Wear-leveling in non-volatile storage systems

Details Wear-leveling in non-volatile storage systems Wear-leveling in non-volatile storage systems

2006-01-10

2006-01-10

Sparks, Donald (Department: 2187)

Electrical computers and digital processing systems: memory

Storage accessing and control

Specific memory composition

C711S005000, C711S006000, C711S154000, C711S170000, C711S173000, C711S202000, C365S185010, C365S185020, C365S185290, C365S185330

Reexamination Certificate

active

06985992

ABSTRACT:
Methods and apparatus for performing wear leveling in a non-volatile memory system are disclosed. According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for allocating non-volatile memory that is divided into elements includes grouping the elements into a first group, a second group, and a third group. The first group includes erased elements with relatively low wear and the second group includes erased elements with relatively high wear. The method also includes determining when a first element included in the third group is to be replaced by a second element included in the first group. Contents of the first element are copied into the second element obtained from the first group. The contents are then erased from the first element, and the second element is associated with the third group. Associating the second element with the third group includes substantially disassociating the second element from the first group.

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