FlashXE ecosystem supports 3D NAND storage systems
Extensive calibration, error correction recovery, error avoidance and refresh mechanisms are assembled by Hyperstone in its FlashXE ecosystem to maximise reliability of NAND flash-based storage systems.
The company launches its latest X1 low-power SSD controller accompanied by FlashXE eXtended Endurance.
It aims to increase the reliability of flash memory to a point where all storage suppliers feel safe knowing their systems are supported by a Hyperstone controller. The FlashXE collective is available with the X1 flash controller, the X1, which is a low-power SSD controller designed for rugged and industrially demanding NAND flash-based storage solutions.
As the cost of NAND flash memory is reduced, due to higher densities and new technologies like 3D NAND, error correction and complex flash management requirements have increased. The FlashXE ecosystem addresses these issues through features, mechanisms and algorithms to prevent, detect and correct errors.
There is a qualification process which characterises each supported flash type over its lifetime and different operating temperatures. This knowledge is then implemented in the basic flash support of the firmware and delivered with the controller. The next phase, during operation, ensures the controller continuously adjusts the voltage levels of the read-out circuit over the flash’s lifetime. The controller also takes steps to prevent errors such as dynamic data-refresh, near-miss error code correction (ECC) and read disturb management. In the subsequent phase, in which errors occur in spite of precautions, there is a strong error correction in two separate modules, one being based on a Bose–Chaudhuri–Hocquenghem (BCH) -code as well as the new generalised, concatenated code (GCC) with support for soft-decoding.
Hyperstone is a fabless semiconductor company based in Konstanz, Germany, specialising in flash memory controllers for industrial embedded markets.
Hyperstone’s products include microcontrollers for various host interfaces and performance points, e.g. SATA, USB, CF/PATA, SD/microSD and eMMC. Flash controller firmware is supplied as complementary to the controllers and customised for each flash and application.