Persistent Switch-Based Storage Controller for NAND Wear Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
The storage capacity of SSDs is limited by the number of NAND Ball Grid Arrays (BGAs) connected to the Flash Interface Module (FIM), and increasing this number is cost and technically complex, while existing solutions require significant hardware changes and resource investments.
Innovation Solution
A firmware-controlled switch is implemented between the FIM and NAND BGAs, allowing dynamic selection of active BGAs based on Logical Block Address (LBA) mapping, enabling multiple BGAs to share a single data channel and extending storage capacity without hardware modifications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the number of NAND BGAs connected to the FIM is increased to expand storage capacity, then storage capacity increases, but hardware complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a switch device that enables a single FIM to serve multiple NAND BGA packages dynamically. The switch allows one FIM to be shared across multiple BGAs by routing data channels selectively, making the FIM resource universal and multi-functional. This resolves the contradiction by allowing storage capacity expansion without proportionally increasing FIM hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The switch device acts as an intermediary component between the FIM and multiple NAND BGA packages. It mediates the connection, allowing dynamic routing of data channels from a single FIM to different BGAs based on operational needs. This intermediary enables capacity expansion while maintaining manageable hardware complexity through centralized control.
2Quantity of substance
If more NAND BGAs are connected to the FIM to increase storage capacity, then storage capacity increases, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
By making the FIM universal through the switch device, the system can achieve higher storage capacity without proportionally increasing the number of expensive FIM components. The same FIM can be reused across multiple BGA packages, reducing manufacturing costs while expanding capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple BGA packages into a single logical unit that shares a common FIM through the switch device. This consolidation allows the system to achieve high storage capacity by combining multiple lower-cost BGA packages rather than requiring multiple expensive FIM-FIM-BGA triplets.
3Quantity of substance
If the number of BGAs per data channel is increased to extend storage capacity, then storage capacity increases, but thermal and power management becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The switch device enables dynamic activation and deactivation of connections between the FIM and different BGA packages. The controller can selectively activate only the BGAs needed for current operations, allowing thermal and power management by putting unused BGAs into low-power states rather than keeping all high-capacity BGAs continuously active.
Solution Approach 2:
The system can periodically rotate between different BGA packages, activating subsets of BGAs in sequence rather than simultaneously. This periodic activation pattern distributes thermal load over time and allows heat dissipation between active periods, managing thermal challenges while maintaining high total storage capacity.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of a storage device including a memory and a controller are provided. The memory includes a plurality of non-volatile memory packages coupled to the switch, with each non-volatile memory package including a plurality of non-volatile memory dies. The controller monitors a wear level of each non-volatile memory package in the plurality of non-volatile memory packages connected to the controller via the switch. The controller determines whether a wear level of a first non-volatile memory package of the plurality of non-volatile memory packages exceeds a wear level threshold. The controller also can transfer data from the first non-volatile memory package to a second non-volatile memory package of the plurality of non-volatile memory packages through the switch based on the wear level of the first non-volatile memory package exceeding the wear level threshold. Thus, the controller may facilitate a persistent switch-based storage controller, thereby improving memory capacity of the storage device.