Apparatus and method for searching for defective addresses of a recording medium

Abstract

An apparatus and method for searching for defective address of a recording medium are provided. The recording medium includes a main data storage unit and a defective data management unit having at least one defect management area including first and second defect lists, and repeatedly records and reproduces. The method of the invention includes the steps of (a) searching for a defect-correctable defect management area of the defective data management unit, performing correction of defects, and writing a defect map table showing the number of data units and the number of accumulated data units in the first and second defect lists of each group, (b) recording data in the defect-correctable defect management area which was searched for, (c) calculating a temporary physical address by inputting the position of data whose real address is to be searched for, as a logical block address, (d) determining a corresponding group using the temporary physical address and determining the range of a searching address of the corresponding group in the defect map table, (e) searching for the first and second defect lists of the defect management area recorded in the step (a), setting the first and second defect lists as input information, and calculating a real physical address by one-half dividing the temporary physical address calculated in the step (c), and (f) calculating a real data address from the real physical address.