Sgs-thomson Microelectronics S.r.l.

Stmicroelectronics S.r.l.

Micron Technology Incorporated

Other

Stmelectronics S.r.l.

Luigi Pascucci

Paolo Rolandi

Marco Olivo

Marco Giovanni Fontana

Marco MacCarrone

Carla Maria Golla

Silvia Padoan

Antonio Barcella

Corrado Villa

Francesco Tomaiuolo

Salvatore Nicosia

Cristiano Calligaro

Carla Maris Golla

Luca Giuseppe De Ambroggi

Fabrizio Campanale

Carlo Riva

Marco Defendi

Marcello Carrera

Promod Kumar

Marco Riva

Paolo Rosini

Marco Maccarrone

Vernon George McKenny

A non-volatile electronic memory device is integrated on a semiconductor and is of the Flash EEPROM type with a NAND architecture including at least one memory matrix divided into physical sectors, intended as smallest erasable units, and organized in rows or word lines and columns or bit lines of memory cells. At least one row or word line of a given physical sector is electrically connected to at least one row or word line of an adjacent physical sector to form a single logic sector being erasable, with the source terminals of the corresponding cells of the pair of connected rows referring to a same selection line of a source line.

Memory device with a common source select line for two memory portions of a logic sector

Programming non-volatile electronic memory device with NAND architecture

Electronic memory device having two portions that can be decoupled

Semiconductor device formed by a first conductive strip of semiconductor material; a control gate region of semiconductor material, facing a channel portion of the first conductive strip, and an insulation region arranged between the first conductive strip and the control gate region. The first conductive strip includes a conduction line having a first conductivity type and a control line having a second conductivity type, arranged adjacent and in electrical contact with each other, and the conduction line forms the channel portion, a first conduction portion and a second conduction portion arranged on opposite sides of the channel portion.

Semiconductor field-effect transistor, memory cell and memory device

Non-volatile electronic memory device with NAND structure being monolithically integrated on semiconductor

A configuration terminal for integrated devices includes a first and a second portion structurally independent and connected to respective first and second terminals and it has at least one contact terminal suitable to be selectively connected to such first and second terminals. Also a method configures an integrated device that includes a plurality of address pads and respective supply pins. The method includes: realizing at least one configuration terminal having a first and a second portion structurally independent and connected to at least one contact terminal; providing the contact of such first and second portions with respective terminals; and configuring the device by a short-circuiting of the contact terminal with at least one of said terminals.

Configuration terminal for integrated devices and method for configuring an integrated device

A method for accessing, in reading, programming, and erasing a semiconductor-integrated non-volatile memory device of the Flash EEPROM type with a NAND architecture having at least one memory matrix organized in rows or word lines and columns or bit lines, and wherein, for the memory, a plurality of additional address pins are provided. The method provides both an access protocol of the asynchronous type and a protocol of the extended type allowing to address, directly and in parallel, a memory extended portion by loading an address register associated with the additional pins in two successive clock pulses. A third multi-sequential access mode and a parallel additional bus referring to the additional address pins are also provided to allow a double addressing mode, sequential and in parallel.

Method for accessing in reading, writing and programming to a NAND non-volatile memory electronic device monolithically integrated on semiconductor

Method for accessing in reading, writing and programming to a nand non-volatile memory electronic device monolithically integrated on semiconductor

A row decoder circuit is described of the type comprising at least one input stage connected to a first supply voltage reference and to an output stage connected to a second supply voltage reference, the output stage having at least one output terminal connected to a word line of a memory matrix. The row decoder circuit further comprises a biasing device, connected to a third supply voltage reference and comprising at least one generator of a negative voltage connected to a divider, in turn connected to a first biasing terminal of the biasing device. In particular, the first biasing terminal is connected to at least one input stage in correspondence with bulk terminals of MOS transistors comprised in the input stage and it is suitable for supplying it with a first negative voltage.

Row decoder circuit and related system and method

A refresh circuit for refreshing a memory device is proposed. The refresh circuit includes: reading means for reading a set of memory cells, the reading means including means for applying a biasing voltage having a substantially monotone time pattern to the memory cells and to a set of reference cells each one having a reference threshold voltage, means for detecting the reaching of a comparison current by a cell current of each memory cell and by a reference current of each reference cell, and means for determining a condition of each memory cell according to a temporal relation of the reaching of the comparison current by the corresponding cell current and the reference currents, and writing means for applying a writing voltage to at least one selected of the memory cells; the refresh circuit further includes control means for enabling the writing means during at least part of the application of the biasing voltage after the determination of the condition of each selected memory cell.

Method and system for refreshing a memory device during reading thereof

A non-volatile memory electronic device is integrated on a semiconductor and is of the Flash EEPROM type with an architecture of the NAND type including at least one memory matrix organized in rows or word lines and columns or bit lines of memory cells and with at least one associated row decoding circuit portion. Advantageously, the matrix includes at least one logic sector with pairs of rows or word lines being short-circuited with each other and referring to a respective biasing terminal, one for each pair, and in that the row decoding circuit portion includes a single select block which controls a single multiplexer for the logic sector for the regulation of the signals applied to the biasing terminals.

Non-volatile memory electronic device with NAND structure being monolithically integrated on semiconductor

A read/verify circuit for multilevel memory cells includes: a read terminal selectively connectable to a plurality of array cells, having respective array threshold voltages; a plurality of reference cells, having respective reference threshold voltages; and a plurality of threshold-detection circuits, for detecting the array thresholds and the reference thresholds. In particular, the read terminal and the reference cells are each connected to a respective threshold-detection circuit. Each threshold-detection circuit is provided with a respective detector element of a resistive type, set so as to be traversed by a current response to turning-on of the respective array cell or reference cell associated thereto.

Read/verify circuit for multilevel memory cells with ramp read voltage, and read/verify method thereof

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Sesto San Giovanni, Italy

Luigi Pascucci