Sandisk Technologies Inc.

Masahiro Kano

Yuki Fujita

Minoru Yamashita

Hiroki Yabe

Kyosuke Matsumoto

Ryuji Yamashita

Kei Kitamura

Shuzo Otsuka

Keiji Nose

A method for programming a non-volatile memory structure, wherein the method comprises initiating a two-dimensional fractional number of bits-per-cell programming scheme with respect to at least a first memory cell and a second memory cell of a plurality of memory cells of the memory structure, wherein the memory structure comprises: (1) a first memory array that comprises a first population of the plurality of memory cells and associated peripheral circuitry disposed below the first population of the plurality of memory cells, (2) a second memory array that is positioned above the first memory array and comprises a second population of the plurality of memory cells and the associated peripheral circuitry that is disposed above the second population of the plurality of memory cells, and (3) a data bus tap electrically coupling the first memory array and the second memory array.

Double sense amp and fractional bit assignment in non-volatile memory structures

A method for programming a non-volatile memory structure, comprises initiating a two-dimensional fractional number of bits-per-cell programming scheme of a plurality of memory cells, wherein the memory structure comprises: (1) a first memory array comprising a first population of memory cells and the associated peripheral circuitry disposed below the first population of cells, (2) a second memory array positioned above the first memory array and comprising a second population of memory cells and associated peripheral circuitry disposed above the second population of cells, and (3) a data bus tap electrically coupling the first and second memory arrays. Further, the method comprises: (1) storing input data in data latches associated with the first array and with the second array. Additionally, the method comprises converting the stored data using data conversion logic implemented by a data path circuit of the first and second arrays and rewriting the converted data to the latches.

Data conversion with data path circuits for use in double sense amp architecture with fractional bit assignment in non-volatile memory structures

A method for programming three page user data in a memory array of a non-volatile memory system, comprising converting each three-bit value data pattern of the user data into a representative pair of two-bit data values, simultaneously programming two single-state memory cells with a first of the pair of representative two-bit data values, wherein the two single-state memory cells are located along a first common word line of two memory cell strings, and simultaneously programming two single-state memory cells with a second of the pair of representative two-bit data values, wherein the two single-state memory cells are located along a second common word line of the two memory cell strings.

Three-valued programming mechanism for non-volatile memory structures

An apparatus includes a pair of memory cells configured to represent data using joint data states where one of the joint data states comprises an error-prone joint data state. The apparatus further includes an encoder configured to convert user data into joint data states according to a dual-cell gray-code encoding scheme in which the error-prone joint data state does not encode user data.

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Yokohama, Japan

Masahiro Kano