Silicon Motion, Inc.

Tsu-Han Lu

Hsiao-Chang Yen

Chia-Chi Liang

Hsiao-chang Yen

A flash memory controller and a data reading method are provided. The flash memory controller includes a control logic circuit and a processor. The control logic circuit is coupled to a first chip-enable-signal controlled area of a flash memory through a channel to transmit data and commands. The processor controls the control logic circuit to transmit a first command and a second command to the first chip-enable-signal controlled area through the channel. The first command is configured to instruct the first chip-enable-signal controlled area to read stored data and read operating temperature information. In response to the transmission of the second command, the processor controls the control logic circuit to receive at least one of the stored data and the operating temperature information from the first chip-enable-signal controlled area.

Flash memory controller and data reading method

A flash memory controller is used in a storage device and coupled to a flash memory device of the storage device through a specific communication interface and includes an input/output (I/O) circuit and a processor. The I/O circuit is coupled to the flash memory device through the specific communication interface, and used for sending commands and data between the flash memory device and the processor. The processor is used for controlling the I/O circuit sending a specific boundary check command signal or a specific boundary check set-feature signal via the specific communication interface to the flash memory device, to make the flash memory device read out more page data of multiple page units from a specific block in the memory cell array and to make the flash memory device determine whether the multiple page units are empty pages.

Scheme for finding and checking whether page units in one block are empty pages by using flash memory device and reporting fund result from flash memory device to flash memory controller

A flash memory controller and a data programming method are provided. The flash memory controller includes a control logic circuit and a processor. The control logic circuit is coupled to a first chip-enable-signal controlled area of a flash memory through a channel to transmit data and commands. The processor controls the control logic circuit to transmit a first command and a second command to the first chip-enable-signal controlled area through the channel. The first command is configured to instruct the first chip-enable-signal controlled area to write stored data and read operating temperature information. In response to the transmission of the second command, the processor controls the control logic circuit to receive the operating temperature information from the first chip-enable-signal controlled area.

Flash memory controller and data programming method

A method of a flash memory device to be used in a storage device and coupled to a flash memory controller of the storage device through a specific communication interface, the flash memory device comprising an input/output (I/O) control circuit, a command register, an address register, a memory cell array at least having a first plane and a second plane which is different from the first plane, at least one address decoder, and a control circuit having a specific buffer, and the method comprises: buffering command information of a command signal, sent from the flash memory controller and transmitted through the I/O control circuit, into the command register; buffering address information of the command signal, sent from the flash memory controller and transmitted through the I/O control circuit, into the address register; and controlling the specific buffer storing a transmission history information of the specific communication interface.

Flash memory mechanism capable of storing and recording actual transmission history information of communication interface between flash memory controller and flash memory device

A flash memory scheme simplifies the command sequences transmitted between a flash memory device and a flash memory controller into a simplified command sequence so as to reduce the waiting time period of the command transmission and improve the performance of flash memory.

Flash memory device, controller, and method capable of performing access operation upon data unit(s) of multiple planes of flash memory device in response one simplified command sequence

A flash memory controller to be used in a storage device and coupled to a flash memory device of the storage device through a specific communication interface. The flash memory controller sends a debug injection command signal to the flash memory device through the specific communication interface to configure an operation of a debug circuit of the flash memory device to make the debug circuit automatically generate debug information of an access operation of the debug injection command signal sent from the flash memory controller, transmit the generated debug information from the flash memory device to the flash memory controller via the I/O control circuit and the specific communication interface, without controlling a memory cell array of flash memory device generating errors.

Flash memory scheme capable of controlling flash memory device automatically generating debug information and transmitting debug information back to flash memory controller without making memory cell array generating errors

A flash memory controller of a storage device is coupled to a flash memory device of the storage device through a specific communication interface and includes an input/output (I/O) circuit and a processor. The I/O circuit sends commands and data between the flash memory device and the processor The processor controls the I/O circuit to send a specific boundary check command signal or a specific boundary check set-feature signal via the specific communication interface to the flash memory device, to make the flash memory device read out more page data of multiple page units from a specific block in the memory cell array based on a smaller search range and to make the flash memory device determine whether the multiple page units are empty pages, the search range defined by a start page address stored in the flash memory device.

