Configuring and reconfiguring blocks of memory cells to store user data and ECC data

摘要

A memory device has a plurality of individually erasable blocks of memory cells and a controller configured to configure a first block of memory cells in a first configuration comprising one or more groups of overhead data memory cells, and to configure a second block of memory cells in a second configuration comprising one or more groups of user data memory cells and at least one group of overhead data memory cells. The first configuration is different than the second configuration. At least one group of overhead data memory cells of the second block of memory cells comprises a different storage capacity than at least one group of overhead data memory cells of the first block of memory cells.

主权项

1. A memory device, comprising:
a plurality of individually erasable blocks of memory cells; and a controller configured to configure a first block of the plurality of individually erasable blocks of memory cells in a first configuration comprising one or more groups of overhead data memory cells, and to configure a second block of the plurality of individually erasable blocks of memory cells in a second configuration comprising one or more groups of user data memory cells to store first user data and at least one group of overhead data memory cells to store a first portion of ECC data that is specific to the first user data, wherein at least one group of the overhead data memory cells of the one or more groups of overhead data memory cells of the first block of the plurality of individually erasable blocks of memory cells is to store a second portion of the ECC data that is specific to the first user data, wherein the first and second portions of the ECC data that is specific to the first user data comprises all ECC data that is specific to the first user data; wherein the first configuration is different than the second configuration; wherein the at least one group of overhead data memory cells of the second block of the plurality of individually erasable blocks of memory cells comprises a different storage capacity than the at least one group of overhead data memory cells of the one or more groups of overhead data memory cells of the first block of the plurality of individually erasable blocks of memory cells; wherein the controller being configured to configure the second block of the plurality of individually erasable blocks of memory cells in the second configuration comprises the controller being configured to reconfigure the second block of the plurality of individually erasable blocks of memory cells to the second configuration from a third configuration comprising the one or more groups of user data memory cells of the second configuration and the at least one group of overhead data memory cells of the second configuration to store second user data; and wherein the controller being configured to configure the first block of the plurality of individually erasable blocks of memory cells in the first configuration comprises the controller being configured to reconfigure the first block to the first configuration from a fourth configuration comprising a group of overhead data memory cells to store all ECC data specific to the second user data.