Storage Controller Buffer Optimization via Memory Region Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need to reduce the size of the storage controller in semiconductor memory devices while maintaining efficient data storage and retrieval operations, as existing solutions do not effectively optimize the size of the storage controller without compromising data handling capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A storage device with a nonvolatile memory system that includes a first memory region with a higher write speed and a second memory region with a lower write speed, utilizing an internal buffer and a processor to manage data migration by prioritizing data storage in the first region and transferring data to the second region, thereby reducing the required size of the internal buffer and the storage controller.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If data is stored in a single memory region with high write speed, then write speed is improved, but storage capacity and data retention are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The memory system is divided into two distinct memory regions: a first memory region optimized for high write speed and a second memory region optimized for data retention. This segmentation allows each region to specialize in its respective function, resolving the contradiction between speed and reliability by distributing these competing requirements across separate components.
Solution Approach 2:
Different memory regions are assigned different quality characteristics tailored to their specific functions. The first memory region is designed with properties optimized for fast writing, while the second memory region is designed with properties optimized for stable data retention. This local differentiation of quality allows the system to simultaneously achieve both high speed and high reliability in appropriate locations.
2Productivity
If a large internal buffer is used to handle data migration, then data handling capability is improved, but storage controller size increases
Solution Approach 1:
Data migration is performed proactively before the first memory region becomes full, rather than waiting for buffer overflow conditions. The storage controller monitors the fill status of the first memory region and initiates migration operations in advance, allowing for more efficient buffer management and reducing the required buffer size while maintaining data handling capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage controller implements feedback mechanisms to monitor the data migration process and dynamically adjust buffer management strategies. By continuously tracking the status of data migration between memory regions, the controller can optimize buffer usage and reduce the overall buffer size needed while maintaining efficient data handling capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
A storage device includes a nonvolatile memory device and a storage controller. The nonvolatile memory device includes a first memory region having a first write speed and a second memory region having a second write speed different from the first write speed. The storage controller includes an internal buffer and stores data from an external host in the first memory region by priority in a first mode. The storage controller controls a data migration operation by performing a read operation-transfer operation to read a second data that is pre-stored in the first memory region by a first unit and to transfer the first unit of data to a data input/output (I/O) circuit of the nonvolatile memory device a plurality of times and by storing the second data transferred to the data I/O circuit in the second memory region.