block 13 has a faster storage speed than the first multi-level storage unit 111 in the first storage block 11 Longer service life and less power consumption.

The flash memory storage device 10 can be connected to the host device 17 through the transmission unit 19, so that the flash memory storage device 10 becomes the storage device of the host device 17. The code of the operating system of the host device 17 can be stored in the second storage block 13 during use, and the second storage block 13 becomes a space for frequent reading and rewriting when operating the operating system. Since the second multi-stage storage unit 131 of the second storage block 13 has the advantages of better storage speed and service life, the speed and stability of the operating system of the host device 17 can be effectively improved, and the operation system can be avoided. The frequent reading and rewriting causes damage to the second storage block 13. In addition, the flash memory storage device 10 is fabricated by a conventional multi-level storage unit (MLC) manufacturing method, which is advantageous for reducing the manufacturing cost of the flash memory storage device 10 in the host device 17.

The first multi-level storage unit 111 of the first storage block 11 and the second multi-level storage unit 131 of the second storage block 13 can both be NAND Flash. In addition, the flash memory storage device 10 in use is like a storage device with a single-stage storage unit (SLC) and a storage device for a multi-level storage unit (MLC).

In practical applications, the operating system may define the first storage block 11 and the second storage block 13 as the same disk drive, such as a C drive, and store different types of data in the first storage block respectively. 11 or the second storage block 13. In addition, the first storage block 11 and the second storage block 13 may be defined as two different disk drives, for example, the first storage block 11 is a D disk drive, and the second storage block 13 is C drive, user or manufacturer can directly install the operating system on the C drive and store the general data on the D drive.

Please refer to FIG. 2 , which is a block diagram of still another embodiment of the flash memory storage device of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the flash memory storage device 20 of the present invention comprises a control unit 25 and a flash memory 22, wherein the flash memory 22 is internally provided with a plurality of multi-level storage units (MLC), for example, a plurality of The first multi-level storage unit 211 and the plurality of second multi-level storage units 231 are spurred and distributed in the flash memory 22.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the first multi-level storage unit 211 and the second multi-stage storage unit 231 distributed in the flash memory 22 are integrated, and the first storage block 21 and the second storage area are formed. Block 23. Of course, the position of the first multi-level storage unit 211 and the second multi-level storage unit 231 in the flash memory 22 may be allocated in the actual application, for example, the first multi-level storage unit 211 may be located at the address of the previous segment. The second multi-level storage unit 231 is located at the address of the latter stage.

The first multi-level storage unit 211 and the second multi-level storage unit 231 have different storage modes, for example, a single first-order storage unit 211 stores two-digit or two-digit data, and the second one is the second largest. The data storage unit 231 is only used to store data of one bit.

The addresses of the first multi-level storage unit 211 and the second multi-level storage unit 231 can be merged into the address table 251, and the control unit 25 can learn the first multi-level storage unit 211 and the second through the address table 251. The address of the multi-level storage unit 231 is stored in the first multi-level storage unit 211 or the second multi-level storage unit 231 through the address table 251, or is the first multi-level storage unit 211 or the second multi-stage The storage unit 231 reads the data. In addition, the control unit 25 may also store different types of data in the first multi-level storage unit 211 or the second multi-level storage unit 231 via the address table 251. For example, the operating system of the host device can be stored in the second multi-level storage unit 231 of the second storage block 23 of the rear-end address through the address table 251, and other data is stored in the first storage area of the previous address. Within the first multi-level storage unit 211 of block 21.

The total capacity of the flash memory 22 of the present invention is a fixed value, and the storage capacity or ratio of the first storage block 21 and the second storage block 23 can also be a fixed value, and is in a flash memory storage device. 20 The plan for both sizes is completed at the factory.

In order to improve the convenience in use, the storage capacity or ratio of the first storage block 21 and the second storage block 23 in the flash memory 22 may also be an unfixed value. Under the premise that the total capacity of the flash memory 22 is a fixed value, the downstream manufacturer or the user can adjust or plan the storage capacity of the first storage block 21 and the second storage block 23 by themselves.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the software program control unit 25 can store the data in the plurality of multi-level storage units 211 / 231 of the flash memory 22 in different storage manners, so that the flash memory 22 is The multi-level storage unit 211 / 231 is divided into a first storage block 21 and a second storage block 23 . In addition, the control unit 25 can also adjust the size of the first storage block 21 and the second storage block 23. For example, the flash memory 22 includes a plurality of multi-level storage units (MLC), and the maximum storage space is m. At the time of application, the control unit 25 may plan a certain number of multi-level storage units (MLCs) into the first storage block 21, and the control unit 25 stores the two-dimensional data in the single first multi-level storage unit 211. The storage space of the first storage block 21 is n, and the remaining storage space is planned as the second storage block 23. The control unit 25 stores only one bit of data in the single second multi-level storage unit 231. The storage space of the second storage block 23 is made to be (mn)/2, in other words, the second storage block 23 will only store data of (mn)/2.

