Integrated circuit for storage and retrieval of multiple digital bits per nonvolatile memory cell
US6462986B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 24, 1999 |
| Grant date | Oct 8, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 24, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11C2211/5644
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An integrated circuit storing multiple bits per memory cell is described. The amount of charge stored in a memory cell corresponds the multiple bits in a memory cell. Dual banks of shift registers are alternately coupled to one or more data pins and to the memory cells of the memory array speed data transfer for reading and writing operation. Reading is performed in the voltage mode to conserve power. During writing operations, reading of a memory cell is performed in the voltage mode to determine whether the desired programming of the memory cell has been achieved. During the reading of a memory cell, the voltage corresponding to the amount of charge stored in a memory cell is compared against a binary search sequence of reference voltages to determine the multiple bits stored in the memory cell.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.