Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Gyeong-soo Han

Eui-Gyu Han

Hoo-Sung Kim

Hyung-Seok Kang

Jin-yub Lee

Kil-Yeon Kim

Provided is a method of improving the read disturb characteristics of a flash memory array. According to the method, in a flash memory array having at least one cell string in which a string selection transistor, a plurality of memory cells, and a ground selection transistor are connected in series, first read voltage is applied to a string selection line connected to a gate of the string selection transistor and a ground selection line connected to a gate of the ground selection transistor. Ground voltage is applied to a word line of a memory cell selected from among the memory cells. Second read voltage is applied to word lines of memory cells, from among the memory cells that are not selected, which are adjacent to the string selection transistor and the ground selection transistor. Then, the first read voltage is applied to the other memory cells that are not selected. The second read voltage is lower than the first read voltage.

Methods of applying read voltages in NAND flash memory arrays

An erase method of a non-volatile memory device including memory cells arranged in a matrix of rows and columns. The memory cells are erased at the same time. An erase-verify operation is performed for the erased memory cells. The erase method is repeated under different bias conditions of the rows. An erase-verify operation is successively performed twice or more under different bias conditions of wordlines to decrease cell current caused by a weak cell which may be produced in a process. Thus, a reliability of an erase-verify operation is enhance to increase a yield.

Growing community of inventors

Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

Gyeong-soo Han