In addition, a switch unit 253 can be used to control the data to be stored in the first storage block 21 or the second storage block 23. For example, the switch unit 253 can be a hardware switch or a software program switch. When the switch unit 253 is switched to the first mode, the data transferred to the flash memory storage device 20 will be stored in the first storage block 21 and the second storage block 23, or only stored in the first mode. The block 21 is stored, and when the switch unit 253 is switched to the second mode, the data transferred to the flash memory storage device 20 will only be stored in the second storage block 23.

The above is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, that is, the variations, modifications, and modifications of the shapes, structures, features, and spirits described in the claims of the present invention. All should be included in the scope of the patent application of the present invention.

10. . . Flash memory storage device

11. . . First storage block

111. . . First multi-level storage unit

12. . . Flash memory

13. . . Second storage block

131. . . Second multi-level storage unit

15. . . control unit

17. . . Host device

19. . . Transmission unit

20. . . Flash memory storage device

twenty one. . . First storage block

211. . . First multi-level storage unit

twenty two. . . Flash memory

twenty three. . . Second storage block

231. . . Second multi-level storage unit

25. . . control unit

251. . . Address table

253. . . Switch unit

1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a flash memory storage device of the present invention; and

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing still another embodiment of the flash memory storage device of the present invention.

10. . . Flash memory storage device

11. . . First storage block

111. . . First multi-level storage unit

12. . . Flash memory

13. . . Second storage block

131. . . Second multi-level storage unit

15. . . control unit

17. . . Host device

19. . . Transmission unit

Claims (14)

A flash memory storage device includes:
At least one flash memory, including:
At least one first storage block, including a plurality of first multi-level storage units;
The at least one second storage block includes a plurality of second multi-level storage units, wherein the second storage block has a storage speed greater than the first storage block; and a control unit is configured to perform the first storage area Reading, storing or erasing the data in the block and the second storage block. The flash memory storage device of claim 1, wherein the single second multi-level storage unit of the second storage block is only used to store one-bit data. The flash memory storage device of claim 1, wherein the first first multi-level storage unit of the first storage block is configured to store data of two or more digits. The flash memory storage device of claim 1, wherein the maximum storage space of the flash memory is m, the storage space of the first storage block is n, and the storage of the second storage block is The space is (mn)/2. The flash memory storage device of claim 1, comprising a switch unit for controlling data to be stored in the first storage block or the second storage block. The flash memory storage device of claim 1, comprising a switch unit, wherein when the switch unit is switched to the first mode, the data is stored in the first storage block and the second storage When the switch unit is switched to the second mode, the data will only be stored in the second storage block. The flash memory storage device of claim 6, wherein the switch unit is a hardware switch or a software program switch. The flash memory storage device of claim 1, wherein the first storage block and the second storage block are respectively defined as two different disk drives. The flash memory storage device of claim 1, comprising an address table, and the control unit stores the data in the first multi-level storage unit or the second multi-level storage through the address table The unit reads data from the first multi-level storage unit or the second multi-level storage unit through the address table. The flash memory storage device of claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to adjust a size of the first storage block and the second storage block. The flash memory storage device of claim 1, wherein the control unit divides the flash memory into the first storage block and the second storage block through different storage modes. The flash memory storage device of claim 1, wherein the first multi-level storage unit and the second multi-level storage unit are multi-level storage units. The flash memory storage device of claim 1, wherein the first multi-level storage unit and the second multi-level storage unit are both anti-gate type flash memory. A flash memory storage device includes:
At least one flash memory, including:
The at least one first storage block includes a plurality of first multi-level storage units, wherein the single first multi-level storage unit is configured to store data of two or more digits;
At least one second storage block includes a plurality of second multi-level storage units, wherein the single second multi-level storage unit is only used to store one-bit data; and a control unit is configured to perform the first Reading, storing or erasing the data in the storage block and the second storage block.