Patent · US Expired

Semiconductor device

US6466482B2 · kind B2 · utility

22Cited by
7References
30Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 9, 2001
Grant dateOct 15, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 9, 2021

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C2216/10
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A semiconductor integrated circuit includes non-volatile memory elements (PM1, PM2), each of which has a first source electrode, a first drain electrode, a floating gate electrode and a control gate electrode and is capable of having different threshold voltages, and read transistor elements (DM1, DM2), each of which has a second source electrode and a second drain electrode and is capable of having different mutual conductances according to the threshold voltage of the non-volatile memory element. The read transistor element has a switching state according to the electron injection state or the electron emission state, in other words, the writing state or the erasing state of the floating gate electrode. In a read operation, it is not necessary to cause a channel current to flow according to the threshold voltage of the non-volatile memory element.

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