Sensing scheme for a non-volatile semiconductor memory cell
US7190621B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignees
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 3, 2005 |
| Grant date | Mar 13, 2007 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 24, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11C2211/5645
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method of sensing a state of a non-volatile semiconductor memory cell is provided. A memory cell current as well as a comparative current generated from at least one reference cell are compared with a predefined reference current while the gate voltages of the cells are varied. Sense amplifiers detect which of said currents first reaches the predefined reference current. The order of reaching the reference current is indicative of the state of the memory cell. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the comparative current is generated as an average of an erased reference cell current and a programmed reference cell current.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.