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Implementing MLC NAND Flash for Cost-Effective, High-Capacity Memory 

91-SR-014-02-8L 

Overcoming MLC Limitations  

Because MLC technology can potentially bring the industry breakthrough cost and size benefits for 
local data and code storage, M-Systems chose to take on the challenge of perfecting it by providing 
solutions to overcome MLC reliability, performance and flash management limitations. 
x2 technology, customized by M-Systems specifically to meet this challenge, is a combination of 
algorithms, performance-enhancing innovations and flash management capabilities. Developed in 
cooperation with Toshiba, x2 technology is integrated seamlessly into the different modules of M-
Systems’ Mobile DiskOnChip G3 architecture and fully compatible with its TrueFFS technology for 
flash management. x2 technology includes reliability and performance improvements integrated into 
TrueFFS, the thin controller and the flash media itself, as shown in Figure 3. x2 technology cleverly 
balances software and hardware to keep reliability and performance at their peek while maintaining 
MLC cost and size benefits.    

 

Figure 3: x2 Technology: Seamless Integration into M-Systems’ Mobile DiskOnChip G3 

Summary of Contents for Flash Memory

Page 1: ...White Paper Implementing MLC NAND Flash for Cost Effective High Capacity Memory Written by Raz Dan and Rochelle Singer JANUARY 2003 91 SR 014 02 8L REV 1 0...

Page 2: ...ther connected devices offer users more and more functionality and personalization options the storage requirements of these devices have become substantially greater For example 2 5G terminals now in...

Page 3: ...ir MLC NAND technology implements reliability performance and media management enhancements to perfect MLC NAND without the need for a full scale controller e g ATA or SCSI The combination of MLC NAND...

Page 4: ...ranges for VTh instead of just two The first implementation of MLC uses four voltage levels see Figure 2 Each state is mapped to one of four combinations of two bits Therefore the cell can store two b...

Page 5: ...impact on data reliability Detecting the voltage levels in an MLC flash cell is a more precise and complex task than in a Binary flash cell subject to a higher probability of error that can affect da...

Page 6: ...a page and erasing a flash unit Especially for write operations raw flash comparisons indicate that MLC performance is only 25 percent that of Binary flash But many factors other than raw flash speed...

Page 7: ...iles as compared with 172KBytes per second for MLC Note that the number of sectors per unit for MLC is twice the corresponding number for Binary flash When these figures are translated into percentage...

Page 8: ...algorithms performance enhancing innovations and flash management capabilities Developed in cooperation with Toshiba x2 technology is integrated seamlessly into the different modules of M Systems Mob...

Page 9: ...amlessly into M Systems TrueFFS It maps each virtual unit into a chain of physical units much in the same way that translation layers for Binary flash operate However unlike traditional translation la...

Page 10: ...re capable of correcting up to 4 errors per page using two industry standard error codes an extended Hamming code and a BCH Bose Chaudhuri and Hocquenghem code The Hamming code can detect 2 errors per...

Page 11: ...dia Without this capability a bad block in one plane would cause a good block in the second plane to be tagged as a bad block making it unusable This customized method of bad block handling for two pl...

Page 12: ...32 bit Transfer Data transfer from Flash Planes to FIFO Flash_OE Internal data transfers 16 bit Transfer 16 bit Transfer 16 bit Transfer 16 bit Transfer DiskOnChip_OE Data transfer from FIFO to Host...

Page 13: ...despite the additional benefits of MLC and x2 technology Summary The major improvements in flash NAND devices brought about by MLC technology are much smaller size per bit and consequently a greatly...

Page 14: ...nge without prior notice M Systems Flash Disk Pioneers Ltd assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this document No part of this document may be reproduced transmitted transcribed...

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