Design issues for use of flash memory devices in solid state recorders

Abstract

Summary form only given. Solid State Recorders (SSR) form a rapidly growing class of memory systems. Applications range from small (Tb) units capturing airborne reconnaissance data with rates approaching 1 Gb/s. A near universal requirement for SSRs is to be capable of nonvolatile data storage, with retentivity ranging from hours upward. Flash memory technology offers an attractive approach to designing SSRs. While inherently nonvolatile, having high (32 Mb and growing) bit density and wide availability as COTS parts, flash has two major limitations: endurance and slow write speed. These two attributes are barriers to meeting requirements of high performance SSRs. This paper reviews characteristics of flash technology as applied to SSR applications, discusses trade-offs and design techniques for overcoming their limitations and offers some examples of SSR performance presently attainable with COTS flash devices.