Patent · US Expired

Method for programming nonvolatile memory cells with program and verify algorithm using a staircase voltage with varying step amplitude

US6788579B2 · kind B2 · utility

71Cited by
12References
33Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 9, 2002
Grant dateSep 7, 2004
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 30, 2022

Classification

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

Abstract

A method for programming a nonvolatile memory cell envisages applying in succession, to the gate terminal of the memory cell, a first and a second programming pulse trains with pulse amplitude increasing in staircase fashion, in which the amplitude increment between one pulse and the next in the first programming pulse train is greater than the amplitude increment between one pulse and the next in the second programming pulse train. The programming method envisages applying, to the gate terminal of the memory cell and before the first programming pulse train, a third programming pulse train with pulse amplitude increasing in staircase fashion, in which the amplitude increment between one pulse and the next may be less than the amplitude increment in the first programming pulse train and substantially equal to the amplitude increment in the second programming pulse train, or else may be greater than the amplitude increment in the first programming pulse train.

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