Flash Memory Super Block Repair via Controller Block Merging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flash memory devices experience performance and reliability issues due to damaged data blocks over time, leading to invalid data that cannot be read or written normally, necessitating an effective method to reorganize and merge blocks to maintain data access efficiency and reliability.
Innovation Solution
A data storage device and method that utilizes a controller to merge healthy blocks from one super block with damaged blocks in another super block, with a compression table to record position and number information, optimizing the use of storage space and maintaining performance and reliability by creating more undamaged super blocks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If data blocks are continuously written and used in flash memory, then storage capacity is utilized, but blocks become damaged and data reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The flash memory is divided into multiple super blocks, each containing multiple blocks. This segmentation allows isolated repair of damaged blocks within a super block without affecting other blocks, maintaining overall storage capacity while improving reliability through localized maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
Damaged blocks are identified and replaced by merging with healthy blocks from other super blocks. The compression table records the mapping between original and new block positions, enabling recovery of data access paths while discarding damaged blocks from the active storage pool.
2Reliability
If block reorganization and merging is performed to repair damaged blocks, then data reliability improves, but storage space is consumed by repair records
Solution Approach 1:
The compression table stores only essential mapping information (original block position and new block position) rather than complete block data. This extraction of critical metadata enables reliable block tracking with minimal storage overhead, balancing reliability improvement with space efficiency.
3Quantity of substance
If a compression table is used to record block changes, then storage space efficiency improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The compression table serves multiple functions: recording block mapping relationships, tracking damaged blocks, and enabling efficient block merging operations. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate data structures, maintaining space efficiency while managing system complexity through a versatile single structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A data storage device includes a flash memory, a controller and a random-access memory. The flash memory includes a plurality of planes, and each plane includes a plurality of blocks. A portion of blocks in each of the planes constitutes a super block, so that the flash memory includes a plurality of super blocks. The controller is coupled to the flash memory. When a first block of at least one first super block of the super blocks is damaged, and a second block of a second super block in the position corresponding to the damaged block is normal, the controller merges the second block of the second super block with the first super block to replace the first block. The random-access memory stores a compression table to record position information about the first block in the first super block and the number information of the second block.