Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for erasing an array of electrically erasable programmable read only memory cells

US5488586A · kind A · utility

14Cited by
2References
19Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 24, 1994
Grant dateJan 30, 1996
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 24, 2014

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C16/16
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An apparatus and method of erasing memory cells while preventing overerasure of the memory cells is disclosed. By applying a large voltage across the floating gate of the memory cells, charge is removed from the floating gate. Once sufficient charge is removed from the floating gates of the memory cells to render them erased, a stop transistor halts the erasure process, thus preventing the overerasure of memory cells.

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