A storage system has a memory with a multi-level cell (MLC) block and a partially-bad single-level cell (SLC) block. The storage system repurposes the partially-bad SLC block as a non-volatile read cache for data stored in the MLC block (e.g., cold data that is read relatively frequently) to improve performance of host reads. Because the original version of the data is still stored in the MLC block, the original version of the data can be read if there is an error in the copy of the data stored in the partially-bad SLC block, thus avoiding the need for extensive error-correction handling to account for the poor reliability of the partially-bad SLC block.

A method for operating a memory includes determining to perform an error correction operation; determining whether to perform an error correction operation; generating an internal address when the error correction operation is performed; reading data from memory cells that are selected based on the internal address and an error correction code corresponding to the data; performing an error correction operation on the data based on the error correction code to produce an error-corrected data; writing the error-corrected data and an error correction code corresponding to the error-corrected data into the memory cells; determining one or more regions among regions in the memory as a repair-requiring region based on an error detected when the error correction operation is performed; receiving a first command; backing up the data and the error correction code into a redundant region in response to the first command; and repairing the repair-requiring region with the redundant region.

An apparatus is provided which comprises at least one processor, at least one memory including computer program code, and the at least one processor, with the at least one memory and the computer program code, being arranged to cause the apparatus to at least perform generating a code block including information bits and parity bits, the parity bits being generated by performing a cyclic redundancy check on the information bits, determining the number of parity bits used in generating the code block based on an applied linear error correcting code base graph and/or based on the number of the information bits, and encoding the code block by using the applied linear error correcting code base graph.

Embodiments combine error correction code (ECC) and transparent memory built-in self-test (TMBIST) for memory fault detection and correction. An ECC encoder receives input data and provides ECC data for data words stored in memory. Input XOR circuits receive the input data and output XOR'ed data as payload data for the data words. Output XOR circuits receive the payload data and output XOR'ed data. An ECC decoder receives the ECC data and the XOR'ed output data and generates error messages. Either test data from a controller running a TMBIST process or application data from a processor executing an application is selected as the input data. Either test address/control signals from the controller or application address/control signals from the processor are selected for memory access. During active operation of the application, memory access is provided to the processor and the controller, and the memory is tested during the active operation.

A storage system caches logical-to-physical address table entries read in volatile memory. The logical-to-physical address table entries are stored in codewords. The storage system can vary a number or size of an entry in a codeword. Additionally or alternatively, each codeword can store both complete and partial logical-to-physical address table entries. In one example, a codeword having 62 bytes of data and two bytes of error correction code stores 15 complete logical-to-physical address table entries and one partial logical-to-physical address table entry, where the remainder of the partial entry is stored in another codeword. This configuration strikes a good balance between storage space efficiency and random-access write performance.

A storage apparatus includes an interface and storage circuitry. The interface communicates with a plurality of memory cells, and an individual one of the plurality of memory cells stores data in multiple programming levels. The storage circuitry configured to program data to a first group of multiple memory cells in a number of programming levels larger than two, using a One-Pass Programming (OPP) scheme that results in a first readout reliability level. After programming the data, the storage circuitry is further configured to read the data from the first group, and program the data read from the first group to a second group of the memory cells, in a number of programming levels larger than two, using a Multi-Pass Programming (MPP) scheme that results in a second readout reliability higher than the first reliability level, and reading the data from the second group of the memory cells.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a memory system and an operating method of the memory system. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, when updating a target firmware, a memory system may receive, from a host, a temporary firmware for increasing the size of a buffer from a preset first size to a second size equal to or greater than the size of the target firmware, may load and execute the temporary firmware into a processor, may receive the target firmware from the host and write the target firmware to the buffer, and may write the target firmware to the memory device.

A method for the secured storing of a data element in an external memory, which is connected to a microcontroller via an interface module, which is configured to calculate memory addresses for data to be stored and for error correction values. The method includes receiving the data element to be stored by the interface module, a calculation by the interface module of a memory address in the external memory for the data element to be stored, and a writing, starting at the memory address, of the data element and of the error correction value via the interface module into the external memory, the error correction value immediately following the data element being written and the writing taking place within one addressing phase. A corresponding interface module, a corresponding microcontroller, and a corresponding control unit are also described.

Systems and methods for storing data are described. A system can comprise a controller, one or more physical non-volatile memory devices, a bus comprising a plurality of input/output (I/O) lines. The controller configured to receive data, encode the received data into a codeword, and transfer, in parallel, different portions of the codeword to different physical non-volatile memory devices among the plurality of physical non-volatile memory devices.

A method of correcting errors in a memory array. The method includes configuring a first memory array with a first error correction code (ECC) to provide error correction of data stored in the first memory array, configuring a second memory array with a second ECC to provide error correction of the data stored in the first memory array, performing a reflow process on the first and second memory array, and correcting data stored in the first memory array based on at least the first ECC or the second ECC. The first memory array includes a first set of memory cells arranged in rows and columns. The second memory array includes a second set of memory cells arranged in rows and columns.