Flash Memory Programming with On-the-Fly Parity Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Alpha particles cause data loss, corruption, and potential permanent damage to flash memory due to charge imbalances and transient currents, necessitating a mechanism to enhance data integrity and reliability under high-radiation conditions.
Innovation Solution
A data programming method involving error check operations and on-the-fly verification to ensure no errors occur during encoding and transmission, using a memory controller with an encoder, decoder, and verification circuit to generate and verify check data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If error check operations and on-the-fly verification are implemented during encoding and transmission, then data integrity and reliability are enhanced, but device complexity and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs error detection on check data during the encoding process itself, before the data is transmitted to or stored in the flash memory. This preliminary verification ensures that only error-free data proceeds to storage, enhancing reliability without requiring separate post-storage verification mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The verification circuit generates error detection results that feed back into the encoding process. When errors are detected in the check data, the system can trigger re-encoding or error correction procedures, creating a closed-loop feedback mechanism that continuously ensures data integrity throughout the programming process.
2Reliability
If read-back check operations are performed to verify programmed data, then data corruption due to alpha particles is detected, but programming time and processing duration increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs error detection during the encoding phase before data is programmed to flash memory. By conducting verification operations in advance rather than after programming, the system detects potential errors early in the process, preventing wasted programming time on data that will ultimately be rejected during post-programming verification.
Solution Approach 2:
The on-the-fly verification mechanism allows the system to quickly identify and skip erroneous check data during encoding, preventing the need to re-program already-written data. This approach rushes through the verification process efficiently by focusing only on detecting errors rather than comprehensive post-programming validation.
Data Source
AI summary
A data programming method for a flash memory includes: writing a write data to a page buffer of the flash memory; encoding the write data to generate first parity data corresponding to the write data, and writing the first parity data to the page buffer; while generating the first parity data, performing an error detection based on the write data and the first parity data to produce an error detection result; and when the error detection result indicates that there is no error in the first parity data, issuing a program command to the flash memory to program the write data and the first parity data in the page buffer into a flash memory element of the flash memory.