Patent · US Expired

Non-volatile semiconductor memory

US5828600A · kind A · utility

28Cited by
8References
29Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 30, 1996
Grant dateOct 27, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 30, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH10D30/685
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Each memory cell of a non-volatile semiconductor memory essentially consisting of a one-transistor type memory cell comprising only of an MOSFET having a floating gate electrode. When an electric programming operation is carried out, a positive voltage is applied to an n type drain region, a negative voltage is applied to a control gate and a source region is grounded. When an erasing operation is carried out, the positive voltage is applied to the control gate while all the other electrodes and a semiconductor substrate are grounded. Low power consumption can be accomplished because both of the programming operation and erasing operations are carried out by utilizing a tunneling mechanism. Particularly because the negative voltage is used for the word line, a drain voltage at the time of programming of data can be lowered, so that degradation of a gate oxide film at a channel portion can be mitigated.

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