Patent · US Expired

I.sup.2 L Memory with nonvolatile storage

US4429326A · kind A · utility

7Cited by
12References
17Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 21, 1979
Grant dateJan 31, 1984
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 21, 1999

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH10D84/65
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An I.sup.2 L type nonvolatile memory of this invention has a structure wherein a floating gate is disposed through an insulating film on the surface of a semiconductor layer in the vicinity of a base region of an NPN transistor in an I.sup.2 L. The I.sup.2 L type nonvolatile memory of this invention controls current to flow through the base region of the NPN transistor of the I.sup.2 L, by means of charges to be stored in the floating gate. That is, the collector output current of the NPN transistor of the I.sup.2 L is modulated in dependence on the presence or absence of a channel underneath the floating gate as is generated depending on the presence or absence of charges within the floating gate and the polarity of the charges. As a result, the variation of the base current appears as an output signal at a collector terminal of the NPN transistor of the I.sup.2 L, and data stored in the floating gate can be read out.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.