Storage device and operating method of storage device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9880781-B2
Application number	US-201615017984-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 8, 2016
Priority date	Apr 14, 2015
Publication date	Jan 30, 2018
Grant date	Jan 30, 2018

Abstract

A storage device is provided which includes a nonvolatile memory and a temperature sensor. The temperature sensor is configured to detect a temperature of the storage device. The temperature sensor is configured to output temperature information. The storage device includes a memory controller. The memory controller is configured to access the nonvolatile memory in response to a request of an external host device. The memory controller is configured to obtain the temperature information from the temperature sensor according to a first period in a first mode. The temperature sensor is configured to obtain the temperature information from the temperature sensor according to a second period in a second mode. The second period is shorter than the first period.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A storage device comprising:
a plurality of nonvolatile memory devices;
a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the storage device to output temperature information; and
a memory controller configured to access at least one of the nonvolatile memory devices in response to a request from an external host device, wherein the memory controller is configured to obtain the temperature information from the temperature sensor with a first period in a first mode, and to obtain the temperature information from the temperature sensor with a second period in a second mode, and wherein the second period is shorter than the first period,
wherein in the first mode, the first operating speed is a fixed operating speed,
wherein in the second mode, the memory controller is configured to operate at a second operating speed, wherein the second operating speed is variable according to the temperature information and the second operating speed is lower than the first operating speed,
wherein in a third mode, the memory controller is configured to operate at a third operating speed, and wherein the third operating speed is fixed and the third operating speed is lower than the second operating speed.

2. The storage device of claim 1 , wherein the memory controller is configured to operate at a first operating speed in the first mode and to operate at a second operating speed, lower than the first operating speed, in the second mode.

3. The storage device of claim 1 , wherein the memory controller is configured to operate in the first mode when the temperature information indicates a temperature lower than a first temperature,
wherein the memory controller is configured to operate in the second mode when the temperature information indicates a temperature higher than or equal to the first temperature and lower than a second temperature higher than the first temperature, and
wherein the memory controller is configured to operate in a third mode when the temperature information indicates a temperature higher than or equal to the second temperature.

4. The storage device of claim 1 , wherein in the first mode, the first period is a fixed time period,
wherein in the second mode, the second period is a variable time period, and
wherein in a third mode, the memory controller is configured to obtain the temperature information from the temperature sensor according to a third period, wherein the third period is a fixed time period.

5. The storage device of claim 1 , wherein in the second mode, the memory controller is configured to adjust the second period based on the temperature information.

6. The storage device of claim 1 , wherein in the second mode, the memory controller is configured to decrease the second period as a temperature corresponding to the temperature information increases and to increase the second period as the temperature corresponding to the temperature information decreases.

7. The storage device of claim 1 , wherein in the second mode, the memory controller is configured to adjust an operating speed of the memory controller based on the temperature information.

8. The storage device of claim 1 , wherein in the second mode, the memory controller is configured to decrease an operating speed of the memory controller as a temperature corresponding to the temperature information increases and to increase the operating speed of the memory controller as the temperature corresponding to the temperature information decreases.

9. The storage device of claim 1 , wherein in the second mode, the memory controller is configured to calculate a difference between a previously detected temperature and a currently detected temperature and to adjust at least one of the second period or an operating speed of the memory controller based on the calculated difference.

10. The storage device of claim 1 , wherein in the second mode, the memory controller is configured to increase or decrease at least one of the second period or an operating speed of the memory controller in a binary search algorithm, based on whether a temperature corresponding to the temperature information increases or decreases.

11. The storage device of claim 1 , wherein in the second mode, the memory controller is configured to adjust an operating speed of the memory controller based on the temperature information to maintain a temperature corresponding to the temperature information.

12. The storage device of claim 1 , wherein the nonvolatile memory comprises cell strings arranged on a substrate, and wherein each of the cell string includes at least one selection transistor and memory cells stacked in a direction perpendicular to the substrate.

13. The storage device of claim 12 , wherein the at least one selection transistor and the memory cells are charge trap type transistors.

14. A solid state drive comprising:
a plurality of nonvolatile memory devices;
a random access memory;
a temperature sensor, wherein the temperature sensor is configured to detect a temperature of the solid state drive, and wherein the temperature sensor is configured to output temperature information and store temperature information in the random access memory; and
a memory controller comprising a temperature manager, wherein the temperature manager is configured to obtain the temperature information from the temperature sensor with a first period in a first mode, wherein the temperature controller is configured to obtain the temperature information from the temperature sensor with a second period in a second mode, and wherein the second period is shorter than the first period,
wherein in the first mode, the first operating speed is a fixed operating speed,
wherein in the second mode, the memory controller is configured to operate at a second operating speed which is slower than the first operation speed and decrease the second operating speed of the memory controller as a temperature corresponding to the temperature information increases and to increase the second operating speed of the memory controller as the temperature corresponding to the temperature information decreases, and
wherein in third mode, the memory controller is configured to operate at a third operating speed which is fixed and the third operating speed is lower than the second operating speed.

15. The storage device of claim 14 , wherein the memory controller is configured to operate in the first mode when the temperature information indicates a temperature lower than a first temperature,
wherein the memory controller is configured to operate in the second mode when the temperature information indicates a temperature higher than or equal to the first temperature and lower than a second temperature higher than the first temperature, and
wherein the memory controller is configured to operate in the third mode when the temperature information indicates a temperature higher than or equal to the second temperature.

16. The storage device of claim 14 , wherein in the first mode, the first period is a fixed time period,
wherein in the second mode, the second period is a variable time period, and
wherein in the third mode, the temperature manager is configured to obtain the temperature information from the temperature sensor according to a third period, wherein the third period is a fixed time period.

17. The storage device of claim 14 , wherein in the second mode, the memory controller is configured to adjust the second period based on the temperature information.

18. An operating method of a memory controller configu

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• OH Yonggeun
• Kim Dae-Ho
• Lee Chul-Woo
• Han Gyucheol

Classifications

• G11C7/04 Primary

  with means for avoiding disturbances due to temperature effects · CPC title

• G06F3/0653 Primary

  Monitoring storage devices or systems · CPC title

• G06F3/0679

  Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP] · CPC title

• G11C7/1045

  Read-write mode select circuits · CPC title

• G11C16/0483

  comprising cells having several storage transistors connected in series · CPC title