Method of operating a semiconductor device
US6172905A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 1, 2000 |
| Grant date | Jan 9, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 1, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11C16/3418
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method of operating a semiconductor device that includes a first memory cell with discontinuous storage elements or dots (108) in lieu of a conventional floating gate can be programmed to at least one of three different states. The different states are possible because the read current for the memory cell is different when the dots are programmed near the source region or near the drain region. Embodiments may use two different potentials for power supplies or three different potentials. The two-potential embodiment simplifies the design, whereas the three-potential embodiment has a reduced risk of disturb problems in adjacent unselected memory cells (100B, 100C, and 100D).
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.