Apparatus and method for managing bad blocks in a flash memory
US7009896B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 5, 2004 |
| Grant date | Mar 7, 2006 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 26, 2024 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11C29/82
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and an apparatus for managing bad blocks generated while a flash memory is being used. A method for managing a bad block in a flash memory includes (a) allocating a used area having a plurality of used blocks and a spare area having a plurality of spare blocks in the flash memory, and providing a block map page group including a plurality of block map pages in which mapping information to map a bad block generated in either of the used area or the spare block to a spare block, (b) having mapping information of the block map page reside among the block map page groups in the memory, and (c) mapping the bad block generated during a flash operation to an unused spare block found through the mapping information, updating the mapping information, and recording the updated mapping information on the block map page.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.