Aplus Flash Technology, Inc.

Other

Vlsi Technology, Inc.

Integrated Silicon Solution Incorporated

Nexflash Technologies, Inc.

Abedneja Assetts Ag L.l.c.

Abedneja Assets Ag L.l.c.

Koucheng Wu

Peter Wung Lee

Fu-Chang Hsu

Hsing-Ya Tsao

Han-Rei Ma

Yu-Pin Han

Ying-Tsong Loh

Ivan Sanchez

A novel FLASH-based EEPROM cell, decoder, and layout scheme are disclosed to eliminate the area-consuming divided triple-well in cell array and allows byte-erase and byte-program for high P/E cycles. Furthermore, the process-compatible FLASH cell for EEPROM part can be integrated with FLASH and ROM parts so that a superior combo, monolithic, nonvolatile memory is achieved. Unlike all previous arts, the novel combo nonvolatile memory of the present invention of ROM, EEPROM and FLASH or combination of any two is made of one unified, fully compatible, highly-scalable BN+cell and unified process. In addition, its cell operation schemes have zero array overhead and zero disturbance during P/E operations. The novel combo nonvolatile memory is designed to meet the need in those markets requiring flexible write size in units of bytes, pages and blocks at a lower cost.

Nonvolatile memory with a unified cell structure

A novel FLASH-based EEPROM cell, decoder, and layout scheme are disclosed to eliminate the area-consuming divided triple-well in cell array and allows byte-erase and byte-program for high P/E cycles. Furthermore, the process-compatible FLASH cell for EEPROM part can be integrated with FLASH and ROM parts so that a superior combo, monolithic, nonvolatile memory is achieved. Unlike all previous arts, the novel combo nonvolatile memory of the present invention of ROM, EEPROM and FLASH or combination of any two is made of one unified, fully compatible, highly-scalable BN+ cell and unified process. In addition, its cell operation schemes have zero array overhead and zero disturbance during P/E operations. The novel combo nonvolatile memory is designed to meet the need in those markets requiring flexible write size in units of bytes, pages and blocks at a lower cost.

Monolithic, combo nonvolatile memory allowing byte, page and block write with no disturb and divided-well in the cell array using a unified cell structure and technology with a new scheme of decoder and layout

A semiconductor device having an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) comprises a contactless array of EEPROM memory cells disposed in rows and columns and constructed over a silicon-on-insulator wafer. Each EEPROM memory cell comprises a drain region, a source region, a gate region, and a body region. The semiconductor device further comprises a plurality of gate lines each connecting the gate regions of a row of EEPROM memory cells, a plurality of body lines each connecting the body regions of a column of EEPROM memory cells, a plurality of source lines each connecting the source regions of a column of EEPROM memory cells, and a plurality of drain lines each connecting the drain regions of a column of EEPROM memory cells. The source lines and the drain lines are buried lines, and the source regions and the drain regions of a column of EEPROM memory cells are insulated from the source regions and the drain regions of the adjacent columns of EEPROM memory cells.

Nor-type channel-program channel-erase contactless flash memory on SOI

A three-terminal semiconductor transistor device comprises a base region formed by a semiconductor material of a first conductivity type at a first concentration, the base region being in contact with a first electrical terminal via a semiconductor material of the second conductivity type at a second concentration, wherein the second concentration is lower than the first concentration. The three-terminal semiconductor transistor device also includes a conductive emitter region in contact with the semiconductor base region, forming a first Schottky barrier junction at the interface of the conductive emitter region and the semiconductor base region. The conductive emitter region is in contact with a second electrical terminal. The three-terminal semiconductor transistor device further includes a conductive collector region in contact with the semiconductor base region, which forms a second Schottky barrier junction at the interface of the conductive collector region and the semiconductor base region. The conductive collector region is in contact with a third electrical terminal. The tunneling current through the first Schottky barrier junction or the second Schottky barrier junction is substantially controlled by the voltage of the semiconductor base region.

Schottky-barrier tunneling transistor

MONOLITHIC, COMBO NONVOLATILE MEMORY ALLOWING BYTE, PAGE AND BLOCK WRITE WITH NO DISTURB AND DIVIDED-WELL IN THE CELL ARRAY USING A UNIFIED CELL STRUCTURE AND TECHNOLOGY WITH A NEW SCHEME OF DECODER AND LAYOUT

A three-terminal semiconductor transistor device comprises a semiconductor base region in contact with a first electric terminal, a conductive emitter region in contact with the semiconductor base region, forming a first Schottky barrier junction at the interface of the conductive emitter region and the semiconductor base region. The conductive emitter region is in contact with a second electric terminal. The three-terminal semiconductor transistor device further includes a conductive collector region in contact with the semiconductor base region, forming a second Schottky barrier junction at the interface of the conductive collector region and the semiconductor base region. The conductive collector region is in contact with a third electric terminal. The tunneling currents through the first and the second Schottky barrier junctions are substantially controlled by the voltage of the semiconductor base region.

The present invention is an antifuse structure comprising an insulation layer between a top conductor and a bottom conductor. The insulation layer has a via. A resistive layer is adjacent the via and a plug is adjacent the resistive layer. The plug is in the via and is also adjacent the top conductor. The present invention also provides a method for fabricating the antifuse on a base. A bottom conductor is deposited on the base. An insulation layer are deposited adjacent the bottom conductor. An antifuse via is etched into the insulation layer. A resistive layer is deposited in the antifuse via. A plug is deposited. The plug extends into the antifuse via. A top conductor is deposited and patterned adjacent the plug.

High density self-aligned antifuse

A byte-programmable/byte-erasable flash memory system having on-chip counters and secondary storage for word line and bit line disturbance control during program and erase operations. The counters count the numbers of program/erase cycles and compare them with empirically pre-determined counter limits; when the program/erase count exceeds the counter limit, the data then carried in the system are temporarily transferred onto the secondary storage while the memory array is refreshed and the counters are reset. The lifetime of the resulting flash memory system is improved because of decreased erase and program stresses in the memory array.

Byte-programmable flash memory having counters and secondary storage for

A computer-aided method and system are provided for obtaining a measurement of the capacitance value of a device under test (DUT). The complex impedance of a device under test (DUT) is measured at two nearby frequencies using an RLC meter. The two complex impedance values are then stored in a computer readable medium. The DUT is modeled by a programmed computer as a four element RLC model circuit including a resistor and inductor in series with a parallel RC circuit having a single capacitor which represents the capacitance of the DUT. Four equations which describe the electrical characteristics of the four element RLC model circuit are stored in a computer readable medium. The four measured values of complex impedance are substituted by the computer into the four stored equations. Values are obtained for the four individual RLC circuit elements by solving the four equations. The four unknown values are obtained by use of an optimization routine and then stored to a computer readable medium. The value capacitor element representing the capacitance of the DUT is then displayed.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Koucheng Wu