A hybrid flash translation layer design for SLC–MLC flash memory based multibank solid state disk

Abstract

This paper presents the design of a NAND flash based solid state disk (SSD), which can support various storage access patterns commonly observed in a PC environment. It is based on a hybrid model of high-performance SLC (single-level cell) NAND and low cost MLC (multi-level cell) NAND flash memories. Typically, SLC NAND has a higher transfer rate and greater cell endurance than MLC NAND flash memory. MLC NAND, on the other hand, benefits from lower price and higher capacity. In order to achieve higher performance than traditional SSDs, an interleaving technique that places NAND flash chips in parallel is essential. However, using the traditional FTL (flash translation layer) on an SSD with only MLC NAND chips is inefficient because the size of a logical block becomes large as the mapping address unit grows. In this paper, we proposed a HFTL (hybrid flash translation layer) which makes use of chained-blocks, combining SLC NAND and MLC NAND flash memories in parallel. Experimental results show that for most of the traces studied, the HFTL in an SSD configuration composed of 80% MLC NAND and 20% SLC NAND memories can improve performance compared to other solid state disk configurations, composed of either SLC NAND or MLC NAND flash memory alone.