Volatile Memory Power Partitioning for Data Retention During Outages
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Solution Overview
Problem
Data loss in volatile semiconductor memory devices due to sudden power shortages or power glitches is not effectively addressed by existing technologies, leading to potential loss of important data.
Innovation Solution
A storage device that redundantly supplies power to specific areas of the volatile memory using multiple spare power sources, differentially adjusts power distribution based on spare power availability, and backs up data to non-volatile memory when necessary, ensuring critical data is preserved.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If data is stored in volatile memory for fast access, then read/write speed is improved, but data is lost when power is not supplied
Solution Approach 1:
The volatile memory is divided into multiple banks, and different spare power sources are assigned to different banks. This segmentation allows selective power supply to critical memory areas during power failure, maintaining data retention for important data while preserving fast access characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
Spare power sources (such as capacitors or batteries) are pre-charged during normal operation and automatically activated when main power fails. This beforehand cushioning ensures that critical data in volatile memory continues to be powered and retained during power failure events.
2Reliability
If spare power is supplied to all areas of volatile memory, then data retention is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of volatile memory are assigned different quality levels based on data criticality. During power failure, spare power sources are allocated preferentially to high-criticality memory areas, ensuring data retention where most needed while minimizing overall power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of providing spare power to the entire volatile memory, only critical portions receive spare power supply. This partial action approach achieves adequate data retention for important data while significantly reducing the power consumption that would be required to protect all data equally.
3Reliability
If multiple spare power sources are used, then data retention reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple spare power sources are electrically connected in parallel to form a unified power supply system. This merging simplifies the control architecture by allowing centralized management of multiple power sources while maintaining the reliability benefits of redundancy.
Solution Approach 2:
The spare power sources are designed to be interchangeable and can serve multiple functions: they can power different memory banks depending on which areas contain critical data, and they can be charged during normal operation and discharged during power failure. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated power circuits for each function.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a storage device including a non-volatile memory that inputs or outputs data at a request of a host system, a volatile memory that temporarily stores data input to or output from the non-volatile memory, an internal spare power source that supplies power to a part of the volatile memory in response to main power supplied from the host system dropping to a first amount or less, and a storage controller that controls the non-volatile memory and the volatile memory. The storage controller is configured to divide the volatile memory into area-received-duplication-power, and at least one area-received-spare-power, in response to the main power dropping to the first amount or less, to redundantly supply spare power to the area-received-duplication-power from an external spare power source and the internal spare power source, and to supply the spare power to the at least one area-received-spare-power from the external spare power source.