Patent · US Expired

Auto-stopped page soft-programming method with voltage limited component

US6363013B1 · kind B1 · utility

36Cited by
7References
14Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 29, 2000
Grant dateMar 26, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 29, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C16/12
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Method for soft-programming at least one floating gate memory cell in at least one page of a persistent memory device by converging the low threshold voltages of the several cells of the page within an optimal range, and apparatus implementing the method. The methodology of the present invention teaches connecting the individual drains of the several memory cells of the device of a given page, or block, to a voltage limited constant current circuitry component. The methodology applies a first positive voltage to the word line of the page and a second positive voltage to the common source in a fixed time period to converge the pages low threshold voltage distribution. The methodology is capable of implementation on either the source or drain side of the memory array.

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