IP Library Granted Patent US 11,640,259
Granted Patent B2
US 11,640,259 · App. 16/880,772 · Granted May 2, 2023

Use of surplus erase block pairs in super block formation

Inventor: Jeevani Alwala (Karnataka, IN)
Assignee: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
G06F3/0652G06F3/064G06F3/0604G06F3/0673G06F2212/7206
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,640,259
App. No.
16/880,772
Granted
May 2, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

Aspects of a storage device including at least one die and a controller are provided that allow superblock formation using surplus block pairs when bad blocks occur. After the controller forms a superblock including a first block in a first plane of the die and a second block in a second plane of the die, the controller identifies the first block as a bad block and switches the second block into a surplus state (or vice-versa). The controller then forms a new superblock from blocks in a spare pool. When the number of blocks is equal to a superblock threshold, the controller attempts to pair the surplus block with another surplus block from the opposite plane according to a die sequence. If the attempt to pair is successful, the controller adds the pair to the spare pool; otherwise, the surplus block is not added to the spare pool.

Claims (39)

1. A storage device, comprising:

a die comprising a first plane and a second plane, wherein the first plane includes a first erase block and wherein the second plane includes a second erase block; and

a controller coupled to the die and configured to:

form a superblock including the first erase block and the second erase block,

identify a die sequence to scan the die and one or more additional dies for pairs of erase blocks in a surplus state in an order indicated by the die sequence,

identify the first erase block as a bad block,

switch the second erase block into the surplus state,

attempt to pair the second erase block of the second plane in the surplus state with another erase block of the first plane in the surplus state based on the die sequence to generate a pair of surplus erase blocks from different planes, and

if the attempt to pair is successful, add the pair of surplus erase blocks to a spare pool, wherein the second erase block is not added to the spare pool if the attempt to pair is not successful.

2. The storage device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to un-form the superblock after identifying the first erase block as the bad block, to form a new superblock including erase blocks from the die in the spare pool, and to attempt to pair the second erase block with the another erase block when a number of erase blocks in the new superblock is equal to a superblock threshold, wherein the controller is further configured to exclude, in superblocks formed using the spare pool, good blocks in only the first plane or in only the second plane of the die, and to exclude blocks in the surplus state deemed unusable for superblock formation from future pairing attempts.

3. The storage device of claim 1 , further comprising the one or more additional dies, wherein the die sequence is based on a first plane count including a first number of single plane bad blocks in the first plane and a second plane count including a second number of single plane bad blocks in the second plane.

4. The storage device of claim 3 , wherein the controller is further configured to update the first plane count when the bad block is identified from the first erase block.

5. The storage device of claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to exclude the die from the die sequence based on the first plane count and the second plane count.

6. The storage device of claim 1 , further comprising the one or more additional dies, wherein the die sequence is based on an erase block count for the die in the spare pool.

7. The storage device of claim 1 , further comprising the one or more additional dies, wherein the die sequence is based on a bad block count for the die.

8. The storage device of claim 1 , further comprising the one or more additional dies, wherein the die sequence is based on a first plane count including a first number of single plane bad blocks in the first plane, a second plane count including a second number of single plane bad blocks in the second plane, an erase block count for the die in the spare pool, and a bad block count for the die.

9. A storage device, comprising:

a die comprising a first plane and a second plane, wherein the first plane includes a first erase block and wherein the second plane includes a second erase block; and

a controller configured to form a superblock including the first erase block and the second erase block, to identify a die sequence to scan the die and one or more additional dies for pairs of erase blocks in a surplus state in an order indicated by the die sequence, to identify the second erase block as a bad block, and to form a new superblock including erase blocks from the die in a spare pool after identifying the second erase block as the bad block,

wherein the controller is further configured to switch the first erase block into a surplus state, to attempt to pair the first erase block of the first plane in the surplus state with another erase block of the second plane in the surplus state based on the die sequence to generate a pair of surplus erase blocks from different planes, and if the attempt to pair is successful, to add the pair of surplus erase blocks to the spare pool, wherein the first erase block is not added to the spare pool if the attempt to pair is not successful,

wherein the controller is configured to attempt to pair the first erase block with the another erase block when a number of erase blocks in the new superblock is equal to a superblock threshold,

wherein the controller is further configured to exclude, in superblocks formed using the spare pool, good blocks in only the first plane or in only the second plane of the die, and to exclude blocks in the surplus state deemed unusable for superblock formation from future pairing attempts.

