IP Library Granted Patent US 11,656,777
Granted Patent B2
US 11,656,777 · App. 17/307,293 · Granted May 23, 2023

Memory system and operating method thereof

Inventors: Young Mi Yoon (Gyeonggi-do, KR); Hyoung Suk Jang (Gyeonggi-do, KR)
Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
G06F3/064G06F3/0619G06F3/0652G06F3/0659G06F3/0679
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,656,777
App. No.
17/307,293
Granted
May 23, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a memory system and an operating method thereof. According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the memory system may repeatedly execute, when entering a low power mode, iterations of a target operation according to a temperature of the memory system until a stop condition is satisfied. In this case, the target operation may be a garbage collection operation for the plurality of memory blocks or a migration operation of moving data stored in a first area including at least one of the plurality of memory blocks to a second area including at least one of the plurality of memory blocks. The operation speed of the memory block included in the first area may be higher than the operation speed of the memory block included in the second area.

Claims (39)

1. A memory system comprising:

a memory device including a plurality of memory blocks; and

a memory controller for communicating with the memory device and controlling the memory device;

wherein the memory controller executes, when entering a low power mode, iterations of a target operation according to a temperature of the memory system until a stop condition is satisfied,

wherein the target operation is a garbage collection operation for the plurality of memory blocks or a migration operation of moving data stored in a first area including at least one of the plurality of memory blocks to a second area including at least one of the plurality of memory blocks, and

wherein the memory controller determines, in each of the iterations, the garbage collection operation as the target operation when a number of free memory blocks among the plurality of memory blocks is less than a threshold number and determines the migration operation as the target operation when the number of free memory blocks among the plurality of memory blocks is greater than or equal to the threshold number.

2. The memory system of claim 1 , wherein an operation speed of the memory block included in the first area is higher than the operation speed of the memory block included in the second area.

3. The memory system of claim 1 , wherein the memory controller executes each of the iterations for a predetermined reference time or less or until a size of data processed by each iteration is less than or equal to a reference size.

4. The memory system of claim 1 , wherein the memory block included in the first area is a memory block including memory cells each storing 1 -bit data, and the memory block included in the second area is a memory block including memory cells each storing 2 bits or more of data.

5. The memory system of claim 1 , wherein the memory controller:

monitors the temperature of the memory system at a start of each of the iterations,

executes each iteration when the temperature of the memory system is less than or equal to a first threshold temperature, and

delays, when the temperature of the memory system exceeds the first threshold temperature, the iterations by a delay time determined according to the temperature of the memory system.

6. The memory system of claim 5 , wherein the memory controller determines a period between the iterations based on the temperature of the memory system.

7. The memory system of claim 5 , wherein the memory controller stops the iterations when the temperature of the memory system is equal to or greater than a second threshold temperature or when a consecutive number of times that the iterations are delayed is equal to or greater than a threshold delay number.

8. The memory system of claim 1 , wherein the memory controller wakes up from the low power mode when the iterations are additionally executable after the iterations are stopped when the stop condition is satisfied.

9. An operating method of the memory system including a memory device with a plurality of memory blocks comprising:

monitoring whether the memory system enters a low power mode; and

executing, when entering the low power mode, iterations of a target operation according to a temperature of the memory system until a stop condition is satisfied,

wherein the target operation is a garbage collection operation for the plurality of memory blocks or a migration operation of moving data stored in a first area including at least one of the plurality of memory blocks to a second area including at least one of the plurality of memory blocks, and

wherein the executing of the iterations includes determining, in each of the iterations, the garbage collection operation as the target operation when a number of free memory blocks among the plurality of memory blocks is less than a threshold number and determining the migration operation as the target operation when the number of free memory blocks among the plurality of memory blocks is greater than or equal to the threshold number.

10. The operating method of claim 9 , wherein an operation speed of the memory block included in the first area is higher than the operation speed of the memory block included in the second area.

11. The operating method of claim 9 , wherein each of the iterations is executed for a predetermined reference time or less or until a size of data processed by each iteration is less than or equal to a reference size.

12. The operating method of claim 9 , wherein the memory block included in the first area is a memory block including a single level cell, and the memory block included in the second area is a memory block including multiple level cells.

13. The operating method of claim 9 , wherein the executing of the iterations of the target operation according to the temperature of the memory system comprises,

monitoring the temperature of the memory system at a start of each of the iterations,

executing each iteration when the temperature of the memory system is less than or equal to a first threshold temperature, and

delaying, when the temperature of the memory system exceeds the first threshold temperature, the iterations by a delay time determined according to the temperature of the memory system.

14. The operating method of claim 13 , further comprising determining a period between the iterations based on the temperature of the memory system.

15. The operating method of claim 13 , wherein the executing of the iterations includes stopping the iterations when the temperature of the memory system is equal to or greater than a second threshold temperature or when a consecutive number of times that the iterations are delayed is equal to or greater than a threshold delay number.

16. The operating method of claim 9 , further comprising waking up from the low power mode when the iterations are additionally executable after the iterations are stopped when the stop condition is satisfied.

17. A memory system comprising:

a memory device including plural memory blocks; and

a controller configured to:

select one of a garbage collection operation and a data migration operation according to a number of free blocks among the memory blocks, and

control the device to perform the selected operation,

wherein the controller is further configured to perform, in a low power mode of the system, a set of the selecting and the controlling according to a temperature of the system

wherein the controller is configured to perform the set within an interval iteratively, and

wherein the controller determines, in each of the interval iterations, the garbage collection operation as a target operation when a number of free memory blocks among the plurality of memory blocks is less than a threshold number and determines the migration operation as the target operation when the number of free memory blocks among the plurality of memory blocks is greater than or equal to the threshold number.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 7, 2024
From: SK HYNIX INC.
To: MIMIRIP LLC
Reel/Frame 067335/0246 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 4, 2021
From: YOON, YOUNG MI; JANG, HYOUNG SUK
To: SK HYNIX INC.
Reel/Frame 056128/0607 →