Scheme for finding and checking whether page units in one block are empty pages by using flash memory device based on smaller search range

A flash memory controller to be used in a storage device and coupled to a flash memory device of the storage device through a specific communication interface. The flash memory controller sends an error injection access command signal to the flash memory device through the specific communication interface to configure an operation of a debug circuit of the flash memory device to make the debug circuit automatically generate debug information of an access operation of the error injection access command signal sent from the flash memory controller, transmit the generated debug information from the flash memory device to the flash memory controller via the I/O control circuit and the specific communication interface, with controlling a memory cell array of flash memory device generating failure errors.

Flash memory scheme capable of controlling flash memory device automatically generating debug information and transmitting debug information back to flash memory controller with making memory cell array generating errors

A method of a flash memory controller includes: using a processor to issue and generate a command signal into a control logic circuit though a bus; buffering the command signal in a specific queue of a specific channel controller of the I/O circuit; and using the arbitrator to control the specific buffer storing a first transmission history information of the specific communication interface.

A flash memory controller to be used in a storage device and coupled to a flash memory device of the storage device through a specific communication interface. The flash memory controller sends a debug injection set-feature signal to the flash memory device through the specific communication interface to configure an operation of a debug circuit of the flash memory device to make the debug circuit automatically generate debug information of an access operation of an access command signal sent from the flash memory controller, transmit the generated debug information from the flash memory device to the flash memory controller via the I/O control circuit and the specific communication interface, without controlling a memory cell array of flash memory device generating errors.

A method for accessing a flash memory module includes: selecting a block in the flash memory module; selecting a specific encoding/decoding setting from a plurality of sets of encoding/decoding settings at least according to an erase count of the block, wherein the plurality of sets of encoding/decoding settings include different error correction code (ECC) lengths, respectively; utilizing the specific encoding/decoding setting to encode a data to generate an encoded data; and writing the encoded data into the block.

Method for accessing flash memory module, flash memory controller, and memory device

A method of a flash memory controller to be used in a storage device and coupled to a flash memory device of the storage device through a specific communication interface includes: using a set-feature signal, which carries a set-feature command, a macro execution feature address, and corresponding macro execution parameter information, as a macro execution signal and transmitting the macro execution signal to the flash memory device to make the flash memory device execute multiple set-feature operations respectively having unique information defined by the corresponding macro execution parameter information carried in the macro execution signal.

Flash memory controller and method capable of using one set-feature signal as a macro execution signal to execute multiple set-feature operations for flash memory device

A method of a flash memory controller includes: controlling an I/O circuit using a set-feature signal, which carries a set-feature command, feature address, and parameter information, and transmitting the set-feature signal to a flash memory device; the feature address corresponds to a valid data portion or a dummy data portion following the valid data portion, and both the valid data potion and dummy data portion are comprised in a full page data which is to be written into a physical page unit of the flash memory device or to be read out from the physical page unit; the corresponding parameter information is used to record the valid data portion's column address and data length, the dummy data portion's column address and data length, the dummy data portion's column address and the valid data portion's column address, or the dummy data portion's data length and the valid data portion's data length.

Flash memory scheme capable of automatically generating or removing dummy data portion of full page data by using flash memory device

A method for accessing a flash memory module includes: determining a type of data to be written into the flash memory module; selecting a specific encoding/decoding setting from a plurality of sets of encoding/decoding settings at least according to the type of data, wherein the plurality of sets of encoding/decoding settings correspond to different data lengths, respectively; utilizing the specific encoding/decoding setting to encode the data to generate encoded data; and writing the encoded data into a block of the flash memory module.

A method of a flash memory controller includes: providing an input/output (I/O) circuit coupled to the flash memory device; and sending a data toggle set-feature signal to the flash memory device to enable, disable, or configure a data toggle operation of the flash memory device; the data toggle operation of the flash memory device is arranged to make the flash memory device control the flash memory device's data register selecting and transferring a first data unit and a second data unit to the flash memory device's I/O control circuit to make the I/O control circuit sequentially transmit the first data unit and the second data unit to the flash memory controller through the specific communication interface in response to a specific read command or a data toggle command transmitted by the flash memory controller.

Flash memory controller and method capable of sending data toggle set-feature signal to enable, disable, or configure data toggle operation of flash memory device

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Hsinchu, Taiwan

Tsu-Han Lu