Patent · US Expired

Semiconductor memory

US6819590B2 · kind B2 · utility

30Cited by
4References
54Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 27, 2002
Grant dateNov 16, 2004
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 28, 2022

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C16/0491
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Each of a plurality of memory elements of a semiconductor memory includes at least one control terminal which switches the ON state and OFF state of the current path between the current terminals, and an information storage portion interposed between the current path and the control terminal to provide a threshold voltage. This information storage portion selectively stores electrically erasable and programmable discrete N-valued (N is an integer of 2 or more) data. As the threshold voltage, the information storage portion provides first to Nth threshold voltages which are discrete in ascending order of voltage in correspondence with the N-valued data. All the first to Nth threshold voltages of the plurality of memory elements are higher than the lower one of voltages applied to the current terminals in data read.

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