IP Library Granted Patent US 10,403,369
Granted Patent B2
US 10,403,369 · App. 15/727,085 · Granted Sep 3, 2019

Memory system with file level secure erase and operating method thereof

Inventor: Chris C. Lin (San Jose, CA)
Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
G11C16/16G06F1/3225G06F3/0608G06F3/0652G06F3/0679G11C7/20G11C8/08G11C11/5628G11C11/5635G11C16/0483G11C16/10G11C16/22G11C16/3445G11C2029/0411
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,403,369
App. No.
15/727,085
Granted
Sep 3, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

An apparatus of a memory system and an operating method thereof include: a plurality of memory devices, wherein each of the plurality of memory devices includes a plurality of blocks, each of the plurality of blocks has multiple pages corresponding to multiple wordlines, respectively; and a memory controller coupled with the plurality of memory devices, wherein the memory controller is configured to determine an overhead of an erase block where a deleted file resides therein, perform file level secure erase operation on the erase block in accordance with at least the overhead, and mark target pages corresponding to the deleted file as “trimmed” in a logic block address (LBA) table.

Claims (30)

1. An apparatus of a memory system comprising:

a plurality of memory devices, wherein each of the plurality of memory devices includes a plurality of blocks, and each of the plurality of blocks has multiple pages corresponding to multiple wordlines, respectively; and

a memory controller coupled with the plurality of memory devices, wherein the memory controller is configured to:

determine an overhead of an erase block where a deleted file resides therein, wherein the overhead includes determining a number of valid pages within a physical block where deleted pages of the deleted file reside;

perform one of a plurality of types of file level secure erase operations on the erase block based on at least the determined overhead, and

mark target pages corresponding to the deleted file as “trimmed” in a logic block address (LBA) table.

2. The apparatus recited in claim 1 wherein the file level secure erase operation includes a forced garbage collection operation that is performed on the erase block when the overhead is less than a predetermined threshold.

3. The apparatus recited in claim 1 further comprising relocating select pages to blocks other than the erase block when the overhead is greater than a predetermined threshold, before the file level secure erase operation is performed.

4. The apparatus recited in claim 3 wherein the select pages include pages that are potentially subject to being corrupted when the file level secure erase operation is performed.

5. The apparatus recited in claim 3 wherein the select pages include pages on a same wordline and pages on neighboring wordlines of the target pages.

6. The apparatus recited in claim 3 wherein the select pages are predetermined in accordance with the memory system.

7. The apparatus recited in claim 3 wherein the file level secure erase operation includes a double programming operation.

8. The apparatus recited in claim 3 wherein the file level secure erase operation includes a page level erase operation.

9. A method of operating a memory system comprising:

determining an overhead of an erase block where a deleted file resides therein, wherein the overhead includes determining a number of valid pages within a physical block in which deleted pages of the deleted file reside;

performing one of a plurality of types of file level secure erase operations on the erase block based on at least the determined overhead; and

marking target pages corresponding to the deleted file as “trimmed” in a logic block address (LBA) table.

10. The method recited in claim 9 wherein the performing the file level secure erase operation includes performing a forced garbage collection operation on the erase block when the overhead is less than a predetermined threshold.

11. The method recited in claim 9 further comprising relocating select pages to blocks other than the erase block when the overhead is greater than a predetermined threshold, before performing the file level secure erase operation.

12. The method recited in claim 11 wherein the select pages includes pages that are potentially subject to being corrupted when the file level secure erase operation is performed.

13. The method recited in claim 11 wherein the select pages includes pages on a same wordline and pages on neighboring wordlines of the target pages.

14. The method recited in claim 11 wherein the select pages are predetermined in accordance with the memory system.

15. The method recited in claim 11 wherein the performing the file level secure erase operation includes performing a double programming operation.

16. The method recited in claim 11 wherein the performing the file level secure erase operation includes performing a page level erase operation.

17. A memory system comprising:

a processor;

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium coupled to the processor, embedding a computer program product including computer instructions, that when executed by the processor, cause the memory system to:

determine an overhead of an erase block where a deleted file resides therein, wherein the overhead includes determining a number of valid pages within a physical block where deleted pages of the deleted file reside;

perform one of a plurality of types of file level secure erase operations on the erase block based on at least the determined overhead, and

mark target pages corresponding to the deleted file as “trimmed” in a logic block address (LBA) table.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 15, 2017
From: SK HYNIX MEMORY SOLUTIONS INC.
To: SK HYNIX INC.
Reel/Frame 044899/0443 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 6, 2017
From: LIN, CHRIS C.
To: SK HYNIX MEMORY SOLUTIONS INC.
Reel/Frame 044148/0151 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62409205 · Oct 17, 2016
Related Publication 20180108419A1 · Apr 19, 2018
Cited By (3)
US 12,321,629 US 12,572,460 US 12,619,530