Patent ID: 8904090
Filing Date: 2014-12-02
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method of manipulating data in a flash memory in a memory device while performing garbage collection of the flash memory, the method comprising the steps of: beginning a garbage collection process on one or more victim blocks of flash memory, the garbage collection process comprising performing one or more garbage collection operations, where each operation copies a set of valid data from the one or more victim blocks to a first free block in the flash memory; beginning a first garbage collection operation; during the first garbage collection operation: after the first garbage collection operation is performed, copying a first set of the program data from the buffer memory to the first free block; and when additional valid data remains in the one or more victim blocks after the copying of the first set of the program data, performing a second garbage collection operation of the garbage collection process, wherein the first set of program data copied to the one or more free blocks includes a quantity of data that corresponds to a write amplification number (“WAF”), the WAF indicating a quantity of program data to be written from the buffer memory to one or more free blocks including the first free block after each garbage collection operation, wherein the WAF is a WAF received from the host and stored in the flash memory.