Patent · US Expired

Circuital structure for programming data in a non-volatile memory device

US6507517B2 · kind B2 · utility

7Cited by
10References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 30, 2001
Grant dateJan 14, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 30, 2021

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C2211/5634
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A circuit structure for programming data in reference cells of an electrically programmable/erasable integrated non-volatile memory device includes a matrix of multi-level memory cells and a corresponding reference cell provided for comparison with a respective memory cell during the read phase. The reference cell is incorporated, along with other cells of the same type, in a reference cell sub-matrix which is structurally independent of the memory cell matrix and directly accessed from outside in the DMA mode. The bit lines of the sub-matrix branch off to a series of switches which are individually operated by respective control signals REF(i) issued from a logic circuit with the purpose of selectively connecting the bit lines to a single external I/O terminal through a single addressing line of the access DMA mode.

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