Patent ID: 6542405
Filing Date: 2003-04-01
Classification: G11C

Abstract:
A storage device comprising:a controller which carries out an interface with a host system via a host bus, receives instructions from said host system and controls operations to be performed within said storage device; and a non-volatile semiconductor flash memory coupled with said controller; wherein said non-volatile semiconductor flash memory is electrically erasable and electrically programmable and is divided into a plurality of blocks, wherein each of said plurality of blocks of said non-volatile semiconductor flash memory includes a storage data area and a management information area, said storage data area is accompanied with an error correction code for said storage data area and said management information area is accompanied with an error correction code for said management information area, wherein said controller carries out a read operation of said management information area from one block of said plurality of blocks of said non-volatile semiconductor flash memory by using said error correction code for said management information area, said controller judges whether said one block is a usable non-faulty block based on the read operation of said management information area from said one block, and said controller carries out a read operation of said storage data area from said one block of said plurality of blocks of said non-volatile semiconductor flash memory by using said error correction code for said storage data area if it is judged that said one block is a usable non-faulty block.