Advanced Micro Devices Corporation

Sandisk Technologies Inc.

Spansion Llc.

Sheunghee Park

Richard M Fastow

Ming Sang Kwan

Sameer S Haddad

Zhigang Wang

Chi K Chang

James Fitzpatrick

Robert W Ellis

Yue-Song He

Bernardo Rub

James M Higgins

Mark Joseph Dancho

Ryan R Jones

Sungchul Lee

A storage control system, and a method of operation thereof, including: a power-down module for powering off a memory sub-system; a decay estimation module, coupled to the power-down module, for estimating a power-off decay rate upon the memory sub-system powered up, the power-off decay rate is for indicating how much data in the memory sub-system has decayed while the memory sub-system has been powered down; and a recycle module, coupled to the decay estimation module, for recycling an erase block for data retention based on the power-off decay rate.

Storage control system with power-off time estimation mechanism and method of operation thereof

A method is provided for erasing a memory cell having a substrate, a control gate, a floating gate, a source region and a drain region. The method includes pre-programming the memory cell to raise a threshold voltage of the memory cell to a first predetermined level, wherein pre-programming the memory cell does not include a verification process for ensuring that the threshold voltage of the memory cell has been raised to the first predetermined level. The memory cell may be erased to lower the threshold voltage of the memory cell to a second predetermined level.

Methods and systems for reducing erase times in flash memory devices

Multiple passes of the loop of program verify and programming steps are performed for minimizing the effects of FG&#x2014;FG coupling during programming a flash memory device. In one embodiment of the present invention, for programming a group of at least one flash memory cell of an array, a first pass of program verify and programming steps is performed until each flash memory cell of the group attains a threshold voltage that is at least X % of a program verify level but less than the program verify level. Then, a second pass of program verify and programming steps are performed until each flash memory cell of the group attains substantially the program verify level for the threshold voltage.

Minimization of FG-FG coupling in flash memory

A flash memory cell programming system and method that facilitate efficient and quick operation of a flash memory cell by providing a biasable well (e.g., substrate) is presented. The biasable well flash memory cell enables increases in electrical field strengths in a manner that eases resistance to charge penetration of a dielectric barrier (e.g., oxide) around a charge trapping region (e.g., a floating gate). The present biasable well system and method also create a self convergence point that increase control during programming operations and reduces the chances of excessive correction for over erased memory cells. The biasing can assist hard programming to store information and/or soft programming to correct the effects of over-erasing. The biasing can also reduce stress on a drain voltage pump, reduce leakage current and reduce programming durations. Some implementations also include a biasable control gate component, biasable source component and biasable drain component.

Flash memory cell programming method and system

A memory circuit for programming a target cell is disclosed. According to one embodiment, the memory circuit comprises the target cell having a drain terminal connected to a bit line. A drain voltage is coupled to the bit line and supplies a voltage greater than a ground voltage, while a gate voltage is coupled to a gate terminal of the target cell and supplies a voltage greater the ground voltage. A source voltage is coupled to a source terminal of the target cell and supplies a voltage less than the ground voltage, and a substrate voltage is coupled to a substrate of the target cell and supplies a voltage less than the ground voltage.

Memory circuit arrangement for programming a memory cell

Methods of programming and soft programming short channel NOR flash memory cells that reduce the programming currents and column leakages during both programming and soft programming while maintaining fast programming speeds. During programming, a voltage of between 7 and 10 volts is applied to the control gate, a voltage of between 4 and 6 volts; is applied to the drain, a voltage of between 0.5 and 2.0 volts is applied to the source and a voltage of between minus 2 and minus 0.5 volts is applied to the substrate of the selected cell to be programmed. During soft programming, a voltage of between 0.5 and 4.5 volts is applied to the control gates, between 4 and 5.5 volts is applied to the drains, between 0.5 and 2 volts is applied to the sources and between minus 2.0 and minus 0.5 volts is applied to the substrates of the memory cells.

Growing community of inventors

Pleasanton, CA, United States of America

Sheunghee Park