10. The storage device of claim 9 , further comprising the one or more additional dies, wherein the die sequence is based on a first plane count including a first number of single plane bad blocks in the first plane and a second plane count including a second number of single plane bad blocks in the second plane.

11. The storage device of claim 10 , wherein the controller is further configured to update the second plane count when the bad block is identified from the second erase block.

12. The storage device of claim 10 , wherein the controller is configured to exclude the die from the die sequence based on the first plane count and the second plane count.

13. The storage device of claim 9 , further comprising the one or more additional dies, wherein the die sequence is based on an erase block count for the die in the spare pool.

14. The storage device of claim 9 , further comprising the or more additional dies, wherein the die sequence is based on a bad block count for the die.

15. The storage device of claim 9 , further comprising the one or more additional dies, wherein the die sequence is based on a first plane count including a first number of single plane bad blocks in the first plane, a second plane count including a second number of single plane bad blocks in the second plane, an erase block count for the die in the spare pool, and a bad block count for the die.

16. A storage device, comprising:

a die comprising a first plane and a second plane, wherein the first plane includes a first erase block and the second plane includes a second erase block;

one or more additional dies; and

a controller configured to form a superblock including the first erase block and the second erase block, and to identify the second erase block as a bad block;

wherein the controller is further configured to switch the first erase block into a surplus state, to attempt to pair the first erase block of the first plane in the surplus state with another erase block of the second plane in the surplus state to generate a pair of surplus erase blocks from different planes, and if the attempt to pair is successful, to add the pair of surplus erase blocks to a spare pool, wherein the first erase block is not added to the spare pool if the attempt to pair is not successful,

wherein the controller is configured to attempt to pair the first erase block with the another erase block according to a die sequence, wherein the die sequence is based on a first plane count including a first number of single plane bad blocks in the first plane, a second plane count including a second number of single plane bad blocks in the second plane, an erase block count for the die in the spare pool, and a bad block count for the die,

wherein the controller is further configured to exclude, in superblocks formed using the spare pool, good blocks in only the first plane or in only the second plane of the die, and good blocks in only a single plane of each of the one or more additional dies, and to exclude blocks in the surplus state deemed unusable for superblock formation from future pairing attempts.

17. The storage device of claim 16 , wherein the controller is configured to form a new superblock including erase blocks from the die and from the one or more additional dies in the spare pool after identifying the second erase block as the bad block, and to attempt to pair the first erase block with the another erase block when a number of erase blocks in the new superblock is equal to a superblock threshold.

18. The storage device of claim 16 , wherein the controller is further configured to update the second plane count when the bad block is identified from the second erase block.

19. The storage device of claim 16 , wherein the controller is further configured to update one of the first plane count or the second plane count when another bad block is identified from a new superblock.

20. The storage device of claim 16 , wherein the controller is configured to exclude the die from the die sequence based on the first plane count and the second plane count.

Assignments (10)
PARTIAL RELEASE OF SECURITY INTERESTS Recorded Apr 25, 2025
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS AGENT
To: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 071382/0001 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 25, 2025
From: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 071050/0001 →
PATENT COLLATERAL AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 23, 2024
From: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS THE AGENT
Reel/Frame 068762/0494 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jun 27, 2024
From: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 067982/0032 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 29, 2024
From: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 067567/0682 →
PATENT COLLATERAL AGREEMENT - DDTL LOAN AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 21, 2023
From: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 067045/0156 →
PATENT COLLATERAL AGREEMENT - A&R LOAN AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 21, 2023
From: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 064715/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL 053926 FRAME 0446 Recorded Feb 8, 2022
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
To: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 058966/0321 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 29, 2020
From: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS AGENT
Reel/Frame 053926/0446 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 8, 2020
From: ALWALA, JEEVANI
To: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 052864/0392 →