Advanced Micro Devices Corporation

Spansion Llc.

Fasl LLC

Other

Cypress Semiconductor Corporation

Darlene G Hamilton

Kulachet Tanpairoj

Mark W Randolph

Yi He

Edward Hsia

Fatima Bathul

Zhizheng Liu

Binh Quang Le

Edward Franklin Runnion

Narbeh Derhacobian

Sung-Yong Chung

Mimi Lee

Alykhan Madhani

Ming Sang Kwan

Nancy S Leong

Guowei Wang

Xuguang Alan Wang

Ken Cheong Cheah

Sung-Chul Lee

Kazuhiro Kurihara

Pau-Ling Chen

Ravi S Sunkavalli

Edward V Bautista, Jr

Ed Hsia

Yugi Mizuguchi

Michael Allen Van Buskirk

Wei Zheng

Yider Wu

Ming-Huei Shieh

Weng Fook Lee

Len Toyoshiba

Eric M Ajimine

Ou Li

Masato Horiike

Colin Stewart Bill

Eugen Gershon

Gulzar Ahmed Kathawala

Janet S Y Wang

Pauling Chen

Michael K Han

Roni Kornitz

Ken Tanpairoj

Guy Hadas

Kenneth Yu

Pua-Ling Chen

Kazuhiro Kuribara

Hagop A Nazarian

Mark T Ramsbey

Nian Niles Yang

Sameer S Haddad

Yu Nan Sun

Feng Q Pan

Kuo-Tung Chang

Johnny C Chen

Lee Edward Cleveland

Hidehiko Shiraiwa

Tien-Chun Yang

Timothy J Thurgate

Aaron Lee

Hsingya Arthur Wang

Xin Sheng Guo

Ashot Melik-Martirosian

Amol Ramesh Joshi

Jean Yee-Mei Yang

Satoshi Torii

Tiao-Hua Kuo

Michael Achter

Michael A VanBuskirk

Shigekazu Yamada

David Michael Rogers

Michael Van Buskirk

Kendra Nguyen

Tim Thurgate

Michael David Fliesler

Jein-Chen Young

Santosh K Yachareni

Nga-Ching Wong

Sachit Chandra

Boon Tang Teh

Joseph Kucera

Azrul Halim

Jose H Hernandez

Keith H Wong

Roger Tsao

Don Carlos Darling

Janet Sy Wang

Kulachet Kt Tanpairoj

Yuji Mizuguchi

Phuong K Banh

Yanxia (Emma) Lin

Xianmin Yi

Yanxiang Liu

Issac H Yamasaki

Ron Kornitz

Nancy Leong

Johnny Chen

Eric Ajimine

Providing for extended data retention of flash memory devices by program state rewrite is disclosed herein. By way of example, a memory cell or group of memory cells can be evaluated to determine a program state of the cell(s). If the cell(s) is in a program state, as opposed to a natural or non-programmed state, a charge level, voltage level and/or the like can be rewritten to a default level associated with the program state, without erasing the cell(s) first. Accordingly, conventional mechanisms for refreshing cell program state that require rewriting and erasing, typically degrading storage capacity of the memory cell, can be avoided. As a result, data stored in flash memory can be refreshed in a manner that mitigates loss of memory integrity, providing substantial benefits over conventional mechanisms that can degrade memory integrity at a relatively high rate.

Extending flash memory data retension via rewrite refresh

A system and methodology that can minimize disturbance during an AC operation associated with a memory, such as, program, read and/or erase, is provided. The system pre-charges all or a desired subset of the bit lines in a memory array to a specified voltage, during an AC operation to facilitate reducing AC disturbances between neighboring cells. A pre-charge voltage can be applied to all bit lines in a block in the memory array, or to bit lines associated with a selected memory cell and neighbor memory cells adjacent to the selected memory cell in the block. The system ensures that source and drain voltage levels can be set to desired levels at the same or substantially the same time, while selecting a memory cell. This can facilitate minimizing AC disturbances in the selected memory cell during the AC operation.

Controlling AC disturbance while programming

Systems, methods, and devices that employ moving program verify levels to facilitate programming data to memory elements in a memory component are presented. A program component can employs a specified number of program verify (PV) levels where a first program pulse is applied to a selected group of memory elements to facilitate verifying the cells to pass the first PV level. The PV level can be moved to a next PV level that is a higher charge level than or equal to the first PV level, and a subset of the group of cells that are below the next PV level are selected and a next program pulse is applied to the subset of cells to facilitate verifying the cells to pass the next PV level. The moving PV level process can continue until the group of memory elements is verified to pass the target PV level.

Moving program verify level for programming of memory

Systems, methods, and devices that facilitate applying a predefined negative gate voltage to wordlines adjacent to a selected wordline associated with a memory cell selected during a read or verify operation to facilitate reducing adjacent wordline disturb are presented. A memory component can comprise an optimized operation component that can apply a predefined negative gate voltage to wordlines adjacent to a selected wordline associated with a memory cell selected for a read or verify operation, based at least in part on predefined operation criteria, to facilitate reducing adjacent wordline disturb in the selected memory cell to facilitate reducing a shift in the voltage threshold and maintain a desired operation window. The optimized operation component optionally can include an evaluator component that can facilitate determining whether a negative gate voltage applied to adjacent wordlines is to be adjusted to facilitate reducing adjacent wordline disturb below a predetermined threshold amount.

Applying negative gate voltage to wordlines adjacent to wordline associated with read or verify to reduce adjacent wordline disturb

Systems, methods, and devices that employ deterministic programming techniques to facilitate efficient programming of memory elements in a memory are presented. A memory component comprises an optimized program component that can divide a group of memory elements selected for programming into a desired number of subgroups based in part on respective current threshold voltage levels (Vt) of the memory elements; apply respective program pulses to each memory element in respective subgroups; measure respective Vt levels of memory elements after the pulse; and verify as passed memory elements that meet a target Vt. The optimized program component can divide a subset of memory elements that do not meet the target Vt into a desired number of subgroups based in part on respective current Vt levels of the memory elements and can continue to perform this deterministic programming process until all memory elements are verified as passing for the target Vt.

Deterministic-based programming in memory

Systems, methods, and devices that facilitate multi-phase programming of data in a memory component are presented. Received data is programmed to a memory using multiple programming phases based on a predefined program pattern. A program learn is performed by varying drain voltages, as desired, to facilitate determining respective drain voltages related to specified subgroups associated with respective data levels for a first programming phase. A first programming phase is performed using learned drain voltages as initial drain voltages where drain voltage levels are varied during each program pulse to facilitate programming memory cells to respective intrinsic verify voltage levels based on respective data levels. A second programming phase is performed using ending drain voltages from the first programming phase as initial drain voltages where gate voltage levels are varied during each program pulse to facilitate programming memory cells to respective final verify voltage levels based on respective data levels.

Multi-phase programming of multi-level memory

A reduced state memory device and methods of forming and programming multi-level flash memory cell element-pairs of the device, each element configured to store a blank level or two or more program levels are provided. In one embodiment, the reduced state memory device comprises a component configured to store in the memory cell element-pairs one pattern combination of a plurality of program pattern combinations comprising two blank levels, two program levels, and one blank level and one program level, the levels differing by less than a predetermined value. In one embodiment, a method of forming a memory device comprises forming at least one memory device of a multi-level flash memory array, each memory cell comprising two or more memory elements, each memory element configured to store three or more levels, and excluding one or more program pattern combinations that can be stored in the at least one memory cell.

Reduced state quadbit

A system and method is discussed for providing programmable test conditions for a built-in self test circuit of a flash memory device. The present invention employs a flash memory having BIST circuit for testing the memory and a BIST interface circuit adapted to adjust the test conditions of the memory tests. The BIST interface circuit is operable to receive one or more global variables associated with the test conditions of a plurality of tests used on the flash memory and to output results of the memory tests based on the value of the variables. The global variables are used to adjust the test conditions and to trim one or more references used in various flash memory tests and operations. The system may further include a serial communications medium for communicating the global variables to the BIST interface and test results from the interface.

Input of test conditions and output generation for built-in self test

Methods of rapidly programming a wordline of multi-level flash memory cells comprising memory cell element-pairs having three or more data levels per bit or element corresponding to three or more threshold voltages are provided. An interactive program algorithm rapidly programs the elements of the wordline of memory cells in a learn phase and a single core programming phase. In one embodiment, each wordline comprises learn element-pairs first programmed to provide learn drain voltages for programming core element-pairs along the wordline having the same program pattern of data levels. A set comprising one or more program patterns is chosen to correspond with each program level used on the wordline. The learn element-pairs are programmed to determine a learned program drain voltage for each program level. This learned program drain voltage essentially provides a wordline and program level specific program characterization of the Vd required for the remaining elements of that wordline.

Fast single phase program algorithm for quadbit

The claimed subject matter provides systems and/or methods that facilitate programming and reading multi-level, multi-bit memory cells in a memory device. In multi-bit memory cells, programming one element can affect the second element. Certain combinations of elements can cause excessive levels of complementary bit disturb, state dependent non-uniform charge loss, and state dependent program disturb, reducing memory device reliability. Such effects may be pronounced where a high charge level is programmed into a first element while a second element of the same memory cell is unprogrammed. Memory cell elements can be programmed using additional charge levels to mitigate such effects. For example, the sixteen distinct element combinations possible using four charge levels can be mapped to a subset of twenty-five possible element combinations using five charge levels, avoiding element combinations likely to generate excessive complementary bit disturb, state dependent non-uniform charge loss, and state dependent program disturb.

Multi-level operation in dual element cells using a supplemental programming level

Erasing wordlines at the same time can cause undesirable results because some wordlines are affected by electromagnetic waves of other wordlines. However, other wordlines are not affected because they are next to contacts. Therefore, it can be beneficial to erase wordlines in a multi-phase sequence that allows for erasing wordlines without an impact from other wordlines.

Multi-phase wordline erasing for flash memory

A method is provided for programming a nonvolatile memory array including an array of memory cells, where each memory cell including a substrate, a control gate, a charge storage element, a source region and a drain region. The method includes receiving a programming window containing a predetermined number of bits that are to be programmed in the array and determining which of the predetermined number of bits are to be programmed in the memory array. The predetermined number of bits are simultaneously programmed to corresponding memory cells in the array. A programming state of the predetermined number of bits in the array is simultaneously verified.

High performance flash memory device capable of high density data storage

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Darlene G Hamilton