Zone Support for Storage Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing physical block sizes in flash storage devices make it challenging to support very low zone sizes without wasting significant flash storage capacity and compromising performance, particularly in ZNS architecture where zone sizes are fixed, leading to inefficient overprovisioning and reduced scalability.
Innovation Solution
A storage device with a first partition allocated to multiple dies as channels, where each block or sub-block is configured as a lowest level of erase unit, allowing parallel storage operations across all dies, and data is synchronized with a second partition associated with each zone during idle states to maintain zone properties and reduce overprovisioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional ZNS architecture is used with fixed zone sizes (48 MB or 64 MB), then garbage collection is reduced and write amplification is minimized, but support for very low zone sizes (2 MB, 4 MB, 8 MB) becomes challenging and significant flash storage capacity is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The flash memory is divided into multiple partitions, with a first partition containing multiple dies allocated to small-sized zones and second partitions associated with each zone. Each block or sub-block in the first partition is configured as a lowest level of erase unit, enabling fine-grained allocation that matches small zone sizes without wasting capacity. This segmentation allows the system to support very low zone sizes (2 MB, 4 MB, 8 MB) while maintaining efficient flash memory utilization.
2Quantity of substance
If block sizes in NAND cell arrays are increased, then storage capacity is improved, but support for very low zone sizes becomes increasingly challenging and storage device performance is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The first partition is divided into multiple dies, and each die is further divided into blocks that can be allocated as erase units to small zones. This multi-level segmentation enables the system to maintain large overall block sizes for high capacity while creating smaller allocatable units that match very low zone sizes, thus preserving performance without sacrificing capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimensional structure by organizing memory into first partition (with multiple dies and blocks) and second partitions (associated with zones), creating a hierarchical mapping structure. This multi-dimensional organization allows large physical block sizes to coexist with small logical zone sizes, resolving the contradiction between capacity and performance.
3Loss of substance
If data is transferred from the first zone to a second partition during idle state, then overprovisioning is reduced and storage capacity is utilized more efficiently, but additional control logic and data management complexity is introduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs data transfer from the first partition to second partitions automatically during idle states without requiring external intervention or complex real-time control. This self-service approach reduces overprovisioning efficiently while keeping control logic manageable, as the transfer operations occur during naturally occurring idle periods rather than requiring continuous active management.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of a storage device including a memory and a controller are provided. The memory includes a first partition having multiple dies as channels that are allocated to one or more zones. The controller may receive a write command and data from a host device, in which the write command indicates to write the data to a first zone. The controller may perform a write operation that writes received data to one or more of the plurality of dies that are allocated to a first zone. The controller may transfer the data from the first zone to a second partition in the memory that is associated with the first zone, when the storage device and the host device are in idle states. Thus, the controller can reduce the amount of overprovisioning of memory block allocation to small-sized zones, thereby improving the memory capacity and utilization of the storage device.