Secondary storage device using nonvolatile semiconductor memory

Abstract

A secondary storage device using a nonvolatile semiconductor memory in which individual block areas constituting the nonvolatile semiconductor memory can be used up to their limit of use. When the number of repetitions of erasure in a second block area has reached a predetermined reference value, a searching unit searches active block areas for an alternate block area. A second writing unit writes information which has been stored in the alternate block area, into the second block area. A second correspondence modifying unit associates the physical block number with the logical block number and causes a logical-physical correspondence storing unit to store the correspondence of the thus-associated block numbers. A second erasing unit erases the information stored in the alternate block area and treats the block area with the physical block number as a spare block area.