一种基于嵌入式磁旋存储芯片的固态硬盘控制器芯片架构

A SSD controller architecture based on embedded STT-MRAM

传统企业级固态硬盘存储芯片采用外接DRAM(Dynamic Random Access Memory)颗粒的方式来存储闪存地址转换映射表,不仅成本高,占用面积大,还需要设计复杂的掉电保护流程和额外的备电保持电容。利用新型磁旋存储芯片的掉电非易失特性,以及密度高、速度快、功耗低、数据保持时间长、可擦写次数无限等特点,提出了一种基于嵌入式磁旋存储芯片的固态硬盘控制器架构方案,能够大大简化控制器芯片的掉电异常流程和备电设计,节省固态硬盘内部的备电电容成本,有效支撑固态硬盘的容量提升。

Traditional enterprise Solid-State Disk （SSD） memory chip uses external Dynamic-Random-Access-Memory （DRAM） to store the flash address translate layer mapping table （FTL） , this method is high cost, big area occupied, also needs complex power-loss protection flow and extra power backup capacitor. By using new non-volatile memory （NVM） like Spin-Transfer-Torque Magnetic Random Access Memory （STT- MRAM） , it has a lot of benefits suck as non-volatile, high density, high speed, low power, long data retention time and unlimited program/erase cycle, proposed a new SSD controller architecture by using embedded STT-MRAM. This proposal can greatly simplify the controller power-loss protection flow and power backup design, save the power capacitor cost inside SSD, also can support the SSD big capacity requirement.