Nonvolatile Memory Erased Page Search via Dedicated Status Cells
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current data storage devices using nonvolatile memory struggle to quickly search for erased pages, which hampers performance in applications requiring rapid data access and management.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a controller that can provide search commands for erased pages and utilizing memory cells to store information about the program state of corresponding pages, allowing for efficient identification and management of erased data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional nonvolatile memory devices are used for data storage, then storage capacity and durability are improved, but the speed of searching erased pages deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The memory device is divided into two functional areas: a first area containing memory cells for storing data, and a second area containing memory cells for storing search information indicating whether corresponding pages in the first area are erased. This segmentation allows the search operation to query only the compact search information in the second area rather than scanning entire pages in the first area, dramatically improving search speed while maintaining the reliability of the main storage area.
2Productivity
If memory cells are added to store search information, then searching efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The search information memory cells in the second area share the same bit line structure and control circuitry with the data memory cells in the first area. Both areas use common word lines and bit lines, and are controlled by the same control logic unit. This merging approach allows the search functionality to be added without duplicating entire memory subsystems, thereby improving searching efficiency while minimizing the increase in device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A data storage device includes a nonvolatile memory device including: memory cells of a first area grouped by page, and memory cells of a second area respectively corresponding to pages, and suitable for storing information representing whether each page of the first area is in an erased state; and a controller suitable for providing the nonvolatile memory device with a search command for searching an erased page and a search address of a page, wherein the nonvolatile memory device provides the controller with a state of at least one memory cell of the second area corresponding to the search address in response to the search command.