Microsoft Corporation
SOLID-STATE DRIVE (SSD) WITH A STORAGE CONTROLLER EMPLOYING DIFFERENTIAL TWO-WIRE SERIAL BUSES TO ACCESS FLASH MEMORY

Abstract:

A solid-state drive (SSD) includes a storage control circuit coupled to each FLASH memory in the SSD via a differential two-wire transmit bus and a differential two-wire return bus. The storage control circuit receives memory instructions from a processing system, determines a corresponding FLASH instruction, generates a transmit packet including the determined FLASH instruction, and serially transmits the generated transmit packet including the FLASH instruction to a FLASH memory via the transmit bus. A FLASH memory serially transmits return packets to the storage control circuit via the return bus. A return packet may be sent in response to a transmit packet, and include a response indicating whether a transmit packet was successfully received. The return packet may include data that was requested by a FLASH instruction. The return packet from the FLASH memory may not be in response to a transmit packet or FLASH instruction.