Sandisk Technologies Inc.

Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Other

Sandisk Corporation

Niles Yang

Rohit Sehgal

Phil Reusswig

Sahil Sharma

Jianmin Huang

Pitamber Shukla

Yehuda Hahn

Mohan Dunga

Daniel Joseph Linnen

Nan Lu

Piyush Dhotre

Bhuvan Khurana

Deepanshu Dutta

Ramanathan Muthiah

James Fitzpatrick

Jiahui Yuan

Zhenlei Shen

Ting Luo

Anubhav Khandelwal

Mark Shlick

Abhilash Ravi Kashyap

Alexandra Bauche

Idan Alrod

Jun Wan

Chris Avila

Aaron Lee

Xinde Hu

Preston Allen Thomson

Bo Lei

Kirubakaran Periyannan

Sarath Chandran Puthenthermadam

Mrinal Kochar

Ravi J Kumar

Philip David Reusswig

Sourabh Sankule

Piyush Girish Sagdeo

Mahim Raj Gupta

Gautham Reddy

Piyush Anil Dhotre

Chris Yip

Yew Yin Ng

Mohsen Purahmad

Chao-Han Cheng

Zelei Guo

Lior Avital

Tienchien Kuo

Swati Bakshi

Rohan Dhekane

Abhi Kashyap

Inez Hua

Adam Jacobvitz

Brandon Jensen

In one embodiment, a data storage device is provided comprising a memory and a controller. The controller is configured to: receive, from a host, a command to read data from the memory, wherein the command comprises a data integrity level threshold; read the data from the memory; determine a data integrity level of the data; in response to the data integrity level of the data being above the threshold, send the data to the host; and in response to the data integrity level of the data not being above the threshold: perform at least one iteration of an error correction operation on the data until the data integrity level of the data is above the threshold; and send the data to the host. Other embodiments are provided, and each of the embodiments can be used alone or in combination.

Data storage device and method for host-managed data integrity

A storage device manages the effects of read operations on the power consumption on the storage device. A controller on the storage device determines the openness of blocks on a memory device. The controller may execute a first protocol and/or a second protocol. In executing the first protocol, the controller may fill open blocks on the memory device such that subsequent read operations are performed on blocks that have been filled. In executing the second protocol, the controller may control which read operations are sent to the memory device based on real-time power consumption on the storage device.

Optimized handling of high current consumption during an open block read

A process for reliably erasing data from a solid-state drive (SSD) includes first, prior to user data being stored on the drive, generating a restore image of information stored on the drive which characterizes a restore state of the drive, such as a factory image. Then, imparting energy to the drive to promote electrons representing bits in corresponding memory cells to exit the cells, such as imparting thermal energy or high-energy electromagnetic radiation to the drive. Also, generating a set of quantitative data for verifying erasure of the data for presentation to the user helps ensure trust in the data wipe process. The drive may also be electrically erased prior to imparting energy to the SSD, to provide another level of confidence in the data wipe process. The restore image may then be loaded to the necessary locations on the wiped drive to restore drive functionality.

Solid-state drive secure data wiping for reuse and recycling

A storage device is communicatively coupled to a host that defines a quality of service level for responses transmitted from the storage device to the host. The storage device includes a memory device to store data. The storage device also includes a controller to perform background operations to manage resources on the memory device while performing foreground operations according to the quality of service level set by the host. The controller generates a free block file including information on free blocks in the memory device and transmits the free block file to the host. The host uses the free block file to determine when the memory device is at or near a critical level of block availability and transmits an indication from to the controller. The controller adjusts the priority of the background operations in response to receipt of the indication to maintain the quality of service level.

Protocol for solid state drive with high quality of service

Methods and apparatus for efficiently handling large data files and their updates in NAND memory. In one example, provided is a data-storage system configured to reduce the frequency of data relocations by segregating a large data file into a plurality of subfiles. The size of such subfiles is appropriately selected to reduce the probability of occurrence for host-relocation conflicts and the magnitude of write amplification, thereby enabling the data-storage system to provide better quality of service while substantially maintaining acceptable levels of other pertinent performance characteristics. In some examples, a sequence of host read-modify-write commands is handled by generating a copy of implicated subfiles in a data buffer, applying subfile updates to the copy in the data buffer in accordance with the sequence, and relocating the implicated subfiles in the NAND memory using the updated versions thereof from the data buffer.

Segregating large data blocks for data storage system

Methods for recording commands in memory and providing the recorded commands. In one embodiment, a data storage controller includes a memory interface configured to interface with a memory, a controller memory including a storage firmware and a record mapping table, and a processor. The processor, when executing the storage firmware, is configured to receive a record identifier, receive a command including data to be stored in the memory, and create an entry in the record mapping table associating the record identifier with a logical block address of the command. The command is received after the record identifier. The processor may receive a playback identifier that includes the record identifier and determine, using the record mapping table, a location of the associated command in the memory. The command is provided to an external device.

Record and playback commands for storage devices

A data storage device includes a non-volatile memory device having a number of memory dies. The data storage device further includes a controller. The controller is configured to poll each of the memory dies at a first predetermined rate for a thermal status bit and determine whether the thermal status bit of at least one memory die of the number of memory dies is an active thermal status bit activated. The controller is further configured to reduce the operating performance of the at least one memory die in response to determining that the thermal status bit of the at least one memory die of the plurality of memory dies is the active thermal status bit.

Data storage device with die-based enhanced thermal management

A data storage device includes a non-volatile memory device having one or more memory dies and each of the memory dies include a plurality of input-output (I/O) lines. The data storage device further includes a controller. The controller is configured to receive an instruction to enter a low-power operating mode. Entering the low-power operating mode includes removing power from the one or more memory dies, providing an output signal toggling between a logic high and a logic low at a predetermined frequency to the plurality of I/O lines for a predetermined period of time, and operating in the low-power operating mode upon the expiration of the predetermined period of time.

Data storage device with enhanced power mode management

A storage system determines that it is undergoing intensive reads by a host, which can occur, for example, when the storage system is being used to play a video game for a prolonged period of time. As performing a conventional read scrub operation in that situation can result in a decrease in performance, the storage system can instead use a targeted read scrub operation to reduce the impact on host read performance. The targeted read scrub operation can take the form, for example, of a periodic read scan on areas of the memory that are not part of the intensive host read, random read scans on neighboring wordlines where only a single state is read, and/or a passive read scan where acceptable but risky pages are marked for relocation.

Storage system and method for performing a targeted read scrub operation during intensive host reads

A data storage device including, in one implementation, a non-volatile memory and a controller. The non-volatile memory includes a memory block. The memory block includes a plurality of word lines that are written sequentially from a first end of the memory block to a second end of the memory block. The controller is coupled to the non-volatile memory. The controller is configured to determine a last written word line of the memory block. The controller is also configured to set a non-selected word line voltage based on the last written word line of the memory block. The controller is further configured to apply the non-selected word line voltage to non-selected word lines of the memory block.

Power reduction during open and erased block reads of memory based on the position of last written word line of a memory block

A data storage device including, in one implementation, a non-volatile memory device and a controller coupled to the non-volatile memory device. The non-volatile memory device includes a memory block. The controller is configured to receive a cycle operation request and perform a wear-level mitigation operation in response to receiving the cycle operation request. To perform the wear-level mitigation operation, the controller is configured to determine a read state condition of the memory block, perform the requested cycle operation, and increment a cycle count of the memory block by a value based on the determined read state condition of the memory block. The first read state of the memory block and the second read state of the memory block are based on a wordline voltage that is associated with the memory block.

Intelligent memory wear leveling

A data storage system includes a storage medium and a storage controller configured to perform interface training operations. The interface training operations include loading a test data pattern into a first controller buffer of the storage controller, loading the test data pattern into a first storage medium buffer of the storage medium, setting a first read voltage or timing parameter at the storage controller, transferring the test data pattern from the first storage medium buffer to a second controller buffer of the storage controller using the first read voltage or timing parameter, comparing the test data pattern in the first controller buffer with the test data pattern in the second controller buffer, and determining a first read transfer error rate based on the first comparison.

Storage medium-assisted system interface training scheme

A memory apparatus and method of operation is provided. The apparatus includes a plurality of memory cells coupled to a control circuit. The control circuit is configured to receive data indicating a data state for each memory cell of a set of memory cells of the plurality of memory cells and program, in multiple programming loops, the set of memory cells according to the data indicating the data state for each memory cell of the set of memory cells. The control circuit is further configured to determine that the programming of the set of memory cells is in a last programming loop of the multiple programming loops and in response to the determination, receive data indicating a data state for each memory cell of another set of memory cells of the plurality of memory cells.

Detection of a last programming loop for system performance gain

Systems and methods for storage systems using storage device monitoring for load balancing are described. Storage devices may be configured for data access through a common data stream, such as the storage devices in a storage node or server. Data operations from the common data stream may be distributed among the storage devices using a load balancing algorithm. Performance parameter values, such as grown bad blocks, program-erase cycles, and temperature, may be received for the storage devices and used to determine variance values for each storage device. Variance values demonstrating degrading storage devices may be used to reduce the load allocation of data operations to the degrading storage devices.

Storage device parameter monitoring for load balancing

A storage system comprises a controller connected to blocks of non-volatile memory cells. The memory cells can be operated as single level cell ('SLC') memory cells or multi-level cell ('MLC') memory cells. To increase write performance for a subset of memory cells being operated as SLC memory cells, the controller performs a deeper erase process and a weaker program process for the subset of memory cells. The weaker program process results in a programmed threshold voltage distribution that is lower than the &#x201c;nominal&#x201d; programmed threshold voltage distribution. Having a lower programmed threshold voltage distribution reduces the magnitude of the programming and sensing voltages needed and, therefore, shortens the time required to generate the programming and sensing voltages, and reduces power consumption.

Non-volatile storage system with fast SLC operation

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Mountain View, CA, United States of America

Niles